Basij: Difference between revisions

Basij
بسیج
	بسیج
Formation	26 November 1979; 45 years ago (decreed); 30 April 1980; 44 years ago (founded)
Founder	Ruhollah Khomeini
Type	Paramilitary volunteer militia
Purpose	"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"
Fields	Internal security, law enforcement, moral policing, military reserves
Membership	Over 25 million reserves (volunteers who hold membership); 600,000 available for immediate call-up
Commander	Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani or Unoffically Mojtaba Khamenei (alleged)
Parent organization	None (1980–81); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (since 1981)
Budget	$357.08 million (in 1395 SH)
Staff	90,000 (CSIS estimate) (in 2005)
Website	basij.ir

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The Basij (Persian: بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization") or 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 a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five branches.^[7] The force is named Basij; an individual member is called basiji in the Persian language.^[1]^[8] As of July 2019^[update], Gholamreza Soleimani is the commander of the Basij.

A paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by order of Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Revolution, the organization originally consisted of civilian volunteers, often from poor, rural backgrounds,^[9] who were urged by Khomeini to fight in the Iran–Iraq War.^[10] Khomeini would occasionally refer to Basij as "The Twenty Million Army", claiming that about 75% of the time's population are Basijis. He would elaborate saying, that a country with 20 million of its people as their army, will be undefeatable.^[11] Basij was an independent organization until 17 February 1981, when it was officially incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards organization structure by the Iranian Parliament^[12] in order to end the interservice rivalry between the two, according to 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,^[9] who volunteer, often in exchange for official benefits. With branches in "virtually every" city and town in Iran,^[1]^[13] the Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in enforcing state control over society,^[14] acting as a morality police at checkpoints and parks, and suppressing dissident gathering,^[9] as well as serving as law enforcement auxiliary, providing social services, organizing public religious ceremonies.^[15]^[16] The force was often present and reacting to the widespread 2009 Iranian election protests, 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 Iran–Iraq War hundreds of thousands volunteered for the Basij, including children as young as 12 and unemployed old men, some in their eighties. These volunteers were swept up in Shi'a love of martyrdom and the atmosphere of patriotism of the war mobilization; most often they came from poor, peasant backgrounds. They were encouraged through visits to schools and an intensive media campaign. During the war, the Revolutionary Guard Corps used Basiji members as a pool from which to draw manpower.^[26] The Basij may best be known for their employment of 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 Dilip Hiro, by the spring of 1983 the Basij had trained 2.4 million Iranians in the use of arms and sent 450,000 to the front.^[30] In 1985 the 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".^[9] But according to The New York Times, the Basij were reactivated in the late 1990s when the spontaneous celebrations following Iran winning a spot in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the 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),^[32] but protecting the regime from unrest was a high priority. Along with the Iranian riot police and the 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 Syrian Baathist regime. A Western analyst believed thousands of Iranian paramilitary Basij fighters were stationed in Syria as of December 2013.^[36] Syria's geopolitical importance to Iran and its role as one of Iran's crucial allies prompted the involvement of Basij militiamen in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. The Basij militia, similar to Hezbollah fighters, work with the Syrian army against rebel forces. Such involvement poses new foreign policy challenges for a number of countries across the region, particularly Israel and Turkey as Iran's influence becomes more than just ideological and monetary on the ground in the Syrian conflict.^{[clarification needed]}^[37] The Basij involvement in the Syrian Civil War reflects previous uses of the militia as a proxy force for Iranian foreign policy in an effort to assert Iranian dominance in the region^[38] and frightens 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] Mir Hussein Moussavi, opposition presidential candidate in 2009, decried violent attacks by the Basij during the 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, the Basij were responsible for most imprisonments, injuries, and killings of protesters.^[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^[update].^{[note 1]} Unlike some earlier protests they were "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools".^[44]

Journalists and human rights activists have catalogued a number of serious human rights violations used to crush the unrest by the Basij and other IRI security forces. These included forced confessions, threats to uninvolved family members, and torture, including electric shocks, 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)

The Basijis Housing Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Maskan-e Basijian).
The Basijis Medical Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e darman-e Basijian).
The Basijis No-Interest Loan Institute (Moassesseh-ye Gharz al-Hassaneh-ye Basijian).
The Basijis Consumer-Goods Provision Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Aghlam-e Masrafi-ye Basijian).
The Cultural Artistic Institute of the Warriors of Islam (Moassesseh-ye Farhangi Honari-ye Razmandegan-e Eslam).
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 present 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.	Commander	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1	Majd, AmirAmir Majd	December 1979	December 1981	1–2 years	^[59]
2	Salek, AhmadAhmad Salek (born c. 1946)	December 1981	February 1984	2–3 years	^[59]
3	Rahmani, Mohammad-AliMohammad-Ali Rahmani (born 1943)	16 February 1984	January 1990	5–6 years	^[59]^[60]
4	Afshar, AlirezaBrigadier general Alireza Afshar (born c. 1951)	1990	1998	7–8 years	–
5	Hejazi, MohammadBrigadier general Mohammad Hejazi (1956–2021)	1998	2007	8–9 years	–
6	Taeb, HosseinHossein Taeb (born 1963)	2007	2009	1–2 years	–
7	Naqdi, Mohammad RezaBrigadier general Mohammad Reza Naqdi (born c. 1952 or 1961)	2009	2016	6–7 years	–
8	Gheybparvar, GholamhosseinBrigadier general Gholamhossein Gheybparvar	2016	2019	2–3 years	–
9	Soleimani, GholamrezaBrigadier general Gholamreza Soleimani (born 1964)	2019	Incumbent	4–5 years	–

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 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.^[8] In past elections militia members have voted for both hardliners and reformists. President Ahmadinejad received significant support from militia members, many of whom have benefited from his policies during his presidency.^[62] Supreme Leader Khamenei described Basij as "the greatest hope of the Iranian nation" and "an immaculate tree".^[19]

Notes

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

References

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External links

Video Archive of Basij
Letters from Iran on YouTube – The Basij in the Universities
"Basij Students Organization official website". Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
"Heavy Weapons for Baseej Volunteer Militia". Archived from the original on 23 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-16. from Rooz Online
Alfoneh, Ali (21 October 2010). "Iran Primer: The Basij Resistance Force". PBS.

