Edited text of lead article in Mojahed (February 12, 1981), the organ of the Mojahedin-e Khalq:
Having celebrated the second anniversary of the revolution, we are at the brink of the third year. The anniversary of the revolution and the days of Bahman remind us of…the days of great victories and finally the days of the magnificent armed uprising of the masses and the eventual overthrow of the mercenary and puppet regime of the Shah and the shameful and sinister system of monarchy…. But looking back to the events and changes of the past two years, present conditions bring a feeling of pity and show how great hopes have widely turned into hopelessness….
For the “guardians” of the revolution, ignorant of the fact that their deeds have been exposed to the people and have been assessed by the masses, are consistently claiming victory, prosperity and improvement. They reproach the masses, not knowing that the time for demagoguery has come to an end…. There is the war and continuous aggression of the Iraqi regime, swallowing every day lots of youth of this land. The war and aggression could be avoided altogether if not for reactionary domestic and foreign policies.
The war has been turned into a war of attrition, and there is no immediate prospect of its ending in a military victory. Social and economic problems and difficulties, either created or exacerbated by the war, still impose themselves upon the society and intensify day by day. Over a million of our countrymen have taken refuge away from their homeland, living under very hard and pitiful conditions, looking into an unclear and sometimes terrifying future…. There was the hostage issue, recently “resolved.” The dominant faction, which had taken the most advantage of the hostage issue, was finally forced to pay for these abuses and to release the hostages while shouting hollow anti-imperialistic slogans….
Domestically, there is continuous fratricide in Kurdistan. Its news is occasionally reflected In the media, but the truths and calamities are covered under general statements. Other regions of the country are also under the threat of danger and turmoil. The allies of the reactionaries in Lurestan are chanting “today awareness, tomorrow slaughter” and try to cause an explosion there, too….
Prohibition of the oppositional publications, prosecution, arrest and jail have become an ordinary matter…. Less than two years after the victory of the revolution over the savage regime of the Shah, the issue of torture has become a habitual feature. The universities are still closed and are labelled as centers of corruption and bases of imperialism, each day using a new title. An atmosphere of pressure and repression is ruling in schools.
All those who resist it are dismissed or even liquidated…. All the mass media are under the influence and sovereignty of the monopolistic ruling current and are generally used to serve for their objectives and interests and against the revolutionary forces….
Socioeconomic difficulties have grown wide and obvious. Apart from the pitiful conditions of the war refugees, there are shortages in budget, suspension or reduction of production in many industries…a considerable reduction in agricultural production and a need for importing foods, increasing unemployment, shortages and inflation, all of which have occasionally caused social uneasiness and protests manifested in strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations….
All these political, economic and social problems…are reflected in discontent, hopelessness, frustration and pessimism, indifference and political passivity, and promotion of monarchist tendencies. Under such conditions the enemies of the masses and the revolution naturally have evil plans in mind for this country and its people….
This situation has not come about incidentally and spontaneously. It is the result of the deeds of those in power. Regarding the election of the Council of Experts and the election of the Parliament: It is enough to point out that the Shah’s general could stand for the presidential election but Masoud Rajavi could not. Such destructive and anti-popular deeds of the ruling current put this country and the revolution under serious threats and danger.
Here the monopolistic ruling bodies will condemn us and accuse us of negativism and neglecting the positive points: the land reform law;…nationalization of foreign commerce; occupation of the American spy nest…. They blame us for not seeing the superficial beauties of the house which is endangered at the base…. The existing realities of the society, two years after the victory of the revolution, is far more bitter than what can be hidden under the mounds of propaganda and slogans. For every one of the people today encounters these realities and feels their bitterness in his daily life. And only those who are totally unfamiliar and out of touch with the pains and difficulties of the people, or the conjurers whose only objective is to monopolize power, could still speak of “victory” and ”improvement.”
The awareness and experience of the masses of people have undoubtedly increased in the past two years and there have been considerable changes and reactions occurring in the equation of the forces and political currents leading to more distinct boundaries. Now, at the beginning of the third year of the revolution, the question is what will be the future of the revolution?
We can emphasize one truth confidently and certainly: the revolution is not dead, nor will it be. The people who have created the revolution will not permit anybody to victimize it for his own monopolistic ambitions and greedy desires. The people who toppled the despotic regime of the Shah can still remove all the obstacles even more vigorously to open the path of the revolution. At this stage we should point to the heavy responsibilities which are on the shoulders of the national, progressive and popular elements and the revolutionary forces. These responsibilities correctly appreciated and practiced by these elements and forces, are a decisive factor for the victory of the revolution and the people. The future will demonstrate to what extent these elements and currents have succeeded in understanding and practicing these responsibilities.
Source: Newsletter of the Muslim Students Society (London).
