President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi |
Unfinished journey (69)
(Part sixty-nine, Depok, West Java, Indonesia, 15:39 pm)
Yemen as was the case in Iraq and Syria, the battle
between the government (Sunni / Salafi) with Shi'ite rebels are still in
progress, so this led Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah sent a number of troops to
defend Sana
Yemen to name new PM in potential deal with Huthis
Yemen’s president has
offered to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours under a potential deal
with Shiite rebels in return for ending their protests, sources close to the
presidency said Thursday.
A spokesman for the rebels, whose protests have raised
fears of worsening unrest in the Arabian Peninsula country, said they were
considering the offer.
“An accord was reached... late on Wednesday” to end the
country’s latest political impasse, by which “a new prime minister will be
named within 48 hours” and fuel prices will be further cut, a presidency source
told AFP.
Another presidency source said it was an “understanding
over an agreement that will be finalized by (UN envoy Jamal) Benomar,” who
arrived in the capital Sanaa early on Thursday.
GCC envoy Saleh Al-Qunayeer had also arrived in the
country “to back efforts aimed at easing tensions,” a GCC statement said.
President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi promised in an
initiative rejected by the Huthi rebels earlier this month to name a new prime
minister.
The rebels had been demanding that Hadi consult them
before naming a new prime minister. It was unclear if this has been agreed in
the overnight accord.
Under the draft deal, the rebels are to “dismantle their
protest camps and pull their armed men” from Sanaa and its surro
History of Yemen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Part of a series on the
History of Yemen
Yemen
Ancient history Islamic history Modern history Timeline
of Yemeni history
v t e
Sabaean inscription addressed to the moon-god Almaqah,
mentioning five South Arabian gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors,
7th century BCE.
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the
Near East.[1] Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister
climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient
Greek geographer Ptolemy, who described Yemen as Eudaimon Arabia (better known
in its Latin translation, Arabia Felix) meaning "fortunate Arabia" or
Happy Arabia.
The Nomadic Semites from the Yemeni desert regions (Rub'
al Khali and Sayhad) migrated to the North, settling Akkad, later penetrating
Mesopotamia,[2] eventually conquering Sumer by 2300 BCE, and assimilating the
Amorites of Syria.
Some scholars[who?] believe that Yemen remains the only
region in the world that is exclusively Semitic, meaning that Yemen
historically did not have any non–Semitic-speaking people. Yemeni Semites
derived their Musnad script by the 12th to 8th centuries BCE, which explains
why most historians date all of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms to the 12th to 8th
centuries BCE.
Between the 12th century BCE and the 6th century CE, it
was dominated by six successive civilizations which rivaled each other, or were
allied with each other and controlled the lucrative spice trade: M'ain,
Qataban, Hadhramaut, Awsan, Saba and Himyarite.[3] Islam arrived in
630[citation needed] CE, and Yemen became part of the Muslim realm.
Contents [hide]
1 Prehistory
2 Kingdoms
2.1 Kingdom of Ma'in
2.2 Kingdom of Himyar
3 Medieval history
4 Ottoman influence
5 Modern history
5.1 Mutawakkilite kingdom and southern protectorates
5.2 South and North Yemen
5.3 Unified Yemen
5.3.1 Unification
5.3.2 1994 Civil War
5.3.3 Destabilization and insurgency campaigns
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Prehistory[edit]
A Griffon from the royal palace at Shabwa, the capital
city of Hadhramaut
Main article: Ancient history of Yemen
According to Arab tradition, the Semites of South Arabia
integrated into Qahtan lineage 40 generations before the Qahtani Yemeni tribe
of Jurhum adopted Ismail and 80 generations before Adnan was born, in the 23rd
century BCE. After the fall of the Northern Semitic cultures, Qahtan revived
the Semitic influence in the North through the famous Kahlan (Azd and Lakhm)
and other Yemenite tribes migration into the North during the 3rd century CE
after the first destruction of the Marib Dam.[4] The Horn of Africa's first Semitic
nation, Dʿmt, was a Yemeni settlement.
The Qahtani Semites remained dominant in Yemen from 2300
BCE to 800 BCE, but little is known about this era because the Semites of the
South were separated by the vast Arabian desert from Mesopotamian Semites and
they lacked any type of script to record their history. However, it is known
that they actively traded along the Red Sea coasts. This led to contact with
the Phoenicians and from them, the Southern Semites adopted their writing
script in 800 BCE and began recording their history.[4]
The Tihama Semitic culture lasted from 1500-1200 BCE.
During the late 2nd millennium BCE, a cultural Semitic complex arose in the
Tihamah region of Yemen and spread to northern Ethiopia and Eritrea
(specifically the Tigray Region, central Eritrea, and coastal areas like
Adulis). The Semites of Yemen began settling the Ethiopian highlands. These
settlements would reach their climax by the 8th century BCE, eventually giving
rise to the Dʿmt and Aksum kingdoms[5]
Kingdoms[edit]
Ruins of Mahram Bilqis temple near Ma'rib
During the rule of the Sabaeans, 8th century BCE to 275
CE, trade and agriculture flourished generating much wealth and prosperity. The
Sabaean kingdom is located in what is now the Aseer region in southwestern Yemen,
and its capital, Ma'rib, is located near what is now Yemen's modern capital,
Sana'a.[6]
During Sabaean rule, Yemen was called "Arabia
Felix" by the Romans who were impressed by its wealth and prosperity. The
success of the Kingdom was based on the cultivation and trade of spices and
aromatics including frankincense and myrrh. These were exported to the
Mediterranean, India, and Abyssinia where they were greatly prized by many
cultures, using camels on routes through Arabia, and to India by sea.