[44] rding to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights^[43]

[IPP-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Robin B. Wright, ed. (2010), The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy, US Institute of Peace Press, pp. 62–65, ISBN 978-1601270849

[2] "تعداد اعضای بسیج بیش از 25 میلیون نفر". Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[3] Kenneth Katzman (6 February 2017), "Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies" (PDF), Congressional Research Service, Federation of American Scientists, p. 24, archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2017, retrieved 1 March 2017

[4] "Iran decreases IRGC budget for next year". AzerNews Newspaper. 18 January 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.

[GlobSecNiruy-5] John Pike. "GlobalSecurity.org Intelligence: Mobilisation Resistance Force". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

[6] AEI Outlook Series: What Do Structural Changes in the Revolutionary Guards Mean? Archived 27 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
 {{Infobox organization
-| name = بسیج
+| name = Basij
 | named_after =
 | image = Flag of Basij.svg
 | image_size =
 | alt =
 | caption = بسیج
+| native name = بسیج
 | logo = Basij logo.png
 | logo_size =
 | logo_alt =
 | logo_caption =
 | abbreviation =
 | predecessor =
 | merged =
 | successor =
 | formation = {{start date and age|1979|11|26|df=y}} (decreed)<ref name="IPP"/><br />{{start date and age|1980|04|30|df=y}} (founded)<ref name="IPP"/>
 | founder = [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]<ref name="IPP"/>
 | founding_location =
 | extinction = <!-- use {{end date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
 | merger =
 | type = Paramilitary volunteer militia<ref name="IPP"/>
 | tax_id = <!-- or | vat_id = (for European organizations) -->
 | registration_id = <!-- for non-profit org -->
 | status =
+| purpose = "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"<ref name="IPP"/>
-| purpose = [[Auxiliaries]]<ref name="IPP"/>
 | headquarters =
 | location =
 | coords = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|display=inline, title}} -->
 | region =
 | services =
 | products =
+| methods =
-| 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"<ref name="IPP"/>
 | fields = Internal security, law enforcement, moral policing, military reserves<ref name="IPP"/>
 | membership_year =
 | leader_title = Commander
 | leader_name = Brig. Gen. [[Gholamreza Soleimani]]
 or
 Unoffically [[Mojtaba Khamenei]] (alleged)
 | key_people =
 | main_organ =
 | parent_organization = ''None'' {{small|(1980–81)}}<br />[[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] {{small|(since 1981)}}
 | subsidiaries =
 | secessions =
 | affiliations =
 | budget = {{increase}} $357.08 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azernews.az/region/91769.html|title=Iran decreases IRGC budget for next year|date=18 January 2016|work=AzerNews Newspaper|access-date=30 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423123358/http://www.azernews.az/region/91769.html|archive-date=23 April 2016|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
 | budget_year = [[Iranian calendars#Modern calendar: Solar Hijri (SH)|1395 SH]]
 | staff = 90,000 ([[Center for Strategic and International Studies|CSIS]] estimate)<ref name="IPP"/>
 | staff_year = 2005
-| membership = Over 25 million reserves<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iribnews.ir/fa/news/1388556/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-25-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B1|title=تعداد اعضای بسیج بیش از 25 میلیون نفر|access-date=13 February 2022|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213042736/https://www.iribnews.ir/fa/news/1388556/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-25-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B1|url-status=live}}</ref><br />600,000 available for immediate call-up<ref>{{citation|author=Kenneth Katzman|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R44017.pdf|title=Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies|work=Congressional Research Service|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|date=6 February 2017|access-date=1 March 2017|page=24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308055250/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R44017.pdf|archive-date=8 March 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
+| membership = Over 25 million reserves (volunteers who hold membership)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iribnews.ir/fa/news/1388556/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-25-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B1|title=تعداد اعضای بسیج بیش از 25 میلیون نفر|access-date=13 February 2022|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213042736/https://www.iribnews.ir/fa/news/1388556/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-25-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B1|url-status=live}}</ref><br />600,000 available for immediate call-up<ref>{{citation|author=Kenneth Katzman|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R44017.pdf|title=Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies|work=Congressional Research Service|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|date=6 February 2017|access-date=1 March 2017|page=24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308055250/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R44017.pdf|archive-date=8 March 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
 | volunteers_year =
 | website = {{URL|basij.ir}}
 | remarks =
 | formerly =
 | footnotes =
 }}
-The '''Basij''' ({{lang-fa|بسيج}}, [[Literal translation|lit.]] "The Mobilization"), '''Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij''' ({{lang-fa|نیروی مقاومت بسیج}}, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name '''Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin''' ({{lang|fa| سازمان بسیج مستضعفین }}, "The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed"),<ref name=GlobSecNiruy>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm|title=GlobalSecurity.org Intelligence: Mobilisation Resistance Force|author=John Pike|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430031747/http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm|archive-date=30 April 2011|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://www.aei.org/outlook/28666 AEI Outlook Series: What Do Structural Changes in the Revolutionary Guards Mean?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027235354/http://www.aei.org/outlook/28666 |date=27 October 2011 }}</ref> is one of the five forces of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] (IRGC).<ref>{{Citation|last1=Forozan|first1=Hesam |year=2015|title=The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran: The Evolution and Roles of the Revolutionary Guards|publisher=Taylor & Francis|pages=56–58|isbn=978-1317430735}}</ref> The force is named ''Basij''; an individual member is called ''basiji'' in the [[Persian language]].<ref name="IPP"/><ref name="Alfoneh">[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/10/iran-primer-the-basij-resistance-force.html#ixzz1Go4AW26i iran primer the basij resistance force] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817210857/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/10/iran-primer-the-basij-resistance-force.html#ixzz1Go4AW26i|date=17 August 2017}} by ALI ALFONEH, pbs.org, 21 October 2010</ref> {{As of|2019|7}}, [[Gholamreza Soleimani]] is the commander of the Basij.
