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Iranian protesters burning the flag of the United States along with a U.S. dollar in Tehran, November 2018

"Death to America"[a] is an anti-American political slogan widely used in Iran,[1] Afghanistan,[2] Lebanon,[3] Yemen,[4] Iraq,[5][6] Pakistan[7][8] and North Korea (as "Death to the United States imperialists").[b][9][10] Originally used by North Korea since the Korean War,[9][10] Ruhollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of Iran, popularized the term.[11] He opposed the chant for radio and television but not for protests and other occasions.[1] The literal meaning of the Persian phrase "Marg bar Âmrikâ" is "Death to America". In most official Iranian translations, the phrase is translated into English as the less crude "Down with America".[12][13] The chant "Death to America" has come to be employed by various anti-American groups and protesters worldwide.[14]

Iranian officials generally explain that the slogan in its historical context has been provoked by the U.S. government's hostile policies towards Iran and expresses outrage at those policies, and does not wish for literal death for American people themselves.[15] In a speech to university students, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei interpreted the slogan as "death to the U.S.'s policies, death to arrogance".[16] Following a meeting with U.S. Army and Air Force commanders, Khamenei declared that the Iranian people are not against American people but that "Death to America" means down with American leaders, in this case Donald Trump (President), John Bolton (National Security Advisor), and Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State).[17][18]

History

[edit]
See also: Iran–United States relations and North Korea–United States relations
A conference named "Long Live Death to America" held on 3 November 2015, at Tehran University explores historical reasons for chanting the slogan.[19]
Two protesters in Iran tearing an American flag at an anti-American rally.

Following the fall of the pro-American Pahlavi dynasty in early 1979, Iranian protesters regularly shouted "Death to America" and "Death to the Shah" outside the U.S. embassy in Tehran, including the day the embassy was seized on 4 November 1979, which commenced the Iran hostage crisis.[20] Throughout the crisis, Iranians surrounding the embassy chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Carter".[21] When Iran released the remaining 52 American hostages on 20 January 1981, they were led through a gauntlet of students forming parallel lines that shouted "Death to America" as they boarded the airplane that would fly them out of Tehran.[22] "Death to the Soviet Union" and "Death to England" also became popular. A similar slogan "Death to Israel" (Persian: مرگ بر اسرائیل) is also used, and regularly chanted in Iranian and Pakistani political rallies.[7] It is the best-known variation;[23] however, the slogan dates back to the 1950s when it was first used by North Korea during the Korean War (known in North Korea as the Fatherland Liberation War) and it is still in use to this day.[9]

Throughout the existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the slogan has formed a pillar of its revolutionary values.[12] It is regularly chanted at Friday prayers (jumu'ah) and other public events, which is often accompanied by a burning of the flag of the United States.[13] These events include the 4 November anniversary of the U.S. embassy seizure, which Iranian leaders declared in 1987 as a national holiday, called "Death to America Day."[24] State-sponsored murals that feature the slogan "Death to America" are common in Iranian cities, particularly Tehran.[25] According to Hashemi Rafsanjani, Khomeini agreed in principle to drop the usage of the slogan in 1984. Rafsanjani's statement was rejected by his hard line opponents who said that "The Imam throughout his life called America 'the Great Satan'. He believed that all the Muslims' problems were caused by America."[26] According to Politico magazine, following the September 11 attacks, the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei "suspended the usual 'Death to America' chants at Friday prayers" temporarily.[27]

On 29 March 2013, during a public gathering in Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang, to support Kim Jong Un's call to arms, attendees had chanted "Death to the U.S. imperialists".[10] On 21 March 2015, Khamenei backed and shouted the phrase 'Death to America' while addressing a public gathering in Iran, during the holiday of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.[28][29][30] In a statement published on his website on November 3, 2015, Khamenei said: "It goes without saying that the slogan does not mean death to the American nation; this slogan means death to the U.S.'s policies, death to arrogance."[31][32]

On 23 June 2017, during Quds Day, protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".[33] On 25 April 2018, Iran announced that a "Death to America" emoji would be included in a domestically produced messaging app.[34] On 9 May 2018, an American flag was burned in the Iranian Parliament amidst chants of "Death to America" after the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear deal with Iran) under President Donald Trump.[35] On 4 November 2018, Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the religious group Nation of Islam, led a "Death to America" chant during a solidarity trip to Iran, ahead of sanctions expected to be imposed by the Trump administration.[36][37]