During the 8th century BCE, The Sabaens established a
colony in northern Ethiopia, building the first Temple in Yeha and introducing
the alphabet to the natives [7] Agriculture in Yemen thrived during this time
due to an advanced irrigation system which consisted of large water tunnels in
mountains, and dams. The most impressive dam, known as the dam of Ma'rib was
built ca. 700 BCE, provided irrigation for about 25,000 acres (100 km2) of
land[8] and stood for over a millennium, finally collapsing in CE 570 after
centuries of neglect.
The Sabaean kingdom, with its capital at Ma'rib where the
remains of a large temple can still be seen, thrived for almost 14 centuries.
Some have argued that this kingdom was the Sheba described in the Old
Testament.
"Bronze man" found in Al Bayda' (ancient
Nashqum); 6th-5th century BCE. Louvre Museum.
Bronze lion with a rider made by the Qatabanians circa
75-50 BCE.
The first known inscriptions of the Kingdom of Hadramaut
are from the 8th century BCE. It was first referenced by an outside
civilization in an Old Sabaic inscription of Karab'il Watar from the early 7th
century BCE, in which the King of Hadramaut, Yadail, is mentioned as being one
of his allies. When the Minaeans took control of the caravan routes in the 4th
century BCE, however, Hadramaut became one of its confederates, probably
because of commercial interests. It later became independent and was invaded by
the growing kingdom of Himyar toward the end of the first century BC, but it
was able to repel the attack. Hadramaut annexed Qataban in the second half of
the 2nd century AD, reaching its greatest size. During this period, Hadramaut
was continuously at war with Himyar and Saba', and the Sabaean king Sha'irum
Awtar was even able to take its capital, Shabwa, in 225. During this period the
Kingdom of Aksum began to interfere in South Arabian affairs. King GDRT of
Aksum acted by dispatching troops under his son, BYGT, sending them from the
western coast to occupy Zafar, the Himyarite capital, as well as from the
southern coast against Hadramaut as Sabaean allies. The kingdom of Hadramaut
was eventually conquered by the Himyarite king Shammar Yuhar'ish around 300 CE,
unifying all of the South Arabian kingdoms.[9]
The ancient Kingdom of Awsan with a capital at Hagar
Yahirr in the wadi Markha to the south of the wadi Bayhan is now marked by a
tell or artificial mound, which is locally named Hagar Asfal. Once it was one
of the most important small kingdoms of South Arabia.
The city, which has its origin in 800 BC, seems to have
been destroyed in the 7th century BCE by the king and mukarrib of Saba Karib'il
Watar, according to a Sabaean text that reports the victory in terms that
attest to its significance for the Sabaeans.
Qataban, which lasted from the 4th century BCE to 200 CE,
was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms which thrived in the Baihan valley. Like
the other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of
frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars. The capital of
Qataban was named Timna and was located on the trade route which passed through
the other kingdoms of Hadramaut, Saba and Ma'in. The chief deity of the
Qatabanians was Amm, or "Uncle" and the people called themselves the
"children of Amm".
Kingdom of Ma'in[edit]
Main article: Minaean
During Minaean rule the capital was at Karna (now known
as Sadah). Their other important city was Yathill (now known as Baraqish).
Other parts of modern Yemen include Qataban and the coastal string of watering
stations known as the Hadhramaut. Though Saba' dominated in the earlier period
of South Arabian history, Minaic inscriptions are of the same time period as
the first Sabaic inscriptions. Note, however, that they pre-date the appearance
of the Minaeans themselves, and, hence, are called now more appropriately as
"Madhabic" rather than "Minaic". The Minaean Kingdom was
centered in northwestern Yemen, with most of its cities laying along the Wadi
Madhab. Minaic inscriptions have been found far afield of the Kingdom of Ma'in,
as far away as al-'Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia and even on the island of
Delos and in Egypt. It was the first of the South Arabian kingdoms to end, and
the Minaic language died around 100 CE.[10]
Kingdom of Himyar[edit]
Statue of Ammaalay, 1st century BC, Yemen
Main article: Himyar
In the 1st century BCE the Himyarites had united most of
Southwestern Arabia after the conquest of Qataban and Saba', controlling the
Red Sea as well as the coasts of the Gulf of Aden. In the early 2nd century CE
Saba' and Qataban split from the Kingdom of Ḥimyar; yet in a few decades
Qataban was conquered by Hadramawt (conquered in its turn by Ḥimyar in the 4th
century), whereas Saba' was finally conquered by Ḥimyar in the late 3rd century
CE.[11] From their capital city, the Himyarite Kings launched successful
military campaigns, and had stretched its domain at times as far east as the
Persian Gulf and as far north to the Arabian Desert.
