On February 20, 2019, the Islamic Education Center of Houston, TX uploaded to its YouTube channel a video of a February 17 ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Morteza Kazemian, a tenth grader, said that the United States continues to sanction Iran because it is scared of it and that America’s two goals in the Middle East are to support Israel and Saudi Arabia. The crowd chanted: “Away with the humiliation… Allah Akbar! Khamenei is our Leader!” In addition, young boys wearing scarves and green headbands sang a song for Khamenei: “We are your followers, you are our Leader… We are your soldiers, and together we can all be your power… May Allah always keep your hand upon us… A warrior just like the Battle of Khaybar… May you always be the light to our guidance.” Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi spoke briefly at the ceremony through a video call. For more about Marzieh Hashemi, who was recently arrested and detained by the FBI during a visit to the United States, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7064.
