A new report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' internal training manuals, freely available on the internet in Farsi, has just become available in English.
The report from the organisation, led by the former British prime minister, was released as Mr Blair pressed the case for the UK and the EU to designate the IRGC a terrorist organisation.
The IRGC, the report says, has “an ideological mission" to defend its extreme beliefs at home and export them abroad.
The report shows how the IRGC’s internal documents articulate a violent and extremist interpretation of Islam that portrays other religions, the West and regime opponents as mortal enemies of the religion.
It is through such messages that the Guard exports its doctrine to its regional proxy militias, spreading violence throughout the Middle East, the report says.
“These internal manuals reveal how the IRGC operates as an institutionalised militia, with a formal programme of indoctrination that seeks to radicalise its members and proxies in the region with a violent distortion of Islam,” said Kasra Aarabi, of the Institute for Global Change.
Mr Aarabi said evidence in the report showed the IRGC’s extremist ideology should be treated as seriously as that of ISIS and Al Qaeda.
The report also outlines how the IRGC operates as an “institutionalised militia” and uses a formalised programme of indoctrination to radicalise recruits.
“We should recognise today that all over the Middle East and wider region there is one essential struggle – a struggle against extremism and in favour of rule-based economies and religiously tolerant societies,” Mr Blair said.
Parallels can also be drawn between the IRGC’s brand of extremism and other radical ideologies that have drawn the attention of international policy makers, the report concludes.
In April 2019, the US designated the IRGC as a terror organisation as it continued its policy of maximum pressure on Tehran.
On January 3, the US assassinated senior IRGC commander Gen Qassem Suleimani in a Baghdad drone strike.
Mr Blair will talk about tension with Iran at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York this week.
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Four stars
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
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Investment: $2 million
Green ambitions
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
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Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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