During the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, the South Arabian
kingdoms were in continuous conflict with one another. GDRT of Aksum began to
interfere in South Arabian affairs, signing an alliance with Saba', and a
Himyarite text notes that Hadramaut and Qataban were also all allied against
the kingdom. As a result of this, the Kingdom of Aksum was able to capture the
Himyarite capital of Zafar in the first quarter of the 3rd century. However,
the alliances did not last, and Sha'ir Awtar of Saba' unexpectedly turned on
Hadramaut, allying again with Aksum and taking its capital in 225. Himyar then
allied with Saba' and invaded the newly taken Aksumite territories, retaking
Zafar, which had been under the control of GDRT's son BYGT, and pushing Aksum
back into the Tihama.[12][13]
They established their capital at Zafar (now just a small
village in the Ibb region) and gradually absorbed the Sabaean kingdom. They
traded from the port of al-Mocha on the Red Sea. Dhu Nuwas, a Himyarite king,
changed the state religion to Judaism in the beginning of the 6th century and
began to make war against the Christians and Ethiopians who took advantage of
the unrest. Dhu Nuwas killed over 22,000 Abyssinians and was not defeated until
Justinian I sent a fleet to Yemen around 525 [14] The Western coasts of Yemen
and part of Hejaz across the shores of Ethiopia became a vassal state while the
rest of the country was ruled by various tribal elites [15] in 531, an
Ethiopian commander Abraha sent to roman citizen [16] killed the Himyarite
Viceroy and declared himself "King of Saba". Kaleb sent two armies
that were defeated [16] The country entered a chaotic phase and abraha managed
to stay in power by forming alliances with tribes against other. He was
challenged with stiff resistance from the Kindah tribe [17] He was able to
defeat the kendite chief "Yazid Bin Kabshat" with the help of Banu
Hamdan and other Yemeni tribes [18] by 570, a noble Himyarite Jew managed to
partly regain the rule of his family with the help of Sassanid Persians The Persians
never ruled or annexed Yemen. A lot of modern scholars refer to the
contradicting references of tribal elites ruling large portions of the country
and believe that the accounts given by Islamic historians was meant to portray
Islam as a "liberator" of Arabs [15] As there are no archaeological
accounts for the alleged Persian rule.
Medieval history[edit]
Main articles: Islamic history of Yemen and Imams of
Yemen
The Age of the Caliphs
Islam came to Yemen around 630, during the Islamic
prophet Muhammad's lifetime. At that time the Persian governor Badhan was
ruling. Thereafter Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates, and
Yemen became a province in the Islamic empire.
It was only after the arrival of Islam that most of Yemen
began to shift to Arabic language.
Yemeni textiles, long recognized for their fine quality,
maintained their reputation and were exported for use by the Abbasid elite,
including the caliphs themselves. The products of Sana'a and Aden are
especially important in the East-West textile trade.
When the Abbasid Caliphate declined in the 9th century,
the Yemeni lands fell under various competing regimes. Part of the highland in
former North Yemen came under control of Imams of various Zaidi sect, who
established a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times.
The first Zaidi ruler was Yahya al-Hadi ila'l Haqq, who founded a line of
imams, the Rassids in 897. Although he did not create a stable state, his
Shiite successors ruled in the northern highlands for most of the period up to
the second half of the 20th century.[19]
Nevertheless, Yemen's medieval history is a tangled
chronicle of contesting local rulers. The Tihama lowland was governed by the
Ziyadid dynasty in 818-1018, first as Abbasid governors and then as independent
kings. They were succeeded by the Ethiopian Najahids in 1022-1158. Other
dynasties held sway in the southern highlands. The Fatimids of Egypt helped the
Isma'ilis maintain dominance in the 11th century through the Sulayhid dynasty,
founded and brought to peak by Ali al-Sulayhi between 1047-1063. Ali's
daughter-in-law Arwa al-Sulayhi wieled power as ruling queen in 1086-1138.
Being one of the few Muslim women rulers in the Arab world, she is praised as
virtuous and politically skilled.[20]
Turan-Shah annexed Yemen to the Ayyubid Empire of Saladin
in 1174. With this feat, almost the entire Yemen was united under one rule for
the first time since the Abbasid heyday. The Rasulid dynasty ruled Yemen, with
Zabid as its capital, from 1229 to 1454. Of all the medieval Yemini dynasties,
they were the most enduring and prosperous.[21] The sultans of this dynasty
were Sunni, as were their successors, the Tahirids. In 1517, the Mamluks of
Egypt defeated the Tahirids and annexed Yemen; but in the same year, the Mamluk
governor surrendered to the Ottomans. Turkish armies subsequently overran the
country after 1538. They were challenged by the Zaidi Imam, Qasim the Great
(r.1597–1620), and were expelled from the interior around 1629. The Ottomans
retained control of the coastal areas until 1635 when they were forced to
leave.
The descendants of Imam Qasim, the Qasimids, subsequently
ruled an extensive but highly decentralized realm that also encompassed
Hadramawt and Dhofar. Up to the 1720s Yemen was the only exporter of coffee in
the world, which gave the imams a financial basis to wield power. However, the
territory of the Qasimids began to shrink after 1681, and in 1731 they lost the
important port Aden. Although the dignity of imam was not strictly speaking hereditary
but depending on personal qualifications, the imams adopted royal trappings by
the late 17th century and were usually succeeded by their sons or close kin.
