Basij

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

بسیج
Formation26 November 1979; 44 years ago (1979-11-26) (decreed)[1]
30 April 1980; 43 years ago (1980-04-30) (founded)[1]
FounderRuhollah Khomeini[1]
TypeParamilitary volunteer militia[1]
PurposeAuxiliaries[1]
Methods"To create the necessary capabilities in all individuals believing in the constitution and goals of the Islamic revolution to defend the country, the regime of the Islamic Republic, and aid people in cases of disasters and unexpected events"[1]
FieldsInternal security, law enforcement, moral policing, military reserves[1]
Membership
Over 25 million reserves[2]
600,000 available for immediate call-up[3]
Commander
Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani

or

Unoffically Mojtaba Khamenei (alleged)
Parent organization
None (1980–81)
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (since 1981)
Budget (1395 SH)
Increase $357.08 million[4]
Staff (2005)
90,000 (CSIS estimate)[1]
Websitebasij.ir

The Basij (Persian: بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization"), Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij) (Persian: نیروی مقاومت بسیج, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, "The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed"),[5][6] is one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).[7] The force is named Basij; an individual member is called basiji in the Persian language.[1][8] As of July 2019, Gholamreza Soleimani is the commander of the Basij.

A

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[1]

Today, the force consists of young Iranians, usually drawn from the traditionally religious and politically loyalist parts of Iran's society,

2017–18 Iranian protests, and the 2022-2023 Mahsa Amini protests.[17] The Basij are subordinate to and receive their orders from the IRGC and the Supreme Leader of Iran,[18][19] They are said to be "tightly affiliated" with the Islamic Republic's "hardline" political faction,[9] and "routinely" praised by the Supreme Leader,[20] but also called a "profound source of disquiet and rancor" among the general public in Iran.[21]

Basij, being part of the IRGC, is designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of the United States, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.[22]

Terminology

Basij (Persian: بسيج) is a Persian word defined variously as mobilization, public preparation, nation will and popular determination, and the unity and preparation of the people to do important works.[23]

Mustazafin or peasants means shia muslims who inherit the earth in Khamenei's speech while Khomeini had associated a universal invincible Islamic political party made of muslim people.[24][25]

History

Iran–Iraq War

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the foundation of a youth militia in November 1979, during the Iranian Revolution.[5] The Basij was established on 30 April 1980.[8]
It was open to those above the age of 18 and below the age of 45.

During the

human wave attacks which cleared minefields or drew the enemy's fire.[27]
It is estimated that tens of thousands were killed through the use of this tactic.

The typical human wave tactic was for Basijis (often very lightly armed and unsupported by artillery or air power) to march forward in straight rows. While casualties were high, the tactic often worked when employed against poorly trained members of the Iraqi regular army.[28][29]

According to

IRNA put the number of Basijis at 3 million, quoting from Hojjatoleslam Rahmani.[5] Tehran Bureau estimates the peak number of Basijis at the front at 100,000 by December 1986.[8]

According to

Radio Liberty, by the end of the Iran-Iraq war, most of the Basijis left the service and were reintegrated back into their lives, often after years of being in the front.[31] By 1988, the number of Basij checkpoints dramatically decreased,[32] but the Basij were still enforcing the hijab, arresting women for violating the dress code, and arresting youths for attending mixed gender parties or being in public with unrelated members of the opposite sex.[33]

In 1988, college Basiji organizations were established on college campuses to fight "Westoxification" and potential student agitation against the government.[33]

Revival

Whether the Basij remained intact since their founding is disputed or were disbanded and revived is disputed. According to Reuters, the Basij were not disbanded after the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988, but continued as a loyalist and religious paramilitary group that provides the regime "with manpower and a heavy presence during pro-government rallies".

student protests in July 1999, gave the Islamic government the feeling that it had lost control of the streets.[18] (Giving a slightly different timeline, GlobalSecurity.org reports that it was revived around 2005.)[32]

Part of the Basij revival was an emphasis on concepts such as Development Basij (Basij-e-Sazandegi),

Ansar-e-Hezbollah, the Basij have been active in suppressing student demonstrations in Iran. The Basij are sometimes differentiated from the Ansar in being more "disciplined" and not beating, or at least not being as quick to beat demonstrators.[34] Other sources describe the Ansar-e-Hezbollah as part of the Basij.[18]

Some believe the change in focus of the Basij from its original mission of fighting to defend Iran in the Iran-Iraq War to its current internal security concerns has led to a loss in its prestige and morale.[35]

Syrian Civil War, 2011–2021

One foreign conflict the Basij were involved in was on the side of the IRI's ally the

Salim Idriss, head of the Free Syrian Army.[39]

