How the People’s Mojahedin with refuge in Albania incurred the wrath of Iran

Albania has given refuge to a rebel group from Iran, incurring the wrath of that country. Iran was then suspected of major hacking attacks on Albania’s government computer network. On the other hand, Albania even cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, which, on another note, finances media and governmental organizations to spread its narratives among Albanian citizens

 

Iran has been spreading religious and political influence in the Balkans for a long time, especially during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995). With less success, Iran also does this in Albania. Iran is an Islamic theocracy and an opponent of the USA and Israel, and on the other hand, Albania is a fairly secular state that maintains good relations with the West.

Under the Ottoman rule, Islam predominated in Albania, but there are also Christians there, so its national advocates like Pashko Vasa give priority to the national and not to the religious. In 1967 communist Albania became the first officially atheist country in the world, which also left a mark. Albania’s constitution now mentions God, however, generally, and not as Allah, while its latest census showed a decline in the percentage of Muslims.

Most of them are Sunni and not Shia as in Iran, so they are not as susceptible to its influence, however, Iran can still play the pan-Islamic card, as it usually does.

There are also Bektashi in Albania, and although the founder of that religious community was a native of what is today Iran and although it has Shiite elements, its interpretation of Islam is somewhat unorthodox and liberal and conflicts with the Iranian one, which is stricter.

Recently, Albania has announced that a Bektash theocratic microstate or autonomy (like the Vatican or Mount Athos) will be established on its soil as a counter to radical Islam, including that coming as an influence from Iran.

The conflict with Iran began when Albania gave refuge to a rebel group fighting against the regime in Iran, People’s Mojahedin or Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), as they are called there. They combine leftist and Islamist (Shiite) elements.

According to their supporters, the MEK are freedom fighters, and according to their critics, the MEK resembles a dangerous sect or cult. At first they were anti-American, but later they changed their attitude and thus got refuge in Albania.

Iran was outraged because of that, and was later suspected of large-scale hacking attacks on Albania’s government computer network. The conflict went to such an extent that on the 7^th of September, 2022, Albania even broke off diplomatic relations with Iran.

 

Iran’s media activity in Albania

Iran funds media outlets and non-governmental organizations to spread influence throughout Albania, however, that cooperation is not necessarily ideological and may be purely commercial.

Such narratives are spread in Albania by: Olsi Jazexhi, Assistant Professor at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur; Altin Goxhaj, Lawyer from Tirana; Gjergji Thanasi, Journalist from Durrës; the Facebook page Albapoli, which shares articles from the site Shqipëria Jonë; the similar site Gazeta Impakt; as well as the humanitarian organization Nexhat.

One example is the title of an article from Gazeta Impakt (translated from Albanian):

Edi Rama and Soros want to turn Albania into an Israeli colony

This refers to the Bektash microstate, in which context, the article points out Alex Soros and Israel, describing it as their doing, which resembles conspiracy theories that blame all the problems on the Jews.

Gazeta Impakt also published a statement by the Albanian Imam Husamedin Abazi, in which he condemned the meeting of the Israeli President Isaac Herzog with representatives of the Albanian Islamic religious community, among whom was the Bektash dignitary Baba Mondi, labeled as a traitor or a “Sorsoid.” Regarding that meeting, which took place during Herzog’s visit to Albania on the 12^th of September, 2024, this title reads the following:

Is Israel hiding behind the “Bektash state?” Even Ankara is wondering: Why did Herzog meet with Baba Mondi and the second man of the Albanian IRC (Islamic Religious Community)?

Such headlines in question form can also be malicious, since the journalist can add anything and everything without taking responsibility for it. Here is another example:

Is Israel using small nuclear bombs in Gaza and South Lebanon?

On another note, Israel is at war in South Lebanon against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and in Gaza—against Hamas, while both are allies of Iran. The already-mentioned Jazexhi even shared a clip from the funeral of one of the key people of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who was liquidated on the 31^st of July, 2024.

As expected, such media outlets also gave a lot of publicity to the liquidation of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, carried out by the Israelis on the 27^th of September, 2024, after which the following headline appeared:

Hezbollah TV confirms, broadcasting verses from the Quran: Nasrallah has joined the ranks of our martyrs!