Yemen in this period has been characterized as a quasi-state with an inherent
conflict between autonomous tribal groups and the Zaidi regime based in
Sana'a.[22]
Ottoman influence[edit]
Declining coffee incomes, Wahhabite incursions after
1800, tribal uprisings, and power struggles among the Qasimid descendants,
contributed to the decline of the imamic state. After 1849 the Zaidi Imamate
collapsed entirely due to the internal divisions. Meanwhile the Ottomans moved
south along the west coast of Arabia. Forces of the Egyptian viceroy intervened
in northern Yemen in the 1830s, and in 1849 Ottoman troops secured Tihama. In
1872 they eventually took San'a' which they made the Yemeni district capital.
The Ottomans were aided by the adoption of modern weapons which they were
acquainted with since the Crimean War.
British interests in the area which would later become
South Yemen, began to grow when in 1839, British East India Company forces
captured the port of Aden, to provide a coaling station for ships en route to
India. The British designs in protecting the route to India led to their
establishing the Aden Settlement, subordinated to the Bombay Presidency,[23]
over the town of Aden and its harbor in 1839.[24][25] The colony gained much
political and strategic importance after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869
and the increased traffic on the Red Sea route to India
The Ottomans and the British eventually established a de
facto border between north and south Yemen, which was formalized in a treaty in
1904. However the interior boundaries were never clearly established. However
the presence of the Ottomans, and to a lesser extent the British, allowed the
Zaydi Imamate to rebuild against a common enemy. Guerrilla warfare and banditry
erupted into the rebellion of the Zaydi tribes in 1905.
Yemen War location |
Starting in the latter decades of the 19th century and
continuing into the 20th century, Britain signed agreements with local rulers
of traditional polities that, together, became known as the Aden Protectorate.
The area was divided into numerous sultanates, emirates, and sheikhdoms, and
was divided for administrative purposes into the East Aden Protectorate and the
West Aden Protectorate. The eastern protectorate consisted of the three
Hadhramaut states (Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla, Kathiri State of Seiyun,
Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra) with the remaining states comprising the
west.
Ottoman suzerainty was reestablished in northern Yemen in
the late 19th century but its control was largely confined to cities, and the
Zaidi imam's rule over Upper Yemen was formally recognized. Turkish forces
withdrew in 1918, and Imam Yahya Muhammad strengthened his control over
northern Yemen creating the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.
The Aden Settlement became Aden Province in 1932. Finally
in 1937 Aden was separated from British India and was transferred to the
Colonial Office as a Crown Colony, a status that it retained until 1963.[26]
Modern history[edit]
Mutawakkilite kingdom and southern protectorates[edit]
The old city of Sanaa
Main articles: Modern history of Yemen, Mutawakkilite
Kingdom of Yemen and Yemen Arab Republic
The Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen engaged in hostilities
with the House of Saud, feuding over Asir. The conflict escalated into a full
fledged war in 1934, though it did not result in any territorial changes.
Aden was ruled as part of British India until 1937, when
the city of Aden became the Colony of Aden, a crown colony in its own right.
The Aden hinterland and Hadhramaut to the east formed the remainder of what
would become South Yemen and were not administered directly by Aden but were
tied to Britain by treaties of protection. Economic development was largely
centred in Aden, and while the city flourished partly due to the discovery of
crude oil on the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, the states of the Aden
Protectorate stagnated.
Yemen became a member of the Arab League in 1945 and the
United Nations in 1947.
Imam Yahya died during an unsuccessful coup attempt in
1948 and was succeeded by his son Ahmad. Ahmad bin Yahya's reign was marked by
growing economic and political reforms, renewed friction with the United
Kingdom over the British presence in the south, and growing pressures to
support the Arab nationalist objectives of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul
Nasser. He died in September 1962.
The Aden Trade Union Congress (ATUC or TUC) was founded
during serious labour disturbances in the Aden Colony in 1956. The Secretary
General of the trade union was Abdullah Asnag, a pro-independence Arab
nationalist and admirer of Nasser who also advocated union with Yemen.
Supported by the UAR the ATUC rose in importance when the political
disturbances and the violence reached a head and political parties ceased to
function. By 1959 it was the only entity representing nationalist aspirations
in Aden and it used its leverage to boycott elections as the main grouping of
the People's Union. In November 1960 the ATUC boycotted the Aden municipal
elections.[27]
Encouraged by the rhetoric of President Nasser of Egypt
against British colonial rule in the Middle East, pressure for the British to
leave South Yemen grew. Following Nasser's creation of the United Arab
Republic, attempts to incorporate Yemen in turn threatened Aden and the
Protectorate. To counter this, the British attempted to unite the various
states under its protection and, on 11 February 1959, six of the West Aden
Protectorate states formed the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South to
which nine other states were subsequently added.
Shortly after assuming power in 1962, Ahmad's son, the
Crown Prince Muhammad al-Badr was deposed by coup forces, who took control of
Sanaa and created the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). Egypt assisted the YAR with
troops and supplies to combat forces loyal to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia and
Jordan supported Badr's royalist forces to oppose the newly formed republic
starting the North Yemen Civil War. Conflict continued periodically until 1967
when Egyptian troops were withdrawn.
Sana City |
During the 1960s, the British sought to incorporate all
of the Aden Protectorate territories into the Federation. On 18 January 1963,
the Colony of Aden was incorporated against the wishes of much of the city's
populace as the State of Aden and the Federation was renamed the Federation of
South Arabia. Several more states subsequently joined the Federation and the
remaining ones that declined to join, mainly in Hadhramaut, formed the
Protectorate of South Arabia.
