Donya Akhawan Jam, ‘Doah Staff Writer
March 4, 2015

Recently, many conferences on how to defeat terrorism have been held across the United States and Europe with the presence of political figures. The conferences are focused primarily on the topic of the true roots of Islamic Fundamentalism and offer solutions.  The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is an Iranian Resistance movement currently in exile, organizes these gatherings.  The NCRI is led by a woman, which is something that many admire. Her name is Maryam Rajavi, and she has dedicated her life to bringing freedom to Iran and shining a light on the truth on the Iranian regime’s terrorism. The Iranian Resistance seeks the removal of the current dictatorship in Iran and supports the ideals of democracy.

According to Mrs. Rajavi, the reason why terrorism has increased is because of the current regime in power in Iran. The U.S. State Department has in fact labeled Iran as being the “most active state sponsor of terrorism” in the world. The Iranian regime has committed hundreds of terrorist attacks in the Middle East and around the world. One popular case is the bombing of the Jewish Center in Argentina that killed 85 people. Iran’s government is suspected to be behind the bombing, and the Interpol issued arrest warrants for a number of high-ranking Iranian officials. Currently, the Iranian regime is sending troops and assisting the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. They are known for backing and supporting the Houthis who are trying to take over Yemen. The Iranian regime is also one of the world’s worst abuser of human rights. Since the current president came into power, more than 1,200 prisoners have been executed including political prisoners, women and juveniles.

Mrs. Rajavi explained that if the root is not destroyed, terrorism will not end. During a recent gathering in Paris, she said, “Without paying attention to the roots and origins of fundamentalism, every action will only lead to cutting off the metaphorical tree’s branches or leaves, while leaving its roots and trunk intact. That is why, despite all the military campaigns after Sept. 11, 2001, rather than being eradicated, fundamentalism and terrorism have spread.”

This leads into why after the Iraq war terrorism still exists and is continuing to grow today.  It’s because the root and in the words of Mrs. Rajavi the trunk is intact. “I must stress that unless the Iranian regime is not viewed as the godfather of Islamic fundamentalism and the main enemy of peace and security for humanity, there would be no winning strategy,” she said.

A symposium was held just last month that was organized by Iranian-Americans in Arizona.  It was entitled “Countering Islamic Fundamentalism, Nuclear Armed Iran.” Political figures such as Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, General Hugh Shelton, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Former White House Director of Public Liaison Linda Chavez were among the speakers. Senator John McCain, who couldn’t be there presently, gave a video message to support the symposium. These political figures support Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s movement.

During Rudy Giuliani’s speech, he said that terrorist groups are misusing the religion Islam “for the purpose of defending slaughter of human beings.” He also said, “Iran has probably been responsible for more American deaths than any singular terrorist group. It is undisputedly the largest supporter of terrorism in the world.”

Gen. Hugh Shelton also mentioned very powerful points throughout his speech. He said, “The problem of the moment may be ISIS, but the problem in general throughout the Middle East is Islamic Extremism and Iran embodies that.” He also said, “To partner with Iran in fighting ISIS is like asking the arsonist to help put out the fire. This would be a recipe for disaster in every way shape and form. ISIS is a plague, and it must be uprooted and it must be stamped out. But, to do so we must eliminate the root cause of fundamentalist Islam, namely the regime in Tehran, which has acted as the central banker of terrorism and the ideological, financial, political and military background for extremism in the region for the past 35 years.”

Giuliani, Shelton and other political figures viewed President Obama’s current foreign policy on ending terrorism very weak. They all agreed that Obama should stop negotiating with Iran and should support the Iranian Resistance and the Iranian people to overthrow the Iranian regime.

A few days ago, David Jones, the Member of Parliament for Clwyd West, wrote an article saying that the rise of the Islamic State requires a democratic Iran.  He mentioned, “the rise of IS should have come as no surprise; its fundamentalist roots had taken hold in Iran 35 years before, when Ayatollah Khomeini usurped power after the popular revolution that overthrew the Shah.”  He later stated, “It is only through the existence of a sponsoring regime in Iran that Islamic fundamentalism has been able to transform itself into a global threat.”

There are many governmental figures in the United States, Europe and all across the world that support the NCRI and say that the only way terrorism will be defeated is through democratic regime change in Iran, which will put an end to the terrorist regime of Iran.