+The '''Basij''' ({{langx|fa|بسيج}}, [[Literal translation|lit.]] "The Mobilization") or '''Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij''' ({{langx|fa|نیروی مقاومت بسیج}}, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name '''Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin''' ({{lang|fa|سازمان بسیج مستضعفین}}, "The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed"),<ref name="GlobSecNiruy">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm|title=GlobalSecurity.org Intelligence: Mobilisation Resistance Force|author=John Pike|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430031747/http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm|archive-date=30 April 2011|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://www.aei.org/outlook/28666 AEI Outlook Series: What Do Structural Changes in the Revolutionary Guards Mean?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027235354/http://www.aei.org/outlook/28666 |date=27 October 2011 }}</ref> is a [[paramilitary]] volunteer militia within the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] (IRGC) and one of its five branches.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Forozan|first1=Hesam |year=2015|title=The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran: The Evolution and Roles of the Revolutionary Guards|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|pages=56–58|isbn=978-1317430735}}</ref> The force is named ''Basij''; an individual member is called ''basiji'' in the [[Persian language]].<ref name="IPP" /><ref name="Alfoneh">{{Cite web |title=Iran Primer: The Basij Resistance Force |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/10/iran-primer-the-basij-resistance-force.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=FRONTLINE - Tehran Bureau |language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2019|7}}, [[Gholamreza Soleimani]] is the commander of the Basij.
-A [[paramilitary]] volunteer militia established in [[Iran]] in 1979 by order of [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]], leader of the [[Iranian Revolution]], the organization originally consisted of civilian volunteers, often from poor, rural backgrounds,<ref name="Reuters-specialists">{{cite news |title=Iran's Basij force: specialists in cracking down on dissent |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |access-date=29 September 2023 |work=Reuters |date=22 September 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020602/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |url-status=live }}</ref> who were urged by Khomeini to fight in the [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2 December 2011|title=Basij Militia|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515230642/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html|archive-date=15 May 2013|access-date=10 November 2014|work=The New York Times|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Khomeini would occasionally refer to Basij as "The Twenty Million Army", claiming that about 75% of the time's population are Basijis. He would elaborate saying, that a country with 20 million of its people as their army, will be undefeatable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://irdc.ir/fa/news/6388/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B4-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AA%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1 | title=سیر تأسیس ارتش بیست میلیونی؛ از سازمان بسیج ملی تا نیروی مقاومت بسیج / روایتی از اولین مأموریت‌های بسیج در کشور | access-date=5 January 2024 | archive-date=30 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330145205/https://irdc.ir/fa/news/6388/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B4-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AA%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1 | url-status=live }}</ref> Basij was an independent organization until 17 February 1981, when it was officially incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards organization structure by the [[Iranian Parliament]]<ref>{{Citation|first1=Ali|last1=Alfoneh|title=Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards Is Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship|publisher=AEI Press|year=2013|page=49}}</ref> in order to end the [[interservice rivalry]] between the two, according to [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]].<ref name="IPP">{{Citation|editor=Robin B. Wright|title= The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1601270849|pages=62–65}}</ref>
+A [[paramilitary]] volunteer militia established in [[Iran]] in 1979 by order of [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]], leader of the [[Iranian Revolution]], the organization originally consisted of civilian volunteers, often from poor, rural backgrounds,<ref name="Reuters-specialists">{{cite news |title=Iran's Basij force: specialists in cracking down on dissent |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |access-date=29 September 2023 |work=Reuters |date=22 September 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020602/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |url-status=live }}</ref> who were urged by Khomeini to fight in the [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2 December 2011|title=Basij Militia|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515230642/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html|archive-date=15 May 2013|access-date=10 November 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Khomeini would occasionally refer to Basij as "The Twenty Million Army", claiming that about 75% of the time's population are Basijis. He would elaborate saying, that a country with 20 million of its people as their army, will be undefeatable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://irdc.ir/fa/news/6388/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B4-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AA%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1 | title=سیر تأسیس ارتش بیست میلیونی؛ از سازمان بسیج ملی تا نیروی مقاومت بسیج / روایتی از اولین مأموریت‌های بسیج در کشور | access-date=5 January 2024 | archive-date=30 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330145205/https://irdc.ir/fa/news/6388/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B4-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AA%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1 | url-status=live }}</ref> Basij was an independent organization until 17 February 1981, when it was officially incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards organization structure by the [[Iranian Parliament]]<ref>{{Citation|first1=Ali|last1=Alfoneh|title=Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards Is Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship|publisher=AEI Press|year=2013|page=49}}</ref> in order to end the [[interservice rivalry]] between the two, according to [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]].<ref name="IPP">{{Citation|editor=Robin B. Wright|title= The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1601270849|pages=62–65}}</ref>
