July 24th, 2017 
IS THE WEST ABOUT TO MAKE THE SAME mistake with Iran that it made with Afghanistan when it backed the Sunni mujahedin against the Soviet invaders? The Soviets ultimately were driven from Afghanistan by these Muslim zealots, but their support by the United States and NATO cleared the way for the emergence of the Taliban, and it helped spawn al-Qaeda and ultimately a hydra head of spin offs such as the Islamic State, al-Nusra, Boko Haram, and other violent Islamic groups.
The new mistake taking shape lies in the West’s growing support for Iranian Shiite mujahedin who are bent on overthrowing Iran’s clerical regime. These people go by various names, usually Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) or the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), the translation of Mujahedin-e Khalq.
The name is revealing: mujahedin is derived from the word “jihad,” and it means “holy warriors fighting for the cause of Allah.” The word “people’s” signals the Marxist orientation. MEK, therefore, can be loosely translated as “Marxists Fighting for the Cause of God and the People,” or even more loosely, “Leftist Muslims Fighting for the Cause of God and the People.” They aggressively lobby the West for support through their political wing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This organization claims to be the political umbrella group of Iranian dissidents, but it is indistinguishable from the MEK so that MEK’s goals are NCRI goals. Read more »