On March 7, 2026, hundreds gathered in front of the American Consulate in Toronto to participate in a protest organized under the banners of “Support Iran” and “No to Unjust War.” This demonstration was in response to the American-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic regime’s military nuclear project in Iran, as well as its perceived military threat to the region.
The protest was organized by the Muslim Community of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and received endorsements from the Iranian Canadian Congress, Al-Quds Toronto, and the Palestinian Youth Movement.
During the protest, several chants resonated through the crowd. Here are some of the key phrases that were heard:
At your service, O Mahdi
At your service, O Zainab
Khamenei is the [supreme] leader
Death, death to Israel
Death, death to America [translated from Persian]
Death, death to the hypocrites
Death, death to the traitors
Khaybar, Khaybar, O [the sons of] Zion [the Jewish people]
There is only one solution – Intifada, Intifada!
Notes:
The Mahdi – According to Twelver Shia tradition, the end of times (eschatological era leading to Qiyamah, the Day of Judgment) involves widespread oppression and tyranny filling the earth, followed by the reappearance (zuhur) of the hidden Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who emerges in Mecca as the divinely guided leader to eradicate injustice, fill the world with equity and peace alongside the descent of Jesus (Isa) to aid him in defeating evil forces (including the Dajjal and other adversaries like the Sufyani), with certain hadiths describing battles against Jews allied with the Dajjal where even stones and trees (except the Gharqad tree) will call out to Muslims, “O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him,” to reveal their hiding places and prompt the Muslims to slay them, after preceding major signs such as the Sufyani’s uprising, the Yamani’s call, a heavenly cry, the murder of the pure soul (Nafs-e-Zakiyyah), and the earth swallowing an army in Bayda, culminating in a period of global justice under his rule before the final apocalyptic events and resurrection.
The Battle of Khaybar (in 628 CE / 7 AH) was a Muslim military campaign led by Muhammad against the fortified Jewish communities in the Khaybar oasis north of Medina, resulting in a Muslim victory after sieges of its strongholds, the death of key Jewish leaders, and the surrender of the Jews who agreed to pay tribute (half their produce or jizya) in exchange for protection and remaining on their lands. Its historical significance lies in marking the decisive elimination of the last major Jewish stronghold in the Arabian Peninsula.
Zainab is the eldest daughter of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and Lady Fatima al-Zahra (the daughter of Prophet Muhammad), making her the granddaughter of the Prophet, sister of Imams Hasan and Husayn, and a revered figure symbolizing courage, eloquence, sacrifice, piety, and unwavering faith—especially for her heroic role after the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE), where she protected the survivors (including her nephew Imam Zayn al-Abidin), delivered powerful sermons in the courts of Ibn Ziyad in Kufa and Yazid in Damascus to condemn tyranny and preserve the message of Imam Husayn’s uprising, and effectively became the “messenger of Karbala” by ensuring the tragedy’s lessons endured through mourning gatherings (majalis) and public defiance against oppression.