Protest movements

Iran has seen a series of political/social/economic protest movements during the 21st century that its security forces have been active in crushing—the

July 1999 student protests, 2009 presidential election protests, protests in 2011–2012, 2019–2020 and the 2022-2023 Mahsa Amini protests. When protests erupt, the Basij often act as the state's "iron fist".[9]

2009 election protests

The Basij have reportedly become "more important", more powerful, since the 2009 Iranian election—despite their "poor handing" of the protests over the election results.[1]

2009 Iranian election protests.[18] There have also been reports of poor performance by Basij after the 2009 election.[8] This was thought to be a reason for the replacement of commander Hossein Taeb and the Basij's formal integration into the Revolutionary Guards ground forces in October 2009.[8] Following the protests, Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb, commander of the Basij, stated that eight people were killed and 300 wounded in the violence.[40]

In 2010, an anonymous Norwegian student doing research in Iran claims he witnessed gruesome atrocities inside a Basij camp after being abducted by the unit while riding on a bus. According to the account the student gave to Norwegian embassy officials, he witnessed detained political dissidents being 'disemboweled', burned to death, and deliberately crushed by a riot control truck.[41]

During the protests, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei created the Haydaryan, a new paramilitary force specifically dedicated to preserving his position; several of the founding Haydaryan members came from the Basij.[42]

Mahsa Amini protests

According to Reuters, Basij were at the "forefront" of the Islamic Republic's efforts to stamp out the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini and related lack of political and social freedoms the country.[9] According to Tara Kangarlou of Time magazine, most of those "imprisoned, injured, and killed" during the protests have the Basij to thank.[21] These protests, starting in September 2022 and dying out the following spring, led to over 500 deaths, including the deaths of 68 minors as of 15 September 2023.[note 1] Unlike some earlier protests they were "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools".[44]

Journalist and human rights activists have cataloged a number of serious human rights violations used to crush the unrest by the Basij and other IRI security forces. These included

controlled drowning, and mock execution (based on CNN interviews);[45] sexual violence/rape (based on testimony and social media videos corroborated by a CNN investigation),[46] “systematic" attempts to blind protesters by shooting at their eye with projectiles such as "pellets, teargas canisters, paintball bullets" (activist media group IranWire documented at least 580 cases).[47] Using ambulances to transport security forces and kidnapped protesters under the guise of rushing injured civilians to receive emergency medical attention.[48][49]

The Iranian state media reports that security forces such as the Basij were targeted and killed by "rioters and gangs" mainly the members of a specific unknown organization that orchestrated this whole protest [9] in their efforts to restore order and stop the destruction of public property by protesters,[9] and that by 6 January 2023, at least 68 security force members were killed in the unrest.[50] (However, according to BBC Persian service, these figures may not be reliable as some of those reported by state media to be loyalist Basij militiamen killed by the "rioters", were actually protesters killed by security forces, whose families were pressured by security forces to go along with the false reporting, threatening them with death if they failed to cooperate.)[51]

Organization, membership, duties, activities

Organization

Basij form the fifth branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Different sources divide the Basij into different categories. As of 2011, according to Saeid Golkar, there are "seventeen different Basij suborganizations (for students, workers, employees, engineers, etc.)".[52] Members fall into a hierarchy of "regular, active, and special".[52]

  • regular members are at the lowest level and have "basic" ideological and military training.[52]
  • active members must pass a 45-day ideological and military training program and are "more engaged" in the organization's activities.[52]
  • special members are actually full-time
    IRGC members serving in the Basij.[52]

Dealing with security threats are the Imam Hossein Brigades and the Imam Ali Brigades.[8] Its security apparatus includes armed brigades, anti-riot police and an extensive network of informers.[20]

Subgroupings of the Basij include the

  • Primary Schools Basij Cadets [Basij-e Danesh-Amouzi],
  • the Students Basij Cadets [Basij-e Daneshjouyi],
  • the University Basij Cadets,
  • the Public Service Basij (Basij-e Edarii), and
  • the Tribal Basij.[31]

Tehran Bureau also lists a "Guilds Basij Division" (Basij-e Asnaf), and a "Labor Basij" (Basij-e Karegaran).[8] Australian Broadcasting Corporation lists them as having branches across the country, as well as "student organisations, trade guilds, and medical faculties".[20]

The Fatehin serves as the Basij's special forces unit.[53]

Size, bases

Estimates of the number of Basij vary, with its leadership giving higher figures than outside commentators. Official estimates are as high as 23.8 million.[54] A scholar of the Basij, Saeid Golkar, estimates their total membership at approximately one million, and their security forces in the tens of thousands.[20] As of 2020 there were reportedly between 40,000[20] and 54,000 Basij bases (Paygha-e Basij) around Iran.[55]

