On one side, these behaviours have a political nature and on the other side, they depict the love and affection of the Shi’ahs of Yemen and their leaders in relation to Iran and the Islamic Revolution. In the first phase, the soft power of the Islamic Revolution of Iran influenced the Muslims of the world and specifically the Shi’ah communities of Yemen. In the second phase, the results of this inspiration and influence amongst the Shi’ahs was reciprocated in the form of manifesting the political – emotional responses. Later, we shall elaborate on some instances of the political and emotional behaviours of the Shi’ahs of Yemen and their leaders in relation to the Islamic revolution of Iran.
Since the inception of the Islamic revolution of Iran, the leaders of the Shi’ahs of Yemen have manifested their love and their beliefs in different means. In 1986, Husayn al-Houthi together with Abdul-Raḥim al-Hamran (his brother-in-law) travelled to Iran. In describing the mood of this trip, al-Hamran says: “Husayn was a complete revolutionist. He made all his efforts in order to enter Iran. However, since Iran was in an ongoing war, severe security measures were deployed everywhere. From the fact that Husayn was not a famous person during that time, he had to wait for over a month in Syria till he managed to find a way of entering Iran. When he arrived in Iran, he stayed for eighteen days and was able to meet with the Iranian and Iraqi eminent scholars.”
In quoting Husayn, al-Hamran says: “This flag is the flag of Imam Khomeyni (ra) and it does not have a substitute. He was even thinking about joining the Badr army which had been recently formed in those days for the sake of defending the Islamic revolution of Iran against the imposed war from Saddam Husayn’s Iraq.” (al-Manar, 2014)
Asghar Qureishi, the former Iranian ambassador to Yemen says: “With the victory of the Islamic revolution of Iran, the Zaydis sent a delegation to Iran who chose Imam Khomeyni (ra) as their own leader. The term Imam used in referring to Imam Khomeyni (ra) is also very important. In the doctrine of the Twelver Shi’ahs, until the victory of the Islamic revolution of Iran, the title ‘Imam’ was not used to address anyone other than the infallible Imams. It was here that close political proximity was formed between us and the Zaydi Shi’ahs. After Imam Khomeyni (ra) attained the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a new life was breathed into the Zaydi Shi’ah sect.” (A dialogue between Mashregh and the Iranian ambassador to Yemen: (www.mashreghnews.ir)
One of the most vital political – emotional reactions are the revolutionary slogans that the Shi’ahs used to chant in the gatherings and demonstrations. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, had several international consequences. One of the most vital of those consequences was the agreement to form a counter-terrorism unit under the leadership of the United States in different parts of the world. The presence of Yemen as an ally of the United States in the war against terrorism in the Middle East region led to the presence of American military and spy forces in this country and also secret visits by some Israeli delegations to Sana’a.
This matter was met with a lot of objections. In the meantime, Husayn al-Houthi demanded sanctions against goods from the United States and Israel. He also announced the slogans “God is Great, Death to the United States, Death to Israel, Curse upon the Jews and Victory is for Islam” as the official Shi’ah slogans of this region. Likewise, he also demanded the Muslims to adhere to the teachings of the Noble Quran and the Holy Prophet’s progeny (Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)). In regards to the five aforementioned slogans, it must be said that these slogans are known as ‘al-Sarkhah’ which is a popular term amongst the Yemenis. The Yemenis celebrate a day known as ‘the Day of Sarkhah’ (Yawm al-Sarkhah). It is a day that Husayn al-Houthi emphasized the five slogans and said, “We must stand against oppression and oppressors. Our grandfathers stood against them and we have been oppressed for a very long in history.” (Mousavinejad, 1388, p. 243). This plea was accepted by a lot of people in such a way that during the Friday congregational prayers in Sana’a (the capital city of Yemen) the five Shi’ah slogans were chanted.
In regard to this, the Zaydi youths began a serious movement; for instance, during the ceremony of Ali Abdullah Saleh, people chanted those slogans. He was annoyed and said: “Look at where the situation has reached. A situation whereby a group of extremist youths under the influence of foreigners are chanting slogans in front of the president of the Republic and are interrupting his speech.” By using the excuse of these types of activities, he wanted to make the United States believe that their real enemies in the Middle East Region were the Shi’ahs. The Shi’ahs that are acting under the influence of Iran who his government wants to suppress.
This movement was completely formed spontaneously, and even though it was influenced by the teachings of the Islamic revolution of Iran, the Iranian regime had no role in the course of its organization and support. Tolerating such a movement was very difficult for the central government which had a very strong tie with the United States and also due to the fact that they also considered it to be a big threat for them. The Yemen regime carried out different schemes like bribing, inciting the Sunnis and even making the Zaydis pessimistic in relation to the Houthis but did not manage to suppress the movement.