Evidently, Iran’s allies are suffering losses, but Shqipëria Jonë has published an encouraging article, which claims Iran has shown Israel who is boss here, and it’s titled:

Iran stripped Israel of its “untouchable” status and scored a strategic victory.

At the same time, the NGO Nexhat (which its opponents claim the government of Iran is behind), tells how it is rescuing Iranians from (it says) the dangerous MEK sect, into which they have strayed, and which is now sheltering in Albania. Allegedly, the sect demands fanatical devotion and even rejection of family form its members.

According to Nexhat, the MEK are also terrorists and smugglers of drugs and people (by organizing illegal emigration to the West). However, given that Iran is ruled by a totalitarian regime, this all looks like a smear campaign against the MEK, although there is some truth to this, in the sense that they were once indeed militant and fanatical. They may not be angels, but when all the facts are presented, things are not black and white at all.

 

About the People’s Mojahedin of Iran

Until 1979, Iran was ruled by a repressive and corrupt shah (king), who was overthrown by a revolution. It was pluralistic, but in the end the Islamists prevailed in it.

Their leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, established a theocracy and repressed the former allies of the revolution, including the MEK, primarily because of their leftist leanings. In the early 1980s, they fought back with protests and bombings, but were brutally suppressed and ended up in exile in Iraq. During the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988), Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime armed them and used them to fight Iranian forces. The MEK also attacked Iranian embassies around the world.

No matter the differences, both the MEK and official Teheran had an anti-American position, but in 1997 the more moderate Mohammad Khatami became the head of Iran, so as a gesture of goodwill towards him, the USA, then headed by Bill Clinton, declared the MEK a terrorist organization.

In 2003, the United States, then headed by George Bush, overthrew the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and the MEK also fought on his side, so around 3,000 of their fighters ended up in American captivity. Later, the question arose as to what to do with them next.

The attitude of the United States towards the МЕК has softened, on which different sources give different interpretations. First of all, it was the time of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, so some bellicose American politicians suggested that Iran be the next target, and that the MEK would help the United States in that.

Second, the MEK became necessary for the United States to prevent Iran from interfering in the Iraqi civil war that then broke out. Thirdly, the MEK started a media campaign in order to create a positive image for itself in the world public. They rejected anti-Americanism and committed to Iran being a democratic and secular state.

So, they grew closer to the US, which between 2007 and 2011 conducted the initial withdrawal from Iraq that officially ended the war, looking for a place to shelter the MEK. Iraq then warmed its relations with Iran, so the MEK was already considered a terrorist organization in both countries. Not only that, but as US influence in Iraq declined, Iran’s grew. Shiites in Iraq are as dominant as in Iran. And with the fall of the dictator Saddam Hussein, who kept the Sunnis in power in Iraq, as well as with the introduction of elections, the Shiites increased their influence, and with that, Iranian influence increased as well. In Iraq, in addition to the MEK, there are also pro-Iranian groups, which are managed directly from Teheran, so they have already launched attacks on the MEK camp near Baghdad. With this, their position in Iraq became untenable and there was an urgent need to leave the country. The US removed the MEK from its blacklist in 2012 and they were sheltered in a refugee camp in Albania in 2013. The US was looking for various locations for the MEK, mostly in the Middle East region, but after not finding a country in the region that would receive them, the search continued even further, after which Albania was chosen as their refuge. It is believed that the Republic of Macedonia, as well as some other countries in the Balkans, were asked to receive this group, but such a request was rejected by the Macedonian authorities.

The MEK in Albania calmed down, but later they were suspected of cyber-attacks on foreign institutions, so last year, on the 20^th of June, 2023, the Albanian police raided them and seized 150 computers. The MEK objected to that, and so there was a push, the use of tear gas, etc., and they claimed one of their members was killed, which the Albanians denied. Interestingly, Iran thanked the Albanian authorities for the action.

In short, it is a controversial organization, but that does not mean the totalitarian regime in Iran, which suppresses, twists or exaggerates many of these facts, should be trusted.

 

All comments and remarks regarding this and other Vistinomer articles, correction and clarification requests as well as suggestions for fact-checking politicians’ statements and political parties’ promises can be submitted by using this form