Guy
03-12-2011, 14:19
Salafis unite against Shiite Houthi threat
Ali Saeed
Published:30-11-2011
SANA’A, Nov 30 — Hundreds of Salafi clerics from all over the nation held a conference on Wednesday in Sana'a in response to ongoing violence between Houthis and Salafis in Damaj, in the Sa’ada governorate. A blockade has been imposed by the Houthis in the Salafi area for over forty days.
In Yemen's conservative religious society, there is a risk that if these battles continue, a countrywide sectarian war between Salafi Sunnis and Houthi Shiites could erupt.
The conference was attended by many adherents and supporters of Salafism, including tribesmen from the Hashid Confederation, the largest tribe in north Yemen. The Hashid presence had the potential of sending a strong message to the militarily-advanced Houthis, that, in effect, they may eventually be willing to join their cohorts in fighting back in Damaj.
“They [Houthis] must suspend their bad deeds – otherwise, Yemenis will deal with them in another way,” Sheikh Murad Al-Qadasi, a Salafi cleric and the head of the conference's preparatory committee, told the Yemen Times.
Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajoori, principal of Dar Al-Hadeeth Salafi School in Damaj, called on Saturday evening for Jihad against the Houthis after 26 Salafi students were killed in the area by Houthi snipers deployed around the school.
However a member of the Hashid tribe said: “The Houthis really practice sectarianism, even if the Salafis oppose this. The Hashid has sacrificed the lives of dozens of its people to defend against Houthi attacks, and the tribe remains well-prepared to fight. Some members have already joined the fight against the Houthis.”
Abdulmajeed Al-Raimi, a Salafi cleric, blamed the government for standing by and watching Salafis fall under attack in Sa’ada without doing anything. “It is a dangerous trend, which obliges Sunnis to unify to defend their existence.”
Aqeel Al-Maqtari, a Salafi cleric from Taiz who attended the conference in Sana’a, said that the Houthis have been using violence against the Salafi students in Sa’ada since August, when they [Houthis] killed four students in a vehicle in Sa’ada City.
He added that the Houthis have even destroyed water wells in Damaj to pressure the Salafis into departing the area.
For his part, Dr. Yahya Al-Asadi, a social leader from Hajja, explained that despite the lack of a state security presence in past months, the people of Hajja have remained peaceful and no killings have been reported.
However, on the November 6 Eid, locals were surprised by the sight of military vehicles moving from one district to another, full of youths, their ages ranging from 16 to 20, and heavily armed with hand grenades, machine guns and mortar shells.
“These vehicles attempted to take control of areas in Hajja by force and the people did not accept that Hajja's people were killed when armed clashes broke out between the two sides,” said Al-Asadi.
“Now the district of Ahim in Hajja is in conflict between the Houthis and people of Hajja. I invite journalists to come and report the fact,” he added.
A concluding statement delivered at the conference demanded that Houthis cease assaulting citizens in their areas for reasons of religious affiliation, and to end the siege on Damaj.
It also requested that organizations, parties and national figures continue efforts to break the blockade and seek peaceful solutions.
Humanitarian situation
Sa'ada's Damaj area has been blockaded by the Houthis for over 40 days. Efforts to lift the blockade haven't met success. A constantly worsening humanitarian situation – consisting of severe shortages of food and medicine – has resulted.
After obtaining leave from the Houthis, Yemeni human rights activists and media teams visited the blockaded area for one hour last Friday.
Yemeni human rights activists and media teams said that the area had nearly run out of food and medicine and that some pregnant women had miscarried because they had been prevented from reaching the hospital.
“I saw shops without milk and basic foods; vegetable shops were empty, and pharmacies out of medicine,” said Mohamed Al-Ahmadi, a Yemeni journalist from the team that visited Damaj.
A health official from the area's medical center told the media team that the blockade had caused the spread of infectious conditions, including chicken pox and diarrhea.
