Students from a Muslim school in London were taught a popular song about the Islamic apocalypse, when all Jews must be massacred, for an Iranian propaganda video, the London-based Jewish Chronicle (JC) reported.
Dozens of children from the ages of eight until 15 in the Islamic Republic of Iran School (IRIS) in north London were filmed standing in rows and mouthing lyrics that included a vow to an “oath of loyalty as a warrior and servant” to the Mahdi, a messianic Shi’ite figure who will herald the end of time.
The school’s proximity to several synagogues and Jewish centers has “raised serious concerns among community security officials,” the paper said.
The video, which the Jewish Chronicle obtained a copy of, also included scenes filmed at the Islamic Centre of England (ICE), which is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission.
Kasra Aarabi, the head of the Iran Programme at the Tony Blair Institute, a global think tank that aims to “help political leaders build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an increasingly interconnected world,” told the JC the “cult” of the Mahdi doctrine is now driving Iranian regime policy to radicalize Shi’ite Muslims – and poses a particular danger to Jews.
“It is antisemitic to its core”, he said, “because it holds that before the Mahdi can return, Israel must be destroyed and all the world’s Jews put to death.”
Today, the means to carry out the Mahdi’s prophecy and kill the Jews include using armed forces, ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear weapons as well, if Iran’s nuclear program goes to plan, he said.
“The rise of the military doctrine of Mahdi-ism is the biggest single threat to the world’s Jewish communities and Israel’s existence,” he added.
The children also pledged allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who has threatened to wipe Israel off the map countless times.
The state-affiliated Iran Press News Agency hailed the song, titled “Hello Commander,” and said it “educates the new generation on the ambitions of the Islamic Revolution and encourages them to be guardians to protect those ideals, which is seen as a step towards promoting the revolution among the generation to come.”