-Today, the force consists of young Iranians, usually drawn from the  traditionally religious and politically loyalist parts of Iran's society,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> who volunteer, often in exchange for official benefits. With branches in "virtually every" city and town in Iran,<ref name="IPP"/><ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', W.W. Norton, (2005), p.88</ref> the Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in enforcing state control over society,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Iran.|last=Golkar|first=Saeid|publisher=Woodrow Wilson Center Press|year=2015|isbn=978-0-231-80135-5|location=Washington, DC}}</ref>  acting as a morality police at checkpoints and parks, and suppressing dissident gathering,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> as well as serving as  law enforcement auxiliary, providing social services, organizing public religious ceremonies.<ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', W. W. Norton, (2005), p. 88, 316–318</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/middleeast/19basij.html?_r=1&ref=global-home|title=Shadowy Iranian Vigilantes Vow Bolder Action|work=The New York Times|author=Neil MacFarquhar|access-date=19 June 2009|date=19 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930110540/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/middleeast/19basij.html?_r=2|archive-date=30 September 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The force was often present and reacting to the widespread [[2009 Iranian presidential election protests|2009 Iranian election protests]], [[2017–18 Iranian protests]], and the 2022-2023 [[Mahsa Amini protests]].<ref>{{cite news|date=23 June 2009|title=Amnesty urges Iran to stop using Basij militia|work=The Gazette|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Amnesty+urges+Iran+stop+using+Basij+militia/1723947/story.html|access-date=23 September 2009}}{{dead link|date=April 2016}}</ref> The Basij are subordinate to and receive their orders from the IRGC and the [[Supreme Leader of Iran]],<ref name="NYT">[http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html Basij Militia. NYT.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821055851/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html |date=21 August 2009 }} 19 June 2009</ref><ref name="english.khamenei.ir" /> They are said to be "tightly affiliated" with the Islamic Republic's "hardline" political faction,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> and "routinely" praised by the Supreme Leader,<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022">{{cite news |title=What we know about the Basij, the paramilitary volunteer group cracking down on protesters in Iran |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/what-we-know-about-the-basij-in-iran/101534184 |access-date=29 September 2023 |agency=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting) |date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106031635/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/what-we-know-about-the-basij-in-iran/101534184 |url-status=live }}</ref> but also called a "profound source of disquiet and rancor" among the general public in Iran.<ref name=tk/>
+Today, the force consists of young Iranians, usually drawn from the  traditionally religious and politically loyalist parts of Iran's society,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> who volunteer, often in exchange for official benefits. With branches in "virtually every" city and town in Iran,<ref name="IPP"/><ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', W.W. Norton, (2005), p.88</ref> the Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in enforcing state control over society,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=[[Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Iran]]|last=Golkar|first=Saeid|publisher=Woodrow Wilson Center Press|year=2015|isbn=978-0-231-80135-5|location=Washington, DC}}</ref> acting as a morality police at checkpoints and parks, and suppressing dissident gathering,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> as well as serving as  law enforcement auxiliary, providing social services, organizing public religious ceremonies.<ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', W. W. Norton, (2005), p. 88, 316–318</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/middleeast/19basij.html?_r=1&ref=global-home|title=Shadowy Iranian Vigilantes Vow Bolder Action|work=The New York Times|author=Neil MacFarquhar|access-date=19 June 2009|date=19 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930110540/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/middleeast/19basij.html?_r=2|archive-date=30 September 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The force was often present and reacting to the widespread [[2009 Iranian presidential election protests|2009 Iranian election protests]], [[2017–18 Iranian protests]], and the 2022-2023 [[Mahsa Amini protests]].<ref>{{cite news|date=23 June 2009|title=Amnesty urges Iran to stop using Basij militia|work=The Gazette|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Amnesty+urges+Iran+stop+using+Basij+militia/1723947/story.html|access-date=23 September 2009}}{{dead link|date=April 2016}}</ref> The Basij are subordinate to and receive their orders from the IRGC and the [[Supreme Leader of Iran]],<ref name="NYT">{{Cite web |title=The New York Times - Search |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=topics.nytimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="english.khamenei.ir" /> They are said to be "tightly affiliated" with the Islamic Republic's "hardline" political faction,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> and "routinely" praised by the Supreme Leader,<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022">{{cite news |title=What we know about the Basij, the paramilitary volunteer group cracking down on protesters in Iran |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/what-we-know-about-the-basij-in-iran/101534184 |access-date=29 September 2023 |agency=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting) |date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106031635/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/what-we-know-about-the-basij-in-iran/101534184 |url-status=live }}</ref> but also called a "profound source of disquiet and rancor" among the general public in Iran.<ref name=tk/>
 Basij, being part of the IRGC, is designated as a [[United States Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations|terrorist organization]] by the governments of the [[United States]], [[Bahrain]] and [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-bahrain-security-iran/saudi-bahrain-add-irans-revolutionary-guards-to-terrorism-lists-idUSKCN1MX288|title = Saudi, Bahrain add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to terrorism lists|newspaper = Reuters|date = 23 October 2018|access-date = 9 March 2019|archive-date = 8 April 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190408154459/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-bahrain-security-iran/saudi-bahrain-add-irans-revolutionary-guards-to-terrorism-lists-idUSKCN1MX288|url-status = live}}</ref>
 == Terminology ==
-''Basij'' ({{lang-fa|بسيج}}) is a [[Persian language|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.<ref>[https://abadis.ir/fatofa/%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC/ بسیج] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106072703/https://abadis.ir/fatofa/%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC/ |date=6 November 2022 }} abadis.ir</ref>
+''Basij'' ({{langx|fa|بسيج}}) is a [[Persian language|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.<ref>[https://abadis.ir/fatofa/%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC/ بسیج] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106072703/https://abadis.ir/fatofa/%D8%A8%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AC/ |date=6 November 2022 }} abadis.ir</ref>
-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.<ref>https://fa.wiki.khomeini.ir/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86#cite_ref-115</ref><ref>https://farsi.khamenei.ir/others-note?id=44276</ref>
+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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=مستضعفان |url=https://fa.wiki.khomeini.ir/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86#cite_ref-115 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=fa.wiki.khomeini.ir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=others note |url=https://farsi.khamenei.ir/others-note?id=44276 |website=farsi.khamenei.ir}}</ref>
 ==History==
 ===Iran–Iraq War===
-[[Supreme Leader]] Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] called for the foundation of a youth militia in November 1979, during the [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref name=GlobSecNiruy/> The Basij was established on 30 April 1980.<ref name="Alfoneh" /> It was open to those above the age of 18 and below the age of 45.