In 1963 fighting between Egyptian forces and British-led
Saudi-financed guerrillas in the Yemen Arab Republic spread to South Arabia
with the formation of the National Liberation Front (NLF), who hoped to force
the British out of South Arabia. Hostilities started with a grenade attack by
the NLF against the British High Commissioner on 10 December 1963, killing one
person and injuring fifty, and a state of emergency was declared, becoming
known as the Aden Emergency.
In January 1964, the British moved into the Radfan hills
in the border region to confront Egyptian-backed guerrillas, later reinforced
by the NLF. By October they had largely been suppressed, and the NLF switched
to grenade attacks against off-duty military personnel and police officers
elsewhere in the Aden Colony.
In 1964, the new British government under Harold Wilson
announced their intention to hand over power to the Federation of South Arabia
in 1968, but that the British military would remain. In 1964, there were around
280 guerrilla attacks and over 500 in 1965. In 1966 the British Government
announced that all British forces would be withdrawn at independence. In
response, the security situation deteriorated with the creation of the
socialist Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) which started
to attack the NLF in a bid for power, as well as attacking the British.
In January 1967, there were mass riots by NLF and FLOSY
supporters in the old Arab quarter of Aden town, which continued until mid
February, despite the intervention of British troops. During the period there
were many attacks on the troops, and an Aden Airlines Douglas DC-3 plane was
destroyed in the air with no survivors. At the same time, the members of FLOSY
and the NLF were also killing each other in large numbers.
The temporary closure of the Suez Canal in 1967
effectively negated the last reason that British had kept hold of the colonies
in Yemen, and, in the face of uncontrollable violence, they began to withdraw.
On 20 June 1967, there was a mutiny in the Federation of
South Arabia Army, which also spread to the police. Order was restored by the
British, mainly due to the efforts of the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders, under the command of Lt-Col. Colin Campbell Mitchell.
Nevertheless, deadly guerrilla attacks particularly by
the NLF soon resumed against British forces once again, with the British being
defeated and driven from Aden by the end of November 1967, earlier than had
been planned by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and without an agreement on
the succeeding governance. Their enemies, the NLF, managed to seize power, with
Aden itself under NLF control. The Royal Marines, who had been the first
British troops to occupy Aden in 1839, were the last to leave. The Federation
of South Arabia collapsed and Southern Yemen became independent as the People's
Republic of South Yemen. The NLF, with the support of the army, attained total
control of the new state after defeating the FLOSY and the states of the former
Federation in a drawn out campaign of terror.[citation needed]
Most of the opposing leaders reconciled by 1968, in the
aftermath of a final royalist siege of San'a'. In 1970, Saudi Arabia recognized
the Yemen Arab Republic and a ceasefire was effected.
A radical (Marxist) wing of the NLF gained power in South
Yemen in June 1969.
South and North Yemen[edit]
The NLF changed the name of South Yemen on 1 December
1970 to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). In the PDRY, all
political parties were amalgamated into the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which
became the only legal party. The PDRY established close ties with the Soviet
Union, People's Republic of China, Cuba, and radical Palestinians.
The major communist powers assisted in the building of
the PDRYs armed forces. Strong support from Moscow resulted in Soviet naval
forces gaining access to naval facilities in South Yemen.
Unlike East and West Germany, the two Yemens remained
relatively friendly, though relations were often strained. In 1972 it was
declared unification would eventually occur.[citation needed]
However, in October 1972 fighting erupted between North
Yemen and South Yemen; North Yemen was supplied by Saudi Arabia and South Yemen
by the USSR. Fighting was short-lived and the conflict led to the October 28,
1972 Cairo Agreement, which set forth a plan to unify the two
countries.[28][29]
Fighting broke out again in February and March 1979, with
South Yemen allegedly supplying aid to rebels in the north through the National
Democratic Front and crossing the border.[30] Southern forces made it as far as
the city of Taizz before withdrawing.[31][32] This conflict was also
short-lived.[33]
The war was only stopped by an Arab League intervention.
The goal of unity was reaffirmed by the northern and southern heads of state during
a summit meeting in Kuwait in March 1979.
What the PDRY government failed to tell the YAR
government was that it wished to be the dominant power in any unification, and
left wing rebels in North Yemen began to receive extensive funding and arms
from South Yemen.
In 1980, PDRY president Abdul Fattah Ismail resigned and
went into exile. His successor, Ali Nasir Muhammad, took a less interventionist
stance toward both North Yemen and neighbouring Oman. On January 13, 1986, a
violent struggle, known as South Yemen Civil War began in Aden between Ali
Nasir's supporters and supporters of the returned Ismail, who wanted power
back. Fighting lasted for more than a month and resulted in thousands of
casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's death. Some 60,000 people, including
the deposed Ali Nasir, fled to the YAR.
Efforts toward unification proceeded from 1988. See also:
Aden, Aden Protectorate, Federation of South Arabia, Hadhramaut, and the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Although the governments of the PDRY and the YAR declared
that they approved a future union in 1972, little progress was made toward
unification, and relations were often strained.
In May 1988, the YAR and PDRY governments came to an
understanding that considerably reduced tensions including agreement to renew
discussions concerning unification, to establish a joint oil exploration area
along their undefined border, to demilitarize the border, and to allow Yemenis
unrestricted border passage on the basis of only a national identification card.