Many anti-Iranian government protesters, both within Iran and abroad, used similar phrases to demonstrate against the theocratic government. Slogans such as "Death to Khamenei", "Death to the Dictator" and "Death to Islamic Republic" have been chanted in those occasions, the latest being the Mahsa Amini protests, which began in September 2022.[38][39] Protesters also refused to trample over giant U.S. and Israeli flags that had been painted on the ground of the universities,[40] which was praised by then-President Trump in 2020.[41] At the funeral of Qasem Soleimani, the chant "Death to America" could be heard from many mourners across Baghdad, Islamabad, Karachi and many other cities.[6][7][8]

At the 2024 Quds Day rally in Dearborn, Michigan, some members of the crowd chanted "death to America" in response to anti-America rhetoric by one of the speakers.[42] The rally organizers later said the chants were "wrongful" and "a mistake."[43]

Usage in the Arab world

[edit]
The slogan on the flag of the Houthis in Yemen reads, "Allah is the greatest. Death to America. Death to Israel. A curse upon the Jews. Victory to Islam".

Supporters of Hezbollah, the Shia Islamic militant group based in Lebanon that is closely aligned to Iran, regularly chant "Death to America" in street demonstrations.[44] A week before the U.S. invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah declared: "In the past, when the Marines were in Beirut, we screamed, 'Death to America!' Today, when the region is being filled with hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, 'Death to America!' was, is and will stay our slogan."[3] The slogan of the Houthis, a Shia rebel group in Yemen also supported by Iran,[45] is "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse upon the Jews, Victory to Islam".[4]

Interpretation and meaning

[edit]

Mohammad Nahavandian, chief of staff for Iranian former president Hassan Rouhani, said:

If you go and ask anyone who uses that slogan ... what he is against, it is interference in Iran's policies by overthrowing a nationally elected prime minister at the time of [Mohammad] Mossadegh. For them, what they are against is the kind of government who shoots an airplane full of innocent passengers. For them, it's not the people of America, per se. For them, they are opposed to that sort of policy, that sort of attitude, that sort of arrogance. It's not a nation. It's a system of behavior."[15]

Hussein al Hamran, head of Foreign Relations for Ansar Allah (Houthis), said: "Regarding the words 'Death to America', we mean American politics, not the American people."[46] Ali al-Bukhayti, a former spokesperson and official media face of the Houthis, said: "We do not really want death to anyone. The slogan is simply against the interference of those governments [i.e. US, and Israel]."[47] Rouhani also dismissed the literal interpretation of the slogan, stating that the slogan is to express opposition to US intrusive policies rather than hatred against American people.[48]

On 8 February 2019, Ali Khamenei stated "Death to America means death to [Donald] Trump, [John] Bolton and [Mike] Pompeo. We criticize American politicians who are managing that country. Iranian nation are not against American people."[17] Travel writer Rick Steves recorded a taxi driver in Tehran exclaiming "Death to traffic!" in English, explaining that "when something frustrates us and we have no control over it, this is what we say". Steves compares the phrase to non-literal use of the word damn in American English.[49]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Persian: مرگ بر آمریکا, romanized: Marg bar Âmrikâ; Arabic: الموت لأمريكا, romanized: al-mawt li-‘Amrīkā; Urdu: امریکہ کے لیے موت, romanized: America ke liye mout
  2. ^ Korean: 미제에게 죽음을; RR: Mije-ege jugeumeul; MR: Miche-eke chugŭmŭl