+[[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]] Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] called for the foundation of a youth militia in November 1979, during the [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref name=GlobSecNiruy/> The Basij was established on 30 April 1980.<ref name="Alfoneh" /> It was open to those above the age of 18 and below the age of 45.
 During the [[Iran–Iraq War]] hundreds of thousands volunteered for the Basij, including children as young as 12 and unemployed old men, some in their eighties. These volunteers were swept up in [[Shi'a]] love of [[Martyrdom in Iran#Iran–Iraq War|martyrdom]] and the atmosphere of patriotism of the war mobilization; most often they came from poor, peasant backgrounds. They were encouraged through visits to schools and an intensive media campaign. During the war, the Revolutionary Guard Corps used Basiji members as a pool from which to draw [[manpower]].<ref>''Khomeinis Warriors: Foundation of Irans Regime, Its Guardians, Allies around the World, War Analysis, and Strategies'' by Mehran Riazaty, {{ISBN|978-1514470336}}</ref> The Basij may best be known for their employment of [[human wave]] attacks which cleared minefields or drew the enemy's fire.<ref name=moin>[https://books.google.com/books?id=b2OL9IEXaAgC ''Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah''] by [[Baqer Moin]]</ref> It is estimated that tens of thousands were killed through the use of this tactic.
@@ Line 86: / Line 87: @@
 ===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".<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> But according to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the Basij were reactivated in the late 1990s when the [[Football revolution|spontaneous celebrations]] following Iran winning a spot in the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], and the [[Iran student protests, July 1999|student protests in July 1999]], gave the Islamic government the feeling that it had lost control of the streets.<ref name="NYT"/> (Giving a slightly different timeline, [[GlobalSecurity.org]] reports that it was revived around 2005.)<ref name="GlobSecUnrest">{{Cite web |title=Iran: Paramilitary Force Prepares For Urban Unrest |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050930-rferl01.htm |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>
-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".<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> But according to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the Basij were reactivated in the late 1990s when the [[Football revolution|spontaneous celebrations]] following Iran winning a spot in the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], and the [[Iran student protests, July 1999|student protests in July 1999]], gave the Islamic government the feeling that it had lost control of the streets.<ref name="NYT"/> (Giving a slightly different timeline, [[GlobalSecurity.org]] reports that it was revived around 2005.)<ref name="GlobSecUnrest">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050930-rferl01.htm Iran: Paramilitary Force Prepares For Urban Unrest, September 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908001402/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050930-rferl01.htm |date=8 September 2008 }}. [[GlobalSecurity.org]].</ref>
 Part of the Basij revival was an emphasis on concepts such as Development Basij (Basij-e-Sazandegi),<ref name="GlobSecUnrest" /> but protecting the regime from unrest was a high priority. Along with the Iranian riot police and the [[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.<ref>Molavi, ''The Soul of Iran'' (2005), p. 318</ref> Other sources describe the Ansar-e-Hezbollah as part of the Basij.<ref name="NYT" />
@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 ===Syrian Civil War, 2011–2021===
 {{Further|Iranian support for Syria in the Syrian Civil War}}
+One foreign conflict the Basij were involved in was on the side of the IRI's ally the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|Syrian Baathist regime]].   A Western analyst believed thousands of Iranian paramilitary Basij fighters were stationed in Syria as of December 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-21 |title=Iran boosts support to Syria |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10654144/Iran-boosts-support-to-Syria.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> Syria's geopolitical importance to Iran and its role as one of Iran's crucial allies prompted the involvement of Basij militiamen in the ongoing [[Syrian Civil War]]. The Basij militia, similar to Hezbollah fighters, work with the Syrian army against rebel forces. Such involvement poses new foreign policy challenges for a number of countries across the region, particularly Israel and Turkey as Iran's influence becomes more than just ideological and monetary on the ground in the Syrian conflict.{{Clarify|date=July 2019}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jcpa.org/iranian-forces-on-the-golan/|title=Iranian Forces on the Golan?|date=29 May 2013|publisher=Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813064804/http://jcpa.org/iranian-forces-on-the-golan/|archive-date=13 August 2013|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Basij involvement in the Syrian Civil War reflects previous uses of the militia as a proxy force for Iranian foreign policy in an effort to assert Iranian dominance in the region<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jcpa.org/article/the-arab-world-fears-the-safavid/|title=The Arab world fears the 'Safavid'|publisher=Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110161049/http://jcpa.org/article/the-arab-world-fears-the-safavid/|archive-date=10 November 2014|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and frightens [[Salim Idriss]], head of the [[Free Syrian Army]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/world/middleeast/iran-and-hezbollahs-support-for-syria-complicates-us-strategy-on-peace-talks.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |first1=Michael R. |last1=Gordon |title=Iran and Hezbollah's Support for Syria Complicates U.S. Strategy on Peace Talks |date=21 May 2013 |access-date=24 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307100819/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/world/middleeast/iran-and-hezbollahs-support-for-syria-complicates-us-strategy-on-peace-talks.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=7 March 2017 |url-status = live|df=dmy-all }}</ref>
-One foreign conflict the Basij were involved in was on the side of the IRI's ally the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|Syrian Baathist regime]].
-A Western analyst believed thousands of Iranian paramilitary Basij fighters were stationed in Syria as of December 2013.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10654144/Iran-boosts-support-to-Syria.html Iran boosts support to Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529130602/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10654144/Iran-boosts-support-to-Syria.html |date=29 May 2018 }}, ''Telegraph'', 21 February 2014</ref> Syria's geopolitical importance to Iran and its role as one of Iran's crucial allies prompted the involvement of Basij militiamen in the ongoing [[Syrian Civil War]]. The Basij militia, similar to Hezbollah fighters, work with the Syrian army against rebel forces. Such involvement poses new foreign policy challenges for a number of countries across the region, particularly Israel and Turkey as Iran's influence becomes more than just ideological and monetary on the ground in the Syrian conflict.{{Clarify|date=July 2019}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jcpa.org/iranian-forces-on-the-golan/|title=Iranian Forces on the Golan?