Canadian Teens Salute 'Martyred' Hamas and Hizbullah Officials as Viral Song 'Salute, Commander' Plays—Lyrics Include Children Pledging to Be Soldiers of Khamenei

On January 7, 2024, a memorial service was held at the Ahlulbayt Youth Collective in Windsor, Ontario, honoring the “martyrs murdered by Israel in Lebanon,” including Hamas deputy leader Saleh Al-Arouri and various Hizbullah officials. During the service, teen boys saluted posters of these "martyrs" while the song "Salute, Commander" played in the background. The lyrics of the song feature children pledging to be soldiers of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. For more about the song, see MEMRITV clips nos. 10868, 9959, and 9719. The video footage was posted on Windsor4Palestine’s Instagram account. It is notable that the mosque and associated Islamic school hosted a similar memorial for Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on September 29 and several Hezbollah “martyrs” on June 22. Additionally, in 2022, Firas Al-Najim of CD4HR shared a photo of himself with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens at a 2018 event at the mosque, where he wore a scarf featuring Khamenei’s image.