RNK
2nd September 2007, 00:49
While browsing the internet, I happened upon this very, very interesting article (http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001409.html) written by "Michael J. Totten", who is some liberalcon and writer for the New York Daily who has made the Middle East his topic of choice.
In brief, the article explains how Mike and his crew were to meet with some Iranian social-democrats in exile in Kurdish Iraq. However, somehow, they manage to link up with Communist revolutionary insurgents from Iran who are taking refuge in a military camp outside of Iran.
While the article is full of pokes and prods at communism in general, it's actually quite informative and talks a lot about a particular topic which is rarely touched on in the west -- Iranian communist parties.
Here are some interesting statements in the article:
They call themselves the Komalah Party, which is some kind of acronym for the Kurdish Organization of the Iranian Communist Party. ...
...We announced our hostility to the Iranian regime 28 years ago, he [Kamal] continued. Before that we didnt announce our party. We saw that many people were persecuted under the Iranian regime so we began our struggle against that regime in order to liberate the people. At that time Khomeini was in power and he waged a campaign against Kurdistan a jihadi campaign. The Iranian regime said Kurdish people are blasphemous and deserve to be killed. ...
Many of the people in Kurdistan especially have been deprived of education because of the regime, Kamal continued. All the people are under the rule of the Islamic Republic. ..."
Some of the Communists in Iran were a part of the 1979 revolution, I said. Were you a part of that revolution?
Yes, Kamal said. We were. We were supported by people who were workers and poor people. You should remember that the Komalah Party was the first party that brought women equality. Komalah still wants women to have the same rights that men do.
How long have you been here in Northern Iraq? I said.
Since 1988, Hassan said.
Are you here because its safer, or because the Iranian regime exiled you? I said.
We are in opposition to the Iranian regime, he said. We are political men.
I know there is an insurgency in Iran, in the Kurdistan region of Iran, I said. What do you know about it?
We have details about the events that happen every day in Iranian Kurdistan, Hassan said.
Events happen every day? I said.
The struggle is going on, he said. Its not every day, but its going on.
The muezzin sang the call to prayer from the minaret of the small local mosque.
No one paid any attention to the call to prayer. No one ever does in Iraqi Kurdistan unless they are already in the mosque, nor does anyone in any other Muslim country Ive been to. Many Westerners I know assume Muslims stop what they are doing and pray five times a day. The Koran may tell them to do this, but thats not even remotely how Muslims live in the real world especially not in an armed Communist camp.
The cows [in a nearby field], however, wasted little time before they started mooing in annoyance at the muezzins call to prayer.
Apparently they are Communist cows who are no more religious than I am.
Do you think that if the mullahs get nuclear weapons they will further oppress their own people? Patrick said.
Sure, Hassan said. Of course. They will have a stronger authority. People think that if the state has nuclear power, struggling against it will be more difficult. Making a coup detat against it will be difficult. So it spreads fear and panic among the people of Iran.
Ok, so what do you think of the Soviet Union? I said. I thought perhaps he was angry about the American support for the mujahadeen (not the Taliban) against Soviet imperialism. Maybe he liked the Soviet Union. He is a Communist, after all.
The Soviet Union was an imperialist country. We were never in favor of the Soviet Union.
If the United States wanted to help the people of Iran struggle against the dictatorship, I said, would you welcome that assistance, or would you rather the Americans stay out?
We think meddling in Iranian affairs is a bad thing, he said. There is already the reality of a struggle against the regime. There are many people who are already against the Iranian regime. Let them do what they want to do.
So you want armed revolution, I said. Is that right?
We want the ordinary people to rise up against the government, he said. But in a situation where everyone has a gun, you have to have a gun to defend yourself. We want protests inside factories and a closing of the market. We want a general strike against the regime in universities, in the market, everywhere.
I know that in Iranian Kurdistan, I said, and in the areas where the Azeris live, there is a violent insurgency against the government. Which groups are behind this?
There are many armed groups in Kurdistan, he said. We are an armed force. And there are other groups and forces in Iranian Kurdistan which are armed.
We have a relationship with all the Kurdish groups in Iran, he said, except the Islamic groups.
You mean like Ansar Al Islam? I said.
Ansar as of a few days ago started calling themselves Al Qaeda in Kurdistan, Patrick [one of Totten's crew] said.
Even if they didnt announce that, Hassan said, we know they are part of Al Qaeda. They have a close relationship with Iran. After the Americans attacked them in Biara and Tawela [in Northern Iraq], they went to Iran. Now they have camps there. We know where they are, around the town of Mariwan. The Iranian government hires them as mercenaries. ..."
Do you get any support from the Kurdistan Regional Government [of Iraq]? I said. It would be news to me if the Iraqi Kurdistan government has any connection to armed groups opposed to the state in Iran.
Yes, Hassan said. From the PUK.
The PUK is the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the secular leftist political party in charge of Suleimaniya Province.
Only PUK, Hassan added.
Iraqi Kurdistans other major political party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, is more conservative, tribal, and has no interest in leftism, international or otherwise.
What kind of support do you get from the PUK? I said. Is it political support, or also financial support?
Financial support, Hassan said.