|date=29 May 2013|publisher=Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813064804/http://jcpa.org/iranian-forces-on-the-golan/|archive-date=13 August 2013|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Basij involvement in the Syrian Civil War reflects previous uses of the militia as a proxy force for Iranian foreign policy in an effort to assert Iranian dominance in the region<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jcpa.org/article/the-arab-world-fears-the-safavid/|title=The Arab world fears the 'Safavid'|publisher=Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs|access-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110161049/http://jcpa.org/article/the-arab-world-fears-the-safavid/|archive-date=10 November 2014|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and frightens [[Salim Idriss]], head of the [[Free Syrian Army]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/world/middleeast/iran-and-hezbollahs-support-for-syria-complicates-us-strategy-on-peace-talks.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |first1=Michael R. |last1=Gordon |title=Iran and Hezbollah's Support for Syria Complicates U.S. Strategy on Peace Talks |date=21 May 2013 |access-date=24 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307100819/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/world/middleeast/iran-and-hezbollahs-support-for-syria-complicates-us-strategy-on-peace-talks.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=7 March 2017 |url-status = live|df=dmy-all }}</ref>
 ===Protest movements===
@@ Line 105: / Line 104: @@
 [[Mir Hussein Moussavi]], opposition presidential candidate in 2009, decried violent attacks by the Basij during the [[2009 Iranian election protests]].<ref name="NYT" /> There have also been reports of poor performance by Basij after the 2009 election.<ref name="Alfoneh"/> 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.<ref name="Alfoneh"/> Following the protests, Hojjatoleslam [[Hossein Taeb]], commander of the Basij, stated that eight people were killed and 300 wounded in the violence.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDAH316769 Iran opposition says 72 died in post-poll unrest] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511105904/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSDAH316769 |date=11 May 2020 }} Reuters. 3 September 2009</ref>
-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.<ref>{{cite web |title=From American Embassy Oslo to RUEHC/Secretary of State Washington DC 0021 Info European Political Collective Iran Collective Islamic Collective Confidential |url=https://ia800202.us.archive.org/0/items/10OSLO67/10OSLO67.pdf |website=us.archive.org |access-date=29 September 2023 |date=9 February 2020}}</ref>
+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.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 February 2020 |title=From American Embassy Oslo to RUEHC/Secretary of State Washington DC 0021 Info European Political Collective Iran Collective Islamic Collective Confidential |url=https://ia801301.us.archive.org/20/items/10OSLO67/10OSLO67.pdf |access-date=29 September 2023 |website=us.archive.org}}</ref>
 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/iran-supreme-leaders-new-security-force|title=Iran: The Supreme Leader's New Security Force|access-date=2017-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901200929/https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/iran-supreme-leaders-new-security-force|archive-date=1 September 2017|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
@@ Line 112: / Line 111: @@
 {{main|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.<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> According to Tara Kangarlou of Time magazine, most of those "imprisoned, injured, and killed" during the protests have the Basij to thank.<ref name=tk>{{cite news |last1=Kangarlou |first1=Tara |title=The Brutal Militia Trained to Kill for Iran's Islamic Regime |url=https://time.com/6238623/iran-basij-militia-meaning-mahsa-amini/ |access-date=30 September 2023 |work=Time magazine |date=5 December 2022 |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924221626/https://time.com/6238623/iran-basij-militia-meaning-mahsa-amini/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  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|2023|09|15|lc=y}}.{{NoteTag|according to the non-profit organization [[Iran Human Rights]]<ref name="IHR551">{{cite news |title=One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths |agency=Iran Human Rights |url=https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |date=15 September 2023 |access-date=29 September 2023 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930043258/https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}  Unlike some earlier protests they were "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools".<ref name="Guardian6November">{{cite news |title=Fresh protests erupt in Iran's universities and Kurdish region |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |access-date=7 November 2022 |agency=The Guardian |date=6 November 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126042440/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |url-status=live }}</ref>
+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.<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> According to Tara Kangarlou of [[Time magazine]], the Basij were responsible for most imprisonments, injuries, and killings of protesters.<ref name=tk>{{cite news |last1=Kangarlou |first1=Tara |title=The Brutal Militia Trained to Kill for Iran's Islamic Regime |url=https://time.com/6238623/iran-basij-militia-meaning-mahsa-amini/ |access-date=30 September 2023 |work=Time magazine |date=5 December 2022 |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924221626/https://time.com/6238623/iran-basij-militia-meaning-mahsa-amini/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 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|2023|09|15|lc=y}}.{{NoteTag|according to the non-profit organization [[Iran Human Rights]]<ref name="IHR551">{{cite news |title=One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths |agency=Iran Human Rights |url=https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |date=15 September 2023 |access-date=29 September 2023 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930043258/https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Unlike some earlier protests they were "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools".<ref name="Guardian6November">{{cite news |title=Fresh protests erupt in Iran's universities and Kurdish region |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |access-date=7 November 2022 |agency=The Guardian |date=6 November 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126042440/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |url-status=live }}</ref>
-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 [[forced confessions]], threats to uninvolved family members, and torture, including electric shocks, [[controlled drowning]], and [[mock execution]] (based on CNN interviews);<ref>{{cite news |date=20 October 2022 |title=Stalked, tortured, disappeared: Iranian authorities have a playbook for silencing dissent, and they're using it again |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-protesters-repression-investigation-intl-cmd |access-date=20 October 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116180513/https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-protesters-repression-investigation-intl-cmd |url-status=live }}</ref> sexual violence/rape