In November 1989, the leaders of the YAR (Ali Abdullah
Saleh) and the PDRY (Ali Salim al-Baidh) agreed on a draft unity constitution
originally drawn up in 1981.
Unified Yemen[edit]
Unification[edit]
Further information: Yemenite reunification
The Republic of Yemen (ROY) was declared on 22 May 1990
with Saleh becoming President and al-Baidh Vice President. For the first time
in centuries, much of Greater Yemen was politically united. A 30-month
transitional period for completing the unification of the two political and
economic systems was set. A presidential council was jointly elected by the
26-member YAR advisory council and the 17-member PDRY presidium. The
presidential council appointed a Prime Minister, who formed a Cabinet. There
was also a 301-seat provisional unified parliament, consisting of 159 members
from the north, 111 members from the south, and 31 independent members
appointed by the chairman of the council.
A unity constitution was agreed upon in May 1990 and
ratified by the populace in May 1991. It affirmed Yemen's commitment to free
elections, a multiparty political system, the right to own private property,
equality under the law, and respect of basic human rights. Parliamentary
elections were held on 27 April 1993. International groups assisted in the
organization of the elections and observed actual balloting. The resulting
Parliament included 143 GPC, 69 YSP, 63 Islaah (Yemeni grouping for reform, a
party composed of various tribal and religious groups), six Baathis, three
Nasserists, two Al Haq, and 15 independents. The head of Islaah, Paramount
Hashid Sheik Abdallah Bin Husayn Al-Ahmar, is the speaker of Parliament.
In late 1991 through early 1992, deteriorating economic
conditions led to significant domestic unrest, including several riots.
Legislative elections were nonetheless held in early 1993, and in May the two
former ruling parties, the GPC and the YSP, merged to create a single political
party with an overall majority in the new House of Representatives. In August
Vice President al Baydh exiled himself voluntarily to Aden, and the country’s
general security situation deteriorated as political rivals settled scores and
tribal elements took advantage of the widespread unrest. In January 1994,
representatives of the main political parties signed a document of pledge and
accord in Amman, Jordan, that was designed to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Despite this, clashes intensified until civil war broke out in early May 1994.
1994 Civil War[edit]
Main article: 1994 civil war in Yemen
Almost all of the actual fighting in the 1994 civil war
occurred in the southern part of the country despite air and missile attacks
against cities and major installations in the north. Southerners sought support
from neighboring states and received billions of dollars of equipment and
financial assistance, mostly from Saudi Arabia, which felt threatened by a
united Yemen. The United States strongly supported Yemeni unity, but repeatedly
called for a cease-fire and a return to the negotiating table. Various
attempts, including by a UN special envoy, were unsuccessful to effect a
cease-fire.
Southern leaders declared secession and the establishment
of the Democratic Republic of Yemen (DRY) on 21 May 1994, but the DRY was not
recognized by the international community. Ali Nasir Muhammad supporters
greatly assisted military operations against the secessionists and Aden was
captured on 7 July 1994. Other resistance quickly collapsed and thousands of
southern leaders and military went into exile. Early during the fighting,
President Ali Abdallah Salih announced a general amnesty which applied to
everyone except a list of 16 persons. Most southerners returned to Yemen after
a short exile.
An armed opposition was announced from Saudi Arabia, but
no significant incidents within Yemen materialized. The government prepared
legal cases against four southern leaders--Ali Salim al-Baidh, Haydar Abu Bakr
Al-Attas, Abd Al-Rahman Ali Al-Jifri, and Salih Munassar Al-Siyali—for
misappropriation of official funds. Others on the list of 16 were told
informally they could return to take advantage of the amnesty, but most
remained outside Yemen. Although many of Ali Nasir Muhammad's followers were
appointed to senior governmental positions (including Vice President, Chief of
Staff, and Governor of Aden), Ali Nasir Muhammad himself remained abroad in
Syria.
In the aftermath of the civil war, YSP leaders within
Yemen reorganized the party and elected a new politburo in July 1994. However,
the party remained disheartened and without its former influence. Islaah held a
party convention in September 1994. The GPC did the same in June 1995.
In 1994, amendments to the unity constitution eliminated
the presidential council. President Ali Abdallah Saleh was elected by
Parliament on 1 October 1994 to a 5-year term. The constitution provides that
henceforth the President will be elected by popular vote from at least two
candidates selected by the legislature. Yemen held its first direct
presidential elections in September 1999, electing President Ali Abdallah Salih
to a 5-year term in what were generally considered free and fair elections.
Yemen held its second multiparty parliamentary elections in April 1997.
Constitutional amendments adopted in the summer of 2000
extended the presidential term by 2 years, creating a 7-year presidential term.
The constitution provides that henceforth the president will be elected by
popular vote from at least two candidates selected by the legislature. The
amendments also extended the parliamentary term of office to a 6-year term,
with the next elections supposed to take place in 2012. On February 20, 2001, a
new constitutional amendment created a bicameral legislature consisting of a
Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of
Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote). In April 2003,
the third multiparty parliamentary elections were held with improvements in
voter registration for both men and women and in a generally free and fair
atmosphere. Two women were elected. In September 2006, citizens re-elected
President Saleh to a second term in a generally open and competitive election,
although there were multiple problems with the voting process and use of state
resources on behalf of the ruling party.