The most vital matters for the Yemeni regime were the slogans against the United States and the Zionists by this movement. The slogans that had turned into political-religious slogans in the mosques and religious celebrations. In 2003, around 650 youths were arrested for allegedly chanting the slogans of “Death to the United States and Israel” in the mosques. The efforts of the Houthis and their supporters to free these youths were fruitless. Owing to this fact, the difference between them and the regime entered into a political and civilian phase and then into a military phase. At long last, the Yemen regime deployed 18 of its military wings to arrest Husayn al-Houthi. They took siege of him and his supporters. They were resisting the military forces of the regime in the mountain regions for around ninety days. Finally, Husayn al-Houthi was killed. Up to now, six wars have been fought between the military forces of the regime and the Zaydis. However, these wars have not only failed to annihilate this movement but have rather served to help it gain significant power in regards to the past years.
The role of the Shi’ahs in the political formation of Yemen
After the victory of the Islamic revolution of Iran, in many countries of the Middle East Region, the Shi’ahs were successful in playing a more significant role in the political participation and formation. Even though the Zaydi Shi’ahs had ruled Yemen for more than one thousand years, they suddenly lost all their power in 1962 due to the coup that was led by Colonel al-Salal and the coming into power of the Wahhabis. They no longer had any role in the power and politics and the new regime too, enacted laws that did not consider any post for the political participation of the Shi’ahs. This situation went on till the victory of the Islamic revolution of Iran. Nonetheless, the victory of the Islamic revolution led the Shi’ahs to begin extensive movements.
Although their movements from 1990 led to their partnership in the power of the regime, these partnerships were neither objective nor significant. The political partnership of the Shi’ahs and specifically the Zaydis of Yemen started at a time that they engaged in a direct war with the central government. There were six wars between them from 2004 – 2010 which prepared the ground for their gradual entry into the political arena of Yemen. The sixth war of the Shi’ahs led to the political equation of Yemen to an extent that the Yemen regime asked the Shi’ahs to form a political party and by this means play a significant role in the politics of the country. This is while prior to this, the Yemen regime never used to officially recognize the presence of the Shi’ahs and basically, did not give them the right to participate in the political matters.
From 2011 when the wave of the Islamic awakening in the Arab world penetrated Yemen, we have witnessed the power of the Shi’ahs in this country more than before. From this time onwards, the Shi’ahs and specifically the Zaydis in the form of Ansarullah gradually entered into the political scene. They participated in the victory of the revolution of this country in 2011. Likewise, in all the political transitions and mechanisms of Yemen which began from the time of the fall of Ali Abdullah Saleh in February 2012, the Houthis had an active role and presence as a part of the political partnership of Yemen.
The Houthis actively participated in the national dialogues of the country which took place in Yemen from March 2013 till January 2014 and likewise, in the committee of drafting the constitution of this country. They played a significant role in drafting the constitution of this country.
After Ali Abdullah Saleh, his deputy Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi became the president of Yemen. He had principle differences with the Houthi movement of Yemen and used to refer to them as a terrorist group for a long time. Nonetheless, the initiatives of the leader of the Ansarullah movement and a widespread presence of this group at the capital city raised the political status of the Ansarullah movement and the Shi’ahs in a significant manner. On 22nd December 2014 (9/10/1393) Mansur Hadi appointed Zakariya Yahya Muhammad al-Shami, one of the eminent Houthi military officials as the deputy commander of the armed forces of Yemen.
Nevertheless, with the increase in pressure towards Mansur Hadi concurrently with the endless insecurities and internal differences and after Ansarullah had captured the presidential palace and taken siege of his residence, he resigned on 20th January 2015. He escaped to Aden and from there headed to Saudi Arabia. These events took place at a time when Ansarullah accused the government of great corruption and their inability to manage the affairs of the state. (www.presstv.ir)
Therefore, it can be said that they managed to overthrow two presidents of Yemen from power (Ali Abdullah Saleh and Mansur Hadi). By this means, they were able to exert their influence in the power and politics of this country. Presently (2016), the most important movement which is active in the political scene and the cause of a widespread participation of the Shi’ahs of this country is the Shi’ah movement of Ansarullah of Yemen.