+Journalists and human rights activists have catalogued a number of serious human rights violations used to crush the unrest by the Basij and other IRI security forces. These included [[forced confessions]], threats to uninvolved family members, and torture, including electric shocks, [[controlled drowning]], and [[mock execution]] (based on CNN interviews);<ref>{{cite news |date=20 October 2022 |title=Stalked, tortured, disappeared: Iranian authorities have a playbook for silencing dissent, and they're using it again |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-protesters-repression-investigation-intl-cmd |access-date=20 October 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116180513/https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/19/middleeast/iran-protesters-repression-investigation-intl-cmd |url-status=live }}</ref> sexual violence/rape (based on testimony and social media videos corroborated by a CNN investigation),<ref>{{cite news |title=CNN investigates female and male protesters' accounts of sexual assault in Iranian detention centers |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=www.cnn.com |date=2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116180513/https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> “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).<ref name="Pourahmadi-CNN">{{cite news |last1=Pourahmadi |first1=Adam |last2=El Sirgany |first2=Sarah |last3=Karadsheh |first3=Jomana |title=One year since Mahsa Amini's death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran's crackdown continues her struggle from exile |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/16/middleeast/iran-mahsa-amini-anniversary-protester-mime-intl/index.html |access-date=28 September 2023 |agency=CNN |date=16 September 2023 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928011229/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/16/middleeast/iran-mahsa-amini-anniversary-protester-mime-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Using ambulances to transport security forces and kidnapped protesters under the guise of rushing injured civilians to receive emergency medical attention.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tabrizy |first1=Nilo |last2=Jhaveri |first2=Ishaan |title=How Iran's Security Forces Use Ambulances to Suppress Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/world/middleeast/iran-protesters-detained-ambulance.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=23 November 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126022000/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/world/middleeast/iran-protesters-detained-ambulance.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UNHRC to hold special session on Iran, human rights violations |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-723006 |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116175935/https://www.jpost.com/international/article-723006 |url-status=live }}</ref>
-(based on testimony and social media videos corroborated by a CNN investigation),<ref>{{cite news |title=CNN investigates female and male protesters' accounts of sexual assault in Iranian detention centers |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=www.cnn.com |date=2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116180513/https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> “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).<ref name="Pourahmadi-CNN">{{cite news |last1=Pourahmadi |first1=Adam |last2=El Sirgany |first2=Sarah |last3=Karadsheh |first3=Jomana |title=One year since Mahsa Amini's death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran's crackdown continues her struggle from exile |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/16/middleeast/iran-mahsa-amini-anniversary-protester-mime-intl/index.html |access-date=28 September 2023 |agency=CNN |date=16 September 2023 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928011229/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/16/middleeast/iran-mahsa-amini-anniversary-protester-mime-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Using ambulances to transport security forces and kidnapped protesters under the guise of rushing injured civilians to receive emergency medical attention.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tabrizy |first1=Nilo |last2=Jhaveri |first2=Ishaan |title=How Iran's Security Forces Use Ambulances to Suppress Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/world/middleeast/iran-protesters-detained-ambulance.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=23 November 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126022000/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/world/middleeast/iran-protesters-detained-ambulance.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UNHRC to hold special session on Iran, human rights violations |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-723006 |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116175935/https://www.jpost.com/international/article-723006 |url-status=live }}</ref>
-The Iranian state media reports that security forces such as the Basij were targeted by "rioters and gangs"<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> in their efforts to restore order and stop the destruction of public property by protesters,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> and that by 6 January 2023, 68 security force members were killed in the unrest.<ref name="Reuters12345">{{cite news |title=Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-two-men-alleged-crimes-committed-during-protests-judiciary-2023-01-07/ |access-date=17 January 2023 |work=Reuters |date=7 January 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116235320/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-two-men-alleged-crimes-committed-during-protests-judiciary-2023-01-07/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (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.)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghobadi |first1=Parham |title=Iran security forces and state media cover up protester's death – source |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63504452 |access-date=4 November 2022 |agency=BBC |date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116172212/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63504452 |url-status=live }}</ref>
+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 <ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> in their efforts to restore order and stop the destruction of public property by protesters,<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/> and that by 6 January 2023, at least 68 security force members were killed in the unrest.<ref name="Reuters12345">{{cite news |title=Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-two-men-alleged-crimes-committed-during-protests-judiciary-2023-01-07/ |access-date=17 January 2023 |work=Reuters |date=7 January 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116235320/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-two-men-alleged-crimes-committed-during-protests-judiciary-2023-01-07/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (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.)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghobadi |first1=Parham |title=Iran security forces and state media cover up protester's death – source |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63504452 |access-date=4 November 2022 |agency=BBC |date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116172212/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63504452 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ==Organization, membership, duties, activities==
@@ Line 136: / Line 134: @@
 Tehran Bureau also lists a "Guilds Basij Division" (''Basij-e Asnaf''), and a "Labor Basij" (''Basij-e Karegaran'').<ref name="Alfoneh" /> Australian Broadcasting Corporation lists them as having branches across the country, as well as "student organisations, trade guilds, and medical faculties".<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022"/>
-The Fatehin serves as the Basij's special forces unit.<ref>https://iranfocus.com/iran-general/49219-basij-special-unit-fatehin-and-its-role-in-quelling-irans-protests/</ref>
