9th martyrdom anniversary of Mohsen Hojaji

TORONTO - August 9 marks the ninth martyrdom anniversary of Mohsen Hojaji, an IRGC soldier who was captured and tortured by ISIS. Martyr Hojaji was the age of 26 when he was captured on August 7, 2017 and was beheaded by the terrorist group two days later. This gruesome crime was recorded and published causing widespread outrage.

Martyr Hojaji had volunteered to defend the Holy Shrine of Lady Zaynab (sa) in Damascus, Syria; his dream was to be martyred defending the shrine of Lady Zaynab (sa). In the book where his life story is re-told, “With His Head Held High,” it is recalled that he said “Pray, my friend. All that’s left for me is to lose my head on the path of Zaynab.”

Martyr Hojaji was one of many who dedicated their lives to the truth. They were not just defending the Holy Shrines, but were also defending the project, the Axis of Resistance, that was being built to fight U.S. imperialism and Zionism in the region. The emergence of ISIS in the region was no accident; the U.S. has a track record of arming and funding terrorist groups to move forward with their own goals of hegemonizing the region.

The direct attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran today, occurred after the terrorist takeover in Syria which was the U.S. and “Israel’s” plan. Jolani, the leader of Syria today was an al-Qaeda member that the U.S. had put out a bounty for, with the reward being $10 million.

Ultimately, the bounty was removed by the U.S. as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs met with him and others in Damascus back in December of 2024. These were the same terrorists that Martyr Mohsen Hojaji and other defenders were fighting against.

In the words of Martyred Leader Sayed Ali Khamenei, “Beloved Martyr Hojaji shined brilliantly in a world where there are plenty of deceptive audio and visual outlets, and God placed him before everyone’s eyes as proof. Today many young individuals with high motivations and incredible faith sacrifice their lives, families, and comforts passionately fighting the enemy to protect their values, and one should appreciate such new, valuable evolution.”

It is without a doubt that the fight against the U.S. and its proxies continues. We live in a time where falsehood is widespread not only with the events of today, but also with the events that have occurred in the past. This is why it is crucial to remember the defenders of the truth and to cherish their legacies.

Martyr Mohsen Hojaji was beheaded defending the truth, just like his master Imam Hussein (as). We see parallels to the Tragedy of Karbala repeatedly, and they serve as a reminder that no matter the time we live in—we will have the choice of either siding with the truth or siding with falsehood.