Economic power

According to the US Treasury, the Basij have a multi-billion-dollar "covert network" of businesses.[20] According to Saeid Golkar, the influence of the Basij in the Iranian economy, has grown to extend to "every sector", from "construction and real estate to the stock market".[52] In 1996, six organizations were put under the control of the Basij Cooperative Foundation (BCF)

  1. The Basijis Housing Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Maskan-e Basijian).
  2. The Basijis Medical Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e darman-e Basijian).
  3. The Basijis No-Interest Loan Institute (Moassesseh-ye Gharz al-Hassaneh-ye Basijian).
  4. The Basijis Consumer-Goods Provision Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Aghlam-e Masrafi-ye Basijian).
  5. The Cultural Artistic Institute of the Warriors of Islam (Moassesseh-ye Farhangi Honari-ye Razmandegan-e Eslam).
  6. The Scientific and Pedagogic Services Institute of the Fighters (Moassesseh-ye Khadamat-e Elmi va Amouzeshi-ye Razmandegan).[56][52]

As the government privatized companies under president

Hashemi Rafsanjani, The Basij Cooperative Foundation became the Basij’s main mechanism for "purchasing entire industries on the cheap".[52]

Duties and activities

Duties vary by province. Basij are deployed against drug traffickers in the eastern border regions and smugglers in Hormuzgan and Bushehr, and on the border with Iraq.[57]

The Ashura Brigades were created in 1993. These Islamic brigades were made up of both Revolutionary Guards and the Basij and by 1998 numbered 17,000.[5]

According to Golkar,[14] the Basij are used to spread the state's ideology, serve as propaganda machine in political campaigns, justify clerical rule, protect politicians, and enforce Islamic morality and rules. They are part of the Islamic Republic's of Iran's overall avowed plan to have millions of informers. The Basiji also undermine dissent; for instance, they play a key role in suppressing uprisings and demonstrations.[14]

Basij are presence at every Iranian university to monitor morality (primarily dress) and behaviour. (In part this is because Universities and other places of post-secondary education are where Iranian males and females "meet for the first time in a mixed educational environment").[9]

Commanders

The Basij is currently commanded by Gholamreza Soleimani, who replaced Gholamhossein Gheybparvar in 2019.[58]

No. Portrait Commander Took office Left office Time in office Ref.
1
Amir Majd
Majd, AmirAmir MajdDecember 1979December 19811–2 years[59]
2
Ahmad Salek
Salek, AhmadAhmad Salek
(born c. 1946)
December 1981February 19842–3 years[59]
3
Mohammad-Ali Rahmani
Rahmani, Mohammad-AliMohammad-Ali Rahmani
(born 1943)
16 February 1984January 19905–6 years[59][60]
4
Alireza Afshar
Afshar, AlirezaBrigadier general
Alireza Afshar
(born c. 1951)
199019987–8 years
5
Mohammad Hejazi
Hejazi, MohammadBrigadier general
Mohammad Hejazi
(1956–2021)
199820078–9 years
6
Hossein Taeb
Taeb, HosseinHossein Taeb
(born 1963)
200720091–2 years
7
Mohammad Reza Naqdi
Naqdi, Mohammad RezaBrigadier general
Mohammad Reza Naqdi
(born c. 1952 or 1961)
200920166–7 years
8
Gholamhossein Gheybparvar
Gheybparvar, GholamhosseinBrigadier general
Gholamhossein Gheybparvar
201620192–3 years
9
Gholamreza Soleimani
Soleimani, GholamrezaBrigadier general
Gholamreza Soleimani
(born 1964)
2019Incumbent4–5 years

Motivation, Benefits and profile of members

Motivation

While some joined the Basij because of genuine religious convictions, or loyalty to their pro-regime and traditional religious family and community background, others reportedly join Basij only to take advantage of the benefits of membership and to get admission to university or as a tool to get promotion in government jobs.[14][61][20]

Benefits for members of the Basij reportedly include exemption from the 21 months of military service required for Iranian men, reserved spots in universities, and a small stipend.[18] Members of Basij are more likely than non-members to obtain government positions, especially security related positions within government-controlled institutions.

In addition, recruits are also "put through heavy indoctrination". including an initial month and a half of "military and ideological training".[20]

Politics

In theory, the Basij are banned from involvement in politics by the Iranian constitution, but its leadership is considered active, particularly during and after the 2005 election of President

Supreme Leader Khamenei described Basij as "the greatest hope of the Iranian nation" and "an immaculate tree".[19]

See also

Similar historical groups

Notes

  1. ^ according to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights[43]

References

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Further reading

External links

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