Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel [Paperback]

Masoud Banisadr (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0863563740 | ISBN-13: 978-0863563744 | Publication Date: February 1, 2004

Masoud is a story unlike any other to come out of Iran in modern times. Banisadr's revelations about the inner sanctum of the sect-like organization, the Iranian Mojahedin, provide rare insights into a period of Iranian history. Growing up in the aftermath of the 1953 CIA coup in Iran exposed the young Masoud Banisadr to extremes of wealth and poverty, loyalty and betrayal. Years later in the United Kingdom, where Banisadr had gone to do postgraduate study, he decided to join the Iranian Mohajedin, an organization fighting to dislodge the regime that took power following the 1979 revolution. Torn between two loves--his family and the cause--Masoud gave up normal life to pursue the revolution. But it wasn't long before the dream turned sour. The Mojahedin's revolutionary fervor demanded more than total sacrifice: he was pressured to divorce his beloved wife, alienate himself from his family and career, and remain separated for over a decade from his children. Years later, following his defection from the organization, Masoud decides to tell his story. At once a passionate and terrifying this account of one man's revolutionary journey is also a poignant warning against the dangers of extremism.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Masoud Banisadr was born in Tehran in 1953. He obtained postgraduate degrees in Engineering and Mathematics in the UK and joined the Mojahedin in 1979. He defected from the group in 1996 and now lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863563740
• ISBN-13: 978-0863563744
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,446,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Mojahedin members and supporters, October 10, 2005

By 

Afshin Azad "Afshin" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel (Paperback)

The main lesson from this book: Life is not black or white but an array of colours and shades. No one is absolute but God. The day you loose your thoughts, this is when you loose it all. Must relay on the people, like Mossadegh, Ghandi, Mandela, and not any absolutist organization for change and for freedom. Life is beautiful, cherish it.
Just read it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desperately needed book, August 9, 2005

By 

William of Albemarle (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel (Paperback)

Far too many Americans operate from the mindset that the "enemy of my enemy must be my friend." As such, still sore over the hostage crisis of a quarter century ago, and inclined to believe the worst accounts about Iran, simple Americans, conservative to liberal, leading Congressman to Faux News devotees, have been willing to believe the absurd claims about the Islamic Republic emanating from the Islamic Marxist CULT known to many as the People's Mujahedin of Iran.

As a result, we have "armies" of unthinking Mooj stooges around the USA willing to quote this and that Mooj source as fact. As the "thinking" goes, well, even if it the claim is something other than true, well, who cares - it serves the same desired "cause" - regime change in Iran. Fact is, it is counterproductive to such ends, on nationalist grounds, as few Iranians can stomach supporting an organization that served the ends of Saddam Hussein in his long war against Iran. (The Mooj are still based in Iraq - under de facto US encirclement, over objections from Iraqi leaders)

I know of no reputable INDEPENDENT scholarly observer of Iran who has EVER given credibility, at face value, to the claims emanating from the PMOI/MEK/Mooj.... Ervand Abrahamian is by the best scholar on the subject, yet there are others.

The US State Department has issued periodic reports on the Mooj - and for twelve years plus has been bold enough to call a spade a spade - and issue reports concluding that the PMOI is and remains a terrorist organization. Of course, Mooj defenders and certain neocon players have been claiming that its those State Department "liberals" at it again, and that their brand of the Mooj was merely for "political reasons" as they wanted to "appease" Iran.

Utter rubbish, to anybody with a clue about Iranian realities. Ex-Senator Torricelli (D-NJ) was forced to withdraw from his reelection campaign in part because he was exposed as a Mooj stooge - something less than politically correct after 9/11 and the presumed "war on terror." Other rising politicians, both Republican and Democrat, have also been tempted to take seriously Mooj claims. More seasoned hands know better.

Curiously, even some neocon figures are out now claiming that they "hate" the Mooj and their activities. Even (so-so)Rob Sobhani, the Pretender's (Shah) presumed foreign minister-in-waiting once warned of associations with the Mooj. (something some Monarchists have forgotten of late)

So what's the fuss? This book is a critical start to getting behind the standard propaganda waves behind the PMOI curtain. Yes, its a compelling personal story of Banisadr's political sojourn. I was a bit frustrated that his valuable analytical insights about the PMOI are often burried within long personal missives. I was particularly struck to read his account of the horrendous role of the female "handlers" within the PMOI. Here we had Banisadr acting as a key propagandist for the PMOI in foreign capitals, and yet his every movement, action, writing, and even his personal thinking was subject to "ideological" critiques by his "handlers."

In short, no thinking liberal or conservative (that includes you John Hughes) should be willing to quote any "fact" coming from the Mooj without careful checking and corroboration from sources separate from the Mooj. Banisadr's book, despite its minor flaws, provides a critical and moving eye-opener for anyone in the West contemplating how their own governments are being manipulated by ruthless expatriate pressure groups - in this case, vis-a-vis Iran.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Time Will Tell, March 22, 2005

By 

F D Parsa "Daniel" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel (Paperback)

According to Masoud, from those early days of their struggle the organization ran itself like a cult. Members were not allowed to read anyththing except that the organization gave them to read. They were told how to behave and how to think both publicly and privately. Any one with an opinion was ostracized.

Masoud Banisadr gives good account of the Mujahedin operating outside of Iran and their initial popularity with some Western governments and freedom fighters around the world. He expounds on their mililary wing, NLA, and how they conducted their attacks into Iranian territories, believing that they could advance all the way to Tehran which later proved to be just a grand illusion.

As Masoud missed his chances time and again to leave the organization, he misses a vital opportunity again in the book to redeem himself by denouncing violence. Twentieth century has produced remarkable political leaders like Gahndhi, Martin Luther King, Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela who acheived so much through non-violonce and civil disobedience that there is no justification for human sacrifice in order to achieve liberty.

The book should have been called the The Memoirs of an Unrepented Iranian Rebel.