The lives of women and children are at risk since a woman who was on her way out of the mosque was killed by a Houthi sniper due to the high deployment of the Houthi snipers around the Salafi school, according to Al-Ahmadi.
http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=34896
Ali Saeed
Published:30-11-2011
SANA’A, Nov 30 — Hundreds of Salafi clerics from all over the nation held a conference on Wednesday in Sana'a in response to ongoing violence between Houthis and Salafis in Damaj, in the Sa’ada governorate. A blockade has been imposed by the Houthis in the Salafi area for over forty days.
In Yemen's conservative religious society, there is a risk that if these battles continue, a countrywide sectarian war between Salafi Sunnis and Houthi Shiites could erupt.
The conference was attended by many adherents and supporters of Salafism, including tribesmen from the Hashid Confederation, the largest tribe in north Yemen. The Hashid presence had the potential of sending a strong message to the militarily-advanced Houthis, that, in effect, they may eventually be willing to join their cohorts in fighting back in Damaj.
“They [Houthis] must suspend their bad deeds – otherwise, Yemenis will deal with them in another way,” Sheikh Murad Al-Qadasi, a Salafi cleric and the head of the conference's preparatory committee, told the Yemen Times.
Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajoori, principal of Dar Al-Hadeeth Salafi School in Damaj, called on Saturday evening for Jihad against the Houthis after 26 Salafi students were killed in the area by Houthi snipers deployed around the school.
However a member of the Hashid tribe said: “The Houthis really practice sectarianism, even if the Salafis oppose this. The Hashid has sacrificed the lives of dozens of its people to defend against Houthi attacks, and the tribe remains well-prepared to fight. Some members have already joined the fight against the Houthis.”
Abdulmajeed Al-Raimi, a Salafi cleric, blamed the government for standing by and watching Salafis fall under attack in Sa’ada without doing anything. “It is a dangerous trend, which obliges Sunnis to unify to defend their existence.”
Aqeel Al-Maqtari, a Salafi cleric from Taiz who attended the conference in Sana’a, said that the Houthis have been using violence against the Salafi students in Sa’ada since August, when they [Houthis] killed four students in a vehicle in Sa’ada City.
He added that the Houthis have even destroyed water wells in Damaj to pressure the Salafis into departing the area.
For his part, Dr. Yahya Al-Asadi, a social leader from Hajja, explained that despite the lack of a state security presence in past months, the people of Hajja have remained peaceful and no killings have been reported.
However, on the November 6 Eid, locals were surprised by the sight of military vehicles moving from one district to another, full of youths, their ages ranging from 16 to 20, and heavily armed with hand grenades, machine guns and mortar shells.
“These vehicles attempted to take control of areas in Hajja by force and the people did not accept that Hajja's people were killed when armed clashes broke out between the two sides,” said Al-Asadi.
“Now the district of Ahim in Hajja is in conflict between the Houthis and people of Hajja. I invite journalists to come and report the fact,” he added.
A concluding statement delivered at the conference demanded that Houthis cease assaulting citizens in their areas for reasons of religious affiliation, and to end the siege on Damaj.
It also requested that organizations, parties and national figures continue efforts to break the blockade and seek peaceful solutions.
Humanitarian situation
Sa'ada's Damaj area has been blockaded by the Houthis for over 40 days. Efforts to lift the blockade haven't met success. A constantly worsening humanitarian situation – consisting of severe shortages of food and medicine – has resulted.
After obtaining leave from the Houthis, Yemeni human rights activists and media teams visited the blockaded area for one hour last Friday.
Yemeni human rights activists and media teams said that the area had nearly run out of food and medicine and that some pregnant women had miscarried because they had been prevented from reaching the hospital.
“I saw shops without milk and basic foods; vegetable shops were empty, and pharmacies out of medicine,” said Mohamed Al-Ahmadi, a Yemeni journalist from the team that visited Damaj.
A health official from the area's medical center told the media team that the blockade had caused the spread of infectious conditions, including chicken pox and diarrhea.
The lives of women and children are at risk since a woman who was on her way out of the mosque was killed by a Houthi sniper due to the high deployment of the Houthi snipers around the Salafi school, according to Al-Ahmadi.
http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=34896