The transformation of the Ansarullah movement after the Islamic awakening
With the climaxing of the Islamic awakening in the Arab countries from 2011, Yemen also experienced a popular revolution. After the overthrowing of the dictatorial regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, the youths in Yemen were encouraged to demonstrate against the dictatorship of Ali Abdullah Saleh who had been in power for the last 33 years. The youths of Yemen who had the revolutionary pulse were not only demanding the fall of the dictatorial regime but also considered Saudi Arabia and American regimes to be partners in his actions. (Khaki Ravandi, 1391, p. 231)
Abdullah Saleh who had been the president of this country from the time of the unification of the two Yemens decided to practice difficult and harsh politics against the Shi’ah movement of al-Houthi. Even though this movement lost a great number of martyrs in the six wars that the military force of Yemen had with them, the government did not manage to suppress this Shi’ah movement. During these years, this movement invited the Yemenis and specifically the youths towards resisting the harsh and discriminatory politics of the Yemen regime.
The youths of Yemen together with the masses of people began widespread demonstrations against these politics from 2011 which is remembered as the first revolution in the history of Yemen. In these demonstrations, slogans such as ‘Oh the president of the nation! Go away together with your children,’ were chanted in the streets of Sana’a. With the removal of Hosni Mubarak from power in Egypt, the protests in Yemen also increased. Eventually, in 2012, Saudi Arabia and the United States together with the Gulf Cooperation Council devised a plan titled “The Gulf Initiative” and appointed Mansur Hadi as the president of Yemen.
Based on the plan of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdullah Saleh stepped aside and Mansur Hadi became his successor. Thus, Mansur Hadi who was the deputy president of Yemen from 1994, took the role of the president of this country from 27th, February 2012. Concurrent with these transformations, according to the plan of the Gulf Cooperation Council, there were ongoing national dialogues and in the course of these dialogues, a lot of decisions were made. The lack of commitment from Mansur Hadi’s regime in fulfilling the decisions of the national dialogues and the increment in the prices of the energy carriers and the sharp increase of corruption created a favourable ground for the Ansarullah movement in 2014 to invite the revolutionaries to fight against the regime. This was for the purpose of attaining their rights by means of demonstrating in the streets. In the meantime, in cooperation with the ruling regime, the embassies of Saudi Arabia and the United States had the most influence in preventing and thwarting the impacts of Ansarullah in the sovereignty of Yemen. (Shaykh Husayni, 1394, p. 22 – 23)
The moment Ansarullah realized that none of their revolutionary goals will be achieved, they were first and foremost forced to engage with the Ahmar movement in the Amran region. For a long time, Abdullah Ahmar was the speaker of the Yemeni parliament and together with his children, was in control of the economic and fundamental sectors of this country and was also in charge of the reformist party. They had seized the Amran region. They formed a coalition with the tribe of that region and then, later on, moved towards Sana’a which they eventually brought under their own control. (Andishehsazan Nur, 1394, p. 8) When Mansur Hadi realized that the situation was against him, he first of all resigned and then escaped to Khur Maksar region in Aden.
After retrieving his resignation in Aden, Mansur Hadi considered himself to be the only legitimate leader of this country. Consequently, he established rule there and planned to arm his supporters and his army. These steps compelled the Ansarullah movement to move towards the South in order to take control of the regions in the South. The biggest confrontation was in Aden which finally ended with the Ansarullah movement taking full control of the city together with its other areas.
By overcoming different problems, this movement managed to maintain its control over many provinces and the governmental, military and security centres despite all the internal and external wrangles. It moved step by step in its course of the revolution and by means of tact and restraint, prevented the break of an internal war. Tony Cartalucci, an American writer and a researcher of geopolitics states: “In reality, the Ansarullah movement is the only power present in Yemen that fights against the al-Qaeda terrorist group in Saudi Arabia and is even capable of forming the government.” (Andishkadeh Rahbordi-ye Tabi’in, p. 1394)
With the aim of providing information regarding its politics and strategies, the Ansarullah movement has become the owner of the television channel ‘al-Masirah’, the information base of Ansarullah, the sessions of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and tens of publications and sites which serve to increase the number of their followers on a daily basis. After the control of the Ansarullah movement over Sana’a and most parts of Yemen and by taking into consideration the relationship between the Islamic revolution of Iran and the leaders of this movement, fear was created within the Americans, Saudis and other groups that were against Iran and Shi’ah that accused Iran of aiming to increase its influence and power in the Middle East Region and forming a Shi’ah government in Yemen with the aim of shifting the balance of power to its own benefit and strengthening the axis of the resistance. Thus, this issue was met with a harsh reaction from the Saudi Arabia regime and a disparate war was imposed upon this country.
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