Iranian Opposition Leader: Democratic Muslims are the Most Effective Force to Defeat Islamic Extremism

PARIS, November 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Iranian opposition leader and French political personalities and Muslim community leaders took part in a ceremony to pay tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in Paris on Saturday.

The event followed the terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists that shook Paris on November 13, resulting in the death of 132 individuals.

Maryam Rajavi, who heads the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, called on all Muslims, particularly those in France, to unite against extremism under the name of Islam. "Muslims who believe in democracy are the most effective force to fight and defeat the global danger of Islamic fundamentalism," she said.

"The very existence of Daesh (ISIS) from day one has depended on Bashar Assad and the Iranian regime. Two parties will be seriously hurt by Assad's ouster; one is Daesh, which would lose its breeding grounds. The other is the Iranian regime whose regional front would crumble and disintegrate," Rajavi added.

"Fundamentalism under the name of Islam - whether the Shiite variant (embodied in the absolute rule of clergy in Iran) or the Sunni variant as practiced by Daesh - is the enemy of humanity. Its heart beats in Tehran under the rule of religious fascism," she emphasized.

Ingrid Betancourt, former presidential candidate in Colombia and hostage; Alain Vivien, former French minister; Khalil Merroun, head of Evry Mosque; and Taoufiq Sebti, vice president of the Muslim Council of France, were other speakers at the event, which held at the NCRI headquarters northwest of Paris.

Bilal Bely Mokono, who was at Stade de France on November 13 with his son to watch the France-Germany soccer match and had a face-to-face encounter with the terrorists before they blew themselves up, gave a detailed account of what he saw.

The participants laid wreath on the memorial to victims of the November 13 tragedy and let 132 pigeons, symbolizing the 132 victims, to fly away. The event also included a short film of a memorial held for the victims by thousands of Iranian dissidents in Camp Liberty, Iraq.  

The fact that these terror acts has nothing to do with Islam and its teachings was repeated throughout the event.