Destabilization and insurgency campaigns[edit]
Ambox current red.svg
This section is outdated. Please update this article to
reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2012)
Further information: Shia insurgency in Yemen, South
Yemen insurgency, Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown and 2011 Yemeni uprising
In the 2000s the government has been fighting numerous
rebel groups, such as the one led by Hussein al-Houthi's Zaydi movement Shabab
al-Mu'mineen, "The Young Believers". In 2009, armed insurgency also
resumed in southern Yemen, led by South Yemen Movement successors.
Protesters in Sana'a on 3 February.
The 2011 Yemeni protests followed the initial stages of
the Arab Spring and began simultaneously with the Egyptian Revolution. The
protests were initially against unemployment, economic conditions and
corruption, as well as against the government's proposals to modify the
constitution of Yemen. The protestors' demands then escalated to calls for
President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign.
The situation however quickly deteriorated into a
widescale uprising, with various insurgency campaigns consolidating into an
armed tribal struggles, both between the armed opposition and terror groups vs.
the government and among themselves. Despite the assassination attempt on
Saleh, and the eventually signed Saudi brockered agreement on Saleh's
resignation the conflict kept inflicting casualties nationwide in late
2011.[citation needed]
Salafis declare Jihad on Yemeni Shiites
In Yemen highlands, the Houthis -- Shiite group whose
stronghold is based in the northern Province of Sa’ada and which is led by
Sheikh Abdel Malek al-Houthi -- have come face to face with their sworn
enemies, the Salafis, as the latter have launched an open war on Shiite Islam
to destroy the vestige of Yemen’s oldest Islamic tradition and claim Yemen’s
rich highlands for their own.
For the past couple of weeks, the clouds of war have
darkened the skies of Dammaj, the epicenter of a religious reckoning. The
repercussions of such a conflict could tear apart the Arabian Peninsula and to
an extent the Islamic world, due to its very pernicious sectarian nature.
Following decades of latent religious hatred, the Salafis
have laid bare their plans, claiming religious supremacy over those they have
labeled “infidels.” Interestingly, the Salafis have often been slammed by Sunni
Islam, branded a sect rather than a religious school of thought or even a
movement. Born in the 1980s, the Salafis are essentially an extension, an
appendix of Wahhabism, itself an artificial religious creation which was
promoted and shaped by Imperial Britain in the 18th century as a tool to
destroy the Ottoman and Iranian Empires from within, through the eroding and
perversion of Islamic values, teachings and traditions.
In his book, “Black Terror, White Soldiers” David
Livingstone clearly articulates how Wahhabism came to be; he wrote, “It was not
legal in Islam for a Muslim to fight another Muslim. Therefore, in order to
rile the Arabs against their Turkish brethren, it was necessary to first create
a new interpretation of Islam that would sanction such murder, but under the
guise of Jihad. This new interpretation came to be known as Wahhabism, and was
founded by British agent, Muhammad Abdul Wahhab.”
Although the princes of Saudi Arabia have often claimed
otherwise, their entire belief system was created and founded with one purpose
in mind - destroy Islam and sow discord in between its two ancestral houses,
Sunni and Shia Islam - Hempher, the British agent who nurtured and encouraged
Muhammad Wahhab to spring forth a new religious dogma, an antithesis of Islam, clearly
understood that Islam had to be destroyed for the West to claim victory over
Islam’s empires.
By his own admission, Hempher exposed in his memoir what
he and his protégé, Wahhab set out to do in the name of greed and power.
Hempher wrote, “We, the English people, have to make mischief and arouse schism
in all our colonies in order that we may live in welfare and luxury. Only by
means of such instigations will we be able to demolish the Ottoman Empire.
Otherwise, how could a nation with a small population bring another nation with
a greater population under its sway? Look for the mouth of the chasm with all
your might, and get in as soon as you find it. You should know that the Ottoman
and Iranian Empires have reached the nadir of their lives.
Therefore, your first duty is to instigate the people
against the administration! History has shown that the source of all sorts of
revolutions is public rebellions. When the unity of Muslims is broken and the
common sympathy among them is impaired, their forces will be dissolved and thus
we shall easily destroy them.”
Moreover, “Encourage oppressiveness among emperors.
Encourage secularism, or the need to separate religion from state affairs.
Aggravate economic decline through sabotage. Accustom statesmen to such
indulgences as sex, sports, alcohol, gambling, and interest banking. Then, in
order to make the new generation hostile towards their rulers and scholars,
expose them for their corruption.”
Such plans have been in motion in Yemen and the world’s
over, one needs only to have eyes.
Just as the Wahhabis subdued Hijaz - now known as Saudi
Arabia - before al-Saud declared himself the guardian of the two holy mosques
as to rule over Sunni Islam, the Salafis wanted to bring under their yoke the
ancestral land of Sheba and assert their insidious claim over Islam.
The Houthis have since 1962 kept Yemen’s Imamate
tradition alive in spirit by remaining true to their religious roots. Much more
than a ruling system, the Imamate of Yemen based their legitimacy on descent
from the Prophet Muhammad.
It is important to understand that this profound desire
to honor and remember their past, has never clashed with the Houthis’ hope to
see establish democratic institutions. Very much in the same way Britain
managed to embrace democracy while in the same breath celebrating its
monarchical past, the Houthis, too, wish to embrace their past and all it stood
for as to better move forward as one social and political unit.