+The Fatehin serves as the Basij's special forces unit.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://iranfocus.com/iran-general/49219-basij-special-unit-fatehin-and-its-role-in-quelling-irans-protests/ | title=Basij Special Unit Fatehin and Its Role in Quelling Iran's Protests | date=13 December 2022 }}</ref>
 ===Size, bases===
@@ Line 143: / Line 141: @@
 ===Economic power===
-According to the US Treasury, the Basij have a multi-billion-dollar "covert network" of businesses.<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022"/> 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".<ref name="Golkar-AF&S-2012">{{cite journal |last1=Golkar |first1=Saeid |title=Paramilitarization of the Economy : The Case of Iran's Basij Militia |journal=Armed Forces & Society |date=October 2012 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=625–648 |doi=10.1177/0095327X12437687 |jstor=48609114 |s2cid=155010870 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609114 |access-date=30 September 2023 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013130520/https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609114 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1996, six organizations were put under the control of the Basij Cooperative Foundation (BCF)
+According to the US Treasury, the Basij have a multi-billion-dollar "covert network" of businesses.<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022"/> 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".<ref name="Golkar-AF&S-2012">{{cite journal |last1=Golkar |first1=Saeid |title=Paramilitarization of the Economy : The Case of Iran's Basij Militia |journal=Armed Forces & Society |date=October 2012 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=625–648 |doi=10.1177/0095327X12437687 |jstor=48609114 |s2cid=155010870 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609114 |access-date=30 September 2023 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013130520/https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609114 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1996, six organizations were put under the control of the Basij Cooperative Foundation (BCF)
 # The Basijis Housing Institution (''Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Maskan-e Basijian'').
 # The Basijis Medical Institution (''Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e darman-e Basijian'').
@@ Line 155: / Line 153: @@
 ===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.<ref name="RFERL">[http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Basij_Force_Mainstay_Of_Domestic_Security/1357081.html Iran's Basij Force – The Mainstay Of Domestic Security] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110190716/http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Basij_Force_Mainstay_Of_Domestic_Security/1357081.html |date=10 January 2012 }}, By Hossein Aryan, RFERL, 7 December 2008</ref>
+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.<ref name="RFERL">{{Cite news |last=Aryan |first=Hossein |date=2009-02-05 |title=Pillar Of The State |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/Irans_Basij_Force_Mainstay_Of_Domestic_Security/1357081.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref>
 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.<ref name= GlobSecNiruy/>
@@ Line 161: / Line 159: @@
 According to Golkar,<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />
-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").<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/>
+Basij are present 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").<ref name="Reuters-specialists"/>
 ===Commanders===
@@ Line 293: / Line 291: @@
 {{Officeholder table end}}
-===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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Angus">{{cite journal|last=McDowall|first=Angus|date=21 Jun 2009|title=Iran's Basij force: the shock troops terrorising protesters|journal=Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5588291/Irans-Basij-force-the-shock-troops-terrorising-protesters.html|location=London|access-date=2 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529200759/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5588291/Irans-Basij-force-the-shock-troops-terrorising-protesters.html|archive-date=29 May 2018|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022"/>
-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.<ref name=NYT /> Members of Basij are more likely than non-members to obtain government positions, especially security related positions within government-controlled institutions.
+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.<ref name="NYT" /> 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".<ref name="what we know basij ABC-2022"/>
 ==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 [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].<ref name="Alfoneh"/> In past elections militia members have voted for both hardliners and reformists. President Ahmadinejad received significant support from militia members, many of whom have benefited from his policies during his presidency.<ref>{{cite news|title=Profile: Basij militia force|work=BBC News|access-date=27 June 2009|date=18 June 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8106699.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622151024/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8106699.stm|archive-date=22 June 2009|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Supreme Leader]] Khamenei described Basij as "the greatest hope of the Iranian nation" and "an immaculate tree".<ref name="english.khamenei.ir">{{cite web|url=http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=781&Itemid=4 |title=Supreme Leader's Speech to Basij Members |publisher=Khamenei.ir |date=3 May 2008 |access-date=8 April 2013 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112211620/http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=781&Itemid=4 |archive-date=12 November 2013 |df=dmy}}</ref>
+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 [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].<ref name="Alfoneh"/> In past elections militia members have voted for both hardliners and reformists. President Ahmadinejad received significant support from militia members, many of whom have benefited from his policies during his presidency.<ref>{{cite news|title=Profile: Basij militia force|work=BBC News|access-date=27 June 2009|date=18 June 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8106699.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622151024/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8106699.stm|archive-date=22 June 2009|url-status = live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Supreme Leader Khamenei described Basij as "the greatest hope of the Iranian nation" and "an immaculate tree".<ref name="english.khamenei.ir">{{cite web|url=http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=781&Itemid=4 |title=Supreme Leader's Speech to Basij Members |publisher=Khamenei.ir |date=3 May 2008 |access-date=8 April 2013 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112211620/http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=781&Itemid=4 |archive-date=12 November 2013 |df=dmy}}</ref>
 == See also ==
@@ Line 312: / Line 310: @@
 * [[Zahra Bani Yaghoub]]
 * [[Red Guards]] (China)
+* [[Worker-Peasant Red Guards]] (North Korea)
 * ''[[Shabiha]]'' (Syria)
 * ''[[Colectivo (Venezuela)|Colectivo]]''  (Venezuela)
@@ Line 320: / Line 319: @@
 * ''[[Schutzstaffel]]'' and [[Gestapo]]  ([[Nazi Germany]])
 * [[Stasi]] ([[East Germany]])
+* [[Petrus killings|Petrus]] ([[Indonesia]], under [[Suharto]])
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 340: / Line 340: @@
 {{authority control}}
-[[Category:Organisations of the Iranian Revolution]]
+[[Category:Organisations of the Iranian revolution]]
 [[Category:Paramilitary organisations based in Iran]]
 [[Category:Religious paramilitary organizations]]

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