It's an interesting article to say the least, and it looks legitimate. The contents of the article do make me very curious about the state and nature of revolutionary movements in Iran.
In brief, the article explains how Mike and his crew were to meet with some Iranian social-democrats in exile in Kurdish Iraq. However, somehow, they manage to link up with Communist revolutionary insurgents from Iran who are taking refuge in a military camp outside of Iran.
While the article is full of pokes and prods at communism in general, it's actually quite informative and talks a lot about a particular topic which is rarely touched on in the west -- Iranian communist parties.
Here are some interesting statements in the article:
They call themselves the Komalah Party, which is some kind of acronym for the Kurdish Organization of the Iranian Communist Party. ...
...We announced our hostility to the Iranian regime 28 years ago, he [Kamal] continued. Before that we didnt announce our party. We saw that many people were persecuted under the Iranian regime so we began our struggle against that regime in order to liberate the people. At that time Khomeini was in power and he waged a campaign against Kurdistan a jihadi campaign. The Iranian regime said Kurdish people are blasphemous and deserve to be killed. ...
Many of the people in Kurdistan especially have been deprived of education because of the regime, Kamal continued. All the people are under the rule of the Islamic Republic. ..."
Some of the Communists in Iran were a part of the 1979 revolution, I said. Were you a part of that revolution?
Yes, Kamal said. We were. We were supported by people who were workers and poor people. You should remember that the Komalah Party was the first party that brought women equality. Komalah still wants women to have the same rights that men do.
How long have you been here in Northern Iraq? I said.
Since 1988, Hassan said.
Are you here because its safer, or because the Iranian regime exiled you? I said.
We are in opposition to the Iranian regime, he said. We are political men.
I know there is an insurgency in Iran, in the Kurdistan region of Iran, I said. What do you know about it?
We have details about the events that happen every day in Iranian Kurdistan, Hassan said.
Events happen every day? I said.
The struggle is going on, he said. Its not every day, but its going on.
The muezzin sang the call to prayer from the minaret of the small local mosque.
No one paid any attention to the call to prayer. No one ever does in Iraqi Kurdistan unless they are already in the mosque, nor does anyone in any other Muslim country Ive been to. Many Westerners I know assume Muslims stop what they are doing and pray five times a day. The Koran may tell them to do this, but thats not even remotely how Muslims live in the real world especially not in an armed Communist camp.
The cows [in a nearby field], however, wasted little time before they started mooing in annoyance at the muezzins call to prayer.
Apparently they are Communist cows who are no more religious than I am.
Do you think that if the mullahs get nuclear weapons they will further oppress their own people? Patrick said.
Sure, Hassan said. Of course. They will have a stronger authority. People think that if the state has nuclear power, struggling against it will be more difficult. Making a coup detat against it will be difficult. So it spreads fear and panic among the people of Iran.
Ok, so what do you think of the Soviet Union? I said. I thought perhaps he was angry about the American support for the mujahadeen (not the Taliban) against Soviet imperialism. Maybe he liked the Soviet Union. He is a Communist, after all.
The Soviet Union was an imperialist country. We were never in favor of the Soviet Union.
If the United States wanted to help the people of Iran struggle against the dictatorship, I said, would you welcome that assistance, or would you rather the Americans stay out?
We think meddling in Iranian affairs is a bad thing, he said. There is already the reality of a struggle against the regime. There are many people who are already against the Iranian regime. Let them do what they want to do.
So you want armed revolution, I said. Is that right?
We want the ordinary people to rise up against the government, he said. But in a situation where everyone has a gun, you have to have a gun to defend yourself. We want protests inside factories and a closing of the market. We want a general strike against the regime in universities, in the market, everywhere.
I know that in Iranian Kurdistan, I said, and in the areas where the Azeris live, there is a violent insurgency against the government. Which groups are behind this?
There are many armed groups in Kurdistan, he said. We are an armed force. And there are other groups and forces in Iranian Kurdistan which are armed.
We have a relationship with all the Kurdish groups in Iran, he said, except the Islamic groups.
You mean like Ansar Al Islam? I said.
Ansar as of a few days ago started calling themselves Al Qaeda in Kurdistan, Patrick [one of Totten's crew] said.
Even if they didnt announce that, Hassan said, we know they are part of Al Qaeda. They have a close relationship with Iran. After the Americans attacked them in Biara and Tawela [in Northern Iraq], they went to Iran. Now they have camps there. We know where they are, around the town of Mariwan. The Iranian government hires them as mercenaries. ..."
Do you get any support from the Kurdistan Regional Government [of Iraq]? I said. It would be news to me if the Iraqi Kurdistan government has any connection to armed groups opposed to the state in Iran.
Yes, Hassan said. From the PUK.
The PUK is the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the secular leftist political party in charge of Suleimaniya Province.
Only PUK, Hassan added.
Iraqi Kurdistans other major political party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, is more conservative, tribal, and has no interest in leftism, international or otherwise.
What kind of support do you get from the PUK? I said. Is it political support, or also financial support?
Financial support, Hassan said.
It's an interesting article to say the least, and it looks legitimate. The contents of the article do make me very curious about the state and nature of revolutionary movements in Iran.