Iran: Update to IRN4254.E of 16 March 1990 on a group called Forqan (Forgan, Forghan)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN31260.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: Update to IRN4254.E of 16 March 1990 on a group called Forqan (Forgan, Forghan), 1 February 1999, IRN31260.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3347.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information regarding a group called Forqan (Forgan, Forghan), additional to that found in IRN4254.E of 16 March 1990 is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. The Political Handbook of the World in its 1991 through 1998 editions contains entries on Forqan which state that:
On the far Right, one of the leading underground groups has been Forqan, encompassing extreme fundamentalists opposed to political involvement by religious leaders (1998, 435).
The online edition of Keesing's Record of World Events states that Forqan followed the teachings of Dr. Ali Shariati and names the leader as Mr. Abkar Goudarzin (also Akbar Goudarzi) reportedly arrested with 15 other members of Forqan on 8 January 1980 (Vol. 26, 1980). The same source reported in 1982 that an assassination attempt of a member of the Supreme Defence Council had been blamed on Forqan (Vol. 28).
A Website devoted to Dr. Ali Shariati, copyrighted in November 1997 by "Shariati's followers", contains a link titled "Forghan"; however, the accompanying text is only presented in Farsi.
More recent reports of activities of Forqan could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. In 1999, Reza Amini, security and disciplinary advisor to Iran's judiciary chief, stated in a discussion of the "mysterious killings" of a number of writers and activists in Tehran, that "technical studies have indicated that the organized crime is typical of the terrorist 'Forqan Group' and a group attributed to Mehdi Hashemi." (IRNA, 2 Jan. 1999). It is unclear from the report, however, whether Amini intended this statement to be an assertion of the contemporary existence of Forqan, or as a comparison of the methods used by Forqan during its activities between 1979-1982 and those used in the recent murders.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Response.
References
IRNA [Tehran, in English]. 2 January 1999. "Investigation Continues into Mysterious Killings in Tehran." (FBIS-TOT-99-002 2 Jan. 1999/WNC)
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1982. Vol. 28. "Escalation of Opposition Terrorist Campaign." [Online edition].
_____. 1980. Vol. 26. "Internal Security Developments." [Online edition].
Political Handbook of the World: 1998. 1998. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.
Additional Sources Consulted
The Encyclopaedia of Islam. 1995.
Extremist Groups. 1996.
Iran After Khomeini. 1992. S.T. Hunter. Washington: Praeger Publishers.
Iran After the Revolution. Crisis of an Islamic State. 1996. Edited by S. Rahnema & S. Behdad. London: I.B. Tauris.
Islam and Islamic Groups: A Worldwide Reference Guide. 1992.
The Middle East and North Africa. 1991-1998.
Mondes rebelles: acteurs, conflits et violences politiques: Asie, Maghreb, Proche et Moyen-Orient, Europe. 1996.
Political Culture in the Islamic Republic. 1992. Edited by S.K. Farsoun & M. Mashayelchi. London: Routledge.
Revolutionary and Dissident Movements: An International Guide. 1991.
The Warriors of Islam. 1993. Kenneth Katzman.
Resource Centre Country file on Iran. 1998-1999.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS.