The Iranian Regime is brutal and cruel, but it is important to remember that despots hijacking the positions of power is something that could happen anywhere in the world, according to political scientist Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, and those in the West should learn the history of the Islamist and theocratic regime in order to recognise those patterns.

In an op-ed on The Gatestone Institute, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh recounts the brutality of the Iranian Regime, which came to power just before he was born, and how this repressive regime would carry out mass executions, brainwash children with extremist ideology, segregate the genders, and ban social activities in order to exert control.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh wrote: “If it made you smile, if it gave you hope, it was probably against the law, such as what could be worn, whom you were allowed to talk to, what you could listen to, and whether or not you pray or fast during Ramadan. Even the most personal and private issues became the business of the regime’s forces.”

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a member of Iran’s Burnt Generation, so-called because they have never known any rulers in Iran bar the suppressive mullahs and were raised in an “atmosphere of terror”, but that doesn’t mean they are complacent. Those born after the mullahs stole power in Iran are some of the strongest opponents to the Regime, dreaming of a time when they can be free.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh warns that those in the West should take note of how the Iranian Regime took over because the world underestimated then how far the mullahs would go to keep control and overlooked warning signs.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh wrote: “The radical group of Ayatollah Khomeini deceived many Iranians and the international community into believing that they were peaceful and divine people. Once they had power, the truth was revealed; by then it was too late to prevent the abuse that unfolded.”

The mullahs had been sowing these seed for years, depicting themselves to former generations a kindly, religious people, which is why their involvement in the revolution didn’t warrant any panic among those in Iran or in the West. Who would think a religious person could commit such atrocities?

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh wrote: “They portrayed themselves as leaders of the people, as spiritual and peaceful. However, once the Islamists rose to the top, all hell broke loose. As soon as they had a stranglehold on the country, they shifted gears to become one of the most ruthless regimes in history. Once in power, their true face was revealed; at that point, there was no way to turn back.”

Here are just some of the atrocities committed by the Iranian Regime:

• Executing political prisoners, most notably in 1988 when 30,000 members of the Iranian opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) were killed

• Executing innocent people

• Using cruel and unusual punishments, like torture, rape, amputations

• Enforcing Sharia law

• Stripping women of their rights, including in areas of employment, marriage, travel, clothing, the legal system, education, inheritance, and sport

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh wrote: “Now, those Islamists, whom almost everyone made light of, have not only been in power for almost four decades; they have expanded their expansionist ideology to other nations and taken first prize as being the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and among its leading executioners.”

He advises those in the West not to ignore the silent ways that groups like the Regime will take power and to confront these abuses whenever they are spotted before it is too late.

Source » ncr-iran