Which Muslim-majority countries had public demonstrations with 'death to America' slogans in 2025?
Executive summary
Available reporting identifies Iran and Yemen (Houthi movement) as Muslim-majority contexts where “Death to America” slogans were publicly used or promoted in 2025: Iran’s leadership and state-organized rallies continued to endorse the slogan (see Khamenei’s comments and Iranian coverage) [1] [2], and Yemen’s Houthi movement uses a variant (“Sarkha”) that explicitly includes “Death to America” in its public banners and rhetoric [3]. Other sources note the chant’s historical spread and occasional appearance at protests abroad, but do not provide verified lists of additional Muslim-majority countries in 2025 that hosted such chants [4] [5].
1. Iran: state and mass rallies kept the slogan in circulation
Iran remained the primary, documented source of “Death to America” chanting in 2025. Iran’s supreme leader praised the nation’s willingness to proclaim the phrase, saying “The Iranian nation has the courage to say, ‘Death to America’” (Iran International report) [1]. Longstanding state practice and public rallies continue to institutionalize the chant; multiple background sources explain that the slogan has been a persistent feature of Friday prayers and state-organized events since 1979 [2] [5].
2. Yemen (Houthis): a movement whose slogan includes “Death to America”
The Houthi movement in Yemen publicly displays a slogan — the Sarkha — that reads in full: “God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.” The Sarkha is a visible banner in Houthi rallies and propaganda, and analysts note it was modeled on revolutionary Iranian slogans [3]. Houthi spokespeople have at times framed the wording as directed at governments rather than civilians, but the literal phrase is part of their public repertoire [3].
3. Broader context: slogan’s meaning, historical roots, and state framing
Scholars and journalists cited in the sources emphasize the phrase is rooted in opposition to U.S. policies rather than a literal call to kill ordinary Americans. Iranian officials and analysts repeatedly explain the chant as condemnation of U.S. policy, “arrogance” or American leaders, not the American people as a whole; Iran’s leadership has offered that reading publicly [2] [6] [5]. Reporting and analysis caution that context matters: the slogan is symbolic in state ritual and revolutionary discourse [5].
4. Appearance elsewhere and at protests: limited, often contested reporting
Several outlets document the slogan’s expansion beyond the Middle East in past years and occasional use at pro-Palestine or anti-U.S. foreign policy protests, including mentions of the chant appearing in Western demonstrations and U.S. streets in prior reporting [7] [4]. However, the provided 2025 sources do not offer a verified, comprehensive list of other Muslim-majority countries where public demonstrations chanted “Death to America” during 2025; available reporting focuses primarily on Iran and on the Houthis in Yemen [4] [7].
5. Partisan and media framings shape perception
Right-leaning outlets and commentators have amplified instances of the chant in diaspora or Western settings to argue broader threats from Islamist movements, while academic and journalistic sources emphasize historical and policy-rooted explanations for the slogan [7] [5]. The sources show competing framings: some treat the chant as literal and threatening [7], while others stress it as symbolic political dissent directed at U.S. policy [5] [2].
6. What the sources do not say — limits of current reporting
Available sources do not list other specific Muslim-majority countries in 2025 where public demonstrations chanted “Death to America,” nor do they provide a systematic tally of every protest occurrence worldwide in 2025 (not found in current reporting). Localized or ephemeral uses may exist, but the documents supplied here focus on Iran and the Houthi slogan in Yemen and background analysis of the phrase’s meaning [1] [3] [5].
7. Why this matters: policy, symbolism, and risk of overgeneralization
The persistence of the slogan in Iran and among the Houthis has diplomatic and propaganda implications: it signals state-level grievance and is used to mobilize domestic audiences [1] [3]. At the same time, sweeping claims that many Muslim-majority countries publicly chanted “Death to America” in 2025 are not supported by the provided reporting; readers and policymakers should distinguish documented state-sponsored usages from isolated appearances and beware media framings that may conflate symbolic state ritual with broader public sentiment [5] [4].
Sources cited above are drawn from the supplied reporting: Iran International on Khamenei [1]; The Guardian and historical background on Khamenei’s framing [2]; Pulitzer Center and other analyses of the slogan’s meaning [5]; Houthi Sarkha description [3]; and broader notes on the phrase’s spread and contested interpretations [4] [7].