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Arash Karami: Khomeini Orders Media to End 'Death to America' Chant Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Iran Pulse, October 13, 2013
  2. ^ "Protestors Chant 'Death to America' Amid Leaflet Outcry". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Hezbollah Vows Anew to Target Americans". Los Angeles Times. 17 April 2003. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Yemen's 'Death to America' rebels bring calm to northern Yemen". The Christian Science Monitor. 28 October 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  5. ^ Hassan, Falih; Hubbard, Ben; Rubin, Alissa J. (31 December 2019). "Protesters Attack U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Chanting 'Death to America'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Mourners shout 'Death to America' at funeral for Iranian general". ITV News. 4 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Peshimam, Syed Raza Hassan, Gibran Naiyyar (5 January 2020). "Thousands protest in Pakistan over U.S. killing of Iranian commander". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b "Pakistan Stress Neutrality, Big Rally Protests Killing of Soleimani | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. 5 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "North Korea's bold wave of propaganda art - in pictures". www.theguardian.com. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "North Korea Holds Mass Rally — Soldiers And Students Chant 'Death To US Imperialists'". www.businessinsider.com. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  11. ^ Philip Herbst (2003). Talking Terrorism: A Dictionary of the Loaded Language of Political Violence. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 6. ISBN 9780313324864.
  12. ^ a b "The politics of 'Death to America'". The Washington Post. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Iran's hardliners planning 'Death to America' rally on anniversary of US Embassy attack". The National. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  14. ^ Herbst, p. 6-7
  15. ^ a b ""Death to America" and the Iran Deal". New Yorker. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  16. ^ Melvin, Don (5 November 2015). "Iranian leader: 'Death to America' refers to policies, not the nation". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  17. ^ a b Erdbrink, Thomas (8 February 2019). "'Death to America' Means 'Death to Trump'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Down with USA' means down with Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo". english.khamenei. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  19. ^ "عکس/سعید جلیلی در همایش زنده باد مرگ بر آمریکا | مرگ بر آمریکا | قرارگاه سایبری صیانت از شعار مردمی مرگ بر آمریکا". margbaramerica.net. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  20. ^ David Patrick Houghton (2001). US Foreign Policy and the Iran Hostage Crisis. Cambridge University Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780521805094.
  21. ^ Mark Bowden (2006). Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam. Atlantic Monthly Press. p. 221, 245. ISBN 9780871139252. death to america.
  22. ^ Bowden, p. 584
  23. ^ Taylor, Adam (4 November 2015). "Why 'Death to America' won't go away". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Millions Of Iranians Demonstrate Against U.S." Associated Press News. 3 November 1987.
  25. ^ Khatib, Lina (2012). Image Politics in the Middle East: The Role of the Visual in Political Struggle. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 81–83. ISBN 9781848852822.
  26. ^ Khomeini 'sought to drop Death to America chant', Guardian, Robert Tait, 20 August 2007
  27. ^ 34 Years of Getting to No with Iran. Politico Magazine. Barbara Slavin. November 19, 2013. Permanent Archived Link. Permanent Archived Link at WebCite. Retrieved and archived on July 4th, 2016.
  28. ^ "'Death to America': Iran's Supreme Leader accuses the US of 'bullying'". Euronews. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  29. ^ "Iran's supreme leader screams 'Death to America' amid ongoing nuclear talks". New York Post. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  30. ^ "Obama downplays Iran 'death to America' remarks, toes hard line on Benjamin Netanyahu". The Washington Times. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  31. ^ Dehghan, Saeed (3 November 2015). "Iran's Ayatollah clarifies that 'death to America' slogan refers to policies". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  32. ^ Vinograd, Cassandra (3 November 2015). "Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Explains 'Death to America' Slogan". NBC News. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  33. ^ "'Death to Israel.', 'Death to America' at Iranian parade". Arutz Sheva. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  34. ^ "'Death to America' emoji reportedly included in Iran messaging app". CNBC. 25 April 2018.
  35. ^ Iran lawmakers shout 'death to America,' burn U.S. flag after Trump nixes nuclear deal Archived 2021-11-22 at the Wayback Machine usatoday.com
  36. ^ Parke, Caleb (5 November 2018). "Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader, leads 'Death to America' chant in Iran". Fox News.
  37. ^ Renowned antisemite louis farrakhan chants death to america on solidarity trip to Iran Archived 2018-11-06 at the Wayback Machine algemeiner.com
  38. ^ 'Death to Khamenei': After Protests, Iran's President Apologizes Over Power Blackouts
  39. ^ "'Death to the Dictator' - Iran protests rage on". Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  40. ^ "Iran protests: Crowds in Tehran refuse to walk on U.S. and Israeli flags". Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  41. ^ Trump hails Iran protesters for not trampling US flag Archived 2020-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, Hurriyet Daily News
  42. ^ "'Death to America', 'Death to Israel' chants at a pro-Palestine rally led by Tarek Bazzi in Michigan's Dearborn", Hindustan Times, 8 April 2024, archived from the original on 13 April 2024, retrieved 12 April 2024
  43. ^ Dean Obeidallah (15 April 2024), "Opinion: There's no excuse for 'death to America' chants, and Dearborn agrees", CNN
  44. ^ Wistrich, Robert (5 January 2010). A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad. Random House Publishing. p. 974. ISBN 9781588368997.
  45. ^ "With Arms for Yemen Rebels, Iran Seeks Wider Mideast Role". The New York Times. 15 March 2012.
  46. ^ "Yemen in crisis". Esquire. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  47. ^ "Photo Essay: Rise of the Houthis". Newsweek. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  48. ^ "'Death to America' chants not personal, Rouhani says". The Times of Israel. AFP. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  49. ^ Steves, Rick (2018). Travel as a Political Act. Avalon Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8133-5116-2.
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