Targeting a ‘terrorist group’

Re “Iranian Americans Rally for a Different Approach,” Jan. 20

It is sad to read about the Mujahedin Khalq organization (a.k.a. MEK, MKO, NCRI and several other names) in that the terrorist group is portrayed as the representative of a quarter of a million Iranian Americans. The group was in charge of killing several Americans during the shah’s regime in Iran. Its ideology is a mixture of Islam and Marxism. The group is run like a cult, in that the “holy” leaders (Maryam and Massoud Rajavi) must be obeyed at all costs, even if this means sacrificing families and children.

In 1980s and ‘90s, the group’s leaders forced members to abandon their children to come to military camps in Iraq to participate in fighting the Iraqi Shiite uprising alongside Saddam Hussein’s troops. It is no exaggeration to say that more than 95% of Iranians and Iraqis, both in their native countries and in the U.S., abhor the organization and are puzzled by the fact that some U.S. politicians sympathize with this terrorist group. More shocking is the Pentagon’s move to provide it with a haven in Iraq for potential future attacks on Iranian soil.

I guess terrorist groups can be supported by the Pentagon whenever the goals justify the means.

KAMIAR ZADEH

Los Angeles