Unlike the Salafis who have spilled their poisonous
hatred onto Yemen, claiming their dogma to be the reflection of God’s Truth,
the Houthis have never sought to convert, oppress or dictate, only to protect.
While the Salafis have built armies behind the walls of
their religious centers, the Houthis have only worked to better their
communities and attend to their people’s needs and aspirations.
Today it is such a way of life the Salafis have declared
war on, shamelessly calling for “Jihad” against Shiite Muslims.
As noted by Daniel Greenfield from Frontpage Mag, “With
the Middle East exploding in a Muslim civil war, Jihadi Triage is becoming a
serious issue.”
In Yemen, Sheikh Abdalazim al-Huthi has declared that
Jihad against the “Houthis infidels is better than the jihad against the Jews;”
declaring that all Shiites “are the enemies of Allah and His Messenger.”
The fact that Sheikh al-Huthi felt comfortable enough,
secure enough in its alliance with the Salafis to utter such atrocious words
and make them public, should be enough proof of the true evil nature of the
Salafis movement.
Such calls for religious hatred, the clear negation of
Islam’s most sacred and inner truths -- compassion, peace, tolerance and
submission to God’s will - one can only hope will finally tear the veil of
falsehood which such so-called religious entities have pulled over the masUnfinished journey (69)
(Part sixty-nine, Depok, West Java, Indonesia, 15:39 pm)
Yemen as was the case in Iraq and Syria, the battle
between the government (Sunni / Salafi) with Shi'ite rebels are still in
progress, so this led Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah sent a number of troops to
defend Sana
Yemen to name new PM in potential deal with Huthis
Yemen’s president has
offered to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours under a potential deal
with Shiite rebels in return for ending their protests, sources close to the
presidency said Thursday.
A spokesman for the rebels, whose protests have raised
fears of worsening unrest in the Arabian Peninsula country, said they were
considering the offer.
“An accord was reached... late on Wednesday” to end the
country’s latest political impasse, by which “a new prime minister will be
named within 48 hours” and fuel prices will be further cut, a presidency source
told AFP.
Another presidency source said it was an “understanding
over an agreement that will be finalized by (UN envoy Jamal) Benomar,” who
arrived in the capital Sanaa early on Thursday.
GCC envoy Saleh Al-Qunayeer had also arrived in the
country “to back efforts aimed at easing tensions,” a GCC statement said.
President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi promised in an
initiative rejected by the Huthi rebels earlier this month to name a new prime
minister.
The rebels had been demanding that Hadi consult them
before naming a new prime minister. It was unclear if this has been agreed in
the overnight accord.
Under the draft deal, the rebels are to “dismantle their
protest camps and pull their armed men” from Sanaa and its surro
Saudu Arabian Troops whose send to support Sana |
History of Yemen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Part of a series on the
History of Yemen
Yemen
Ancient history Islamic history Modern history Timeline
of Yemeni history
v t e
Sabaean inscription addressed to the moon-god Almaqah,
mentioning five South Arabian gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors,
7th century BCE.
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the
Near East.[1] Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister
climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient
Greek geographer Ptolemy, who described Yemen as Eudaimon Arabia (better known
in its Latin translation, Arabia Felix) meaning "fortunate Arabia" or
Happy Arabia.
The Nomadic Semites from the Yemeni desert regions (Rub'
al Khali and Sayhad) migrated to the North, settling Akkad, later penetrating
Mesopotamia,[2] eventually conquering Sumer by 2300 BCE, and assimilating the
Amorites of Syria.
Some scholars[who?] believe that Yemen remains the only
region in the world that is exclusively Semitic, meaning that Yemen
historically did not have any non–Semitic-speaking people. Yemeni Semites
derived their Musnad script by the 12th to 8th centuries BCE, which explains
why most historians date all of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms to the 12th to 8th
centuries BCE.
Between the 12th century BCE and the 6th century CE, it
was dominated by six successive civilizations which rivaled each other, or were
allied with each other and controlled the lucrative spice trade: M'ain,
Qataban, Hadhramaut, Awsan, Saba and Himyarite.[3] Islam arrived in
630[citation needed] CE, and Yemen became part of the Muslim realm.
Contents [hide]
1 Prehistory
2 Kingdoms
2.1 Kingdom of Ma'in
2.2 Kingdom of Himyar
3 Medieval history
4 Ottoman influence
5 Modern history
5.1 Mutawakkilite kingdom and southern protectorates
5.2 South and North Yemen
5.3 Unified Yemen
5.3.1 Unification
5.3.2 1994 Civil War
5.3.3 Destabilization and insurgency campaigns
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Prehistory[edit]
A Griffon from the royal palace at Shabwa, the capital
city of Hadhramaut
Main article: Ancient history of Yemen
According to Arab tradition, the Semites of South Arabia
integrated into Qahtan lineage 40 generations before the Qahtani Yemeni tribe
of Jurhum adopted Ismail and 80 generations before Adnan was born, in the 23rd
century BCE. After the fall of the Northern Semitic cultures, Qahtan revived
the Semitic influence in the North through the famous Kahlan (Azd and Lakhm)
and other Yemenite tribes migration into the North during the 3rd century CE
after the first destruction of the Marib Dam.[4] The Horn of Africa's first Semitic
nation, Dʿmt, was a Yemeni settlement.
The Qahtani Semites remained dominant in Yemen from 2300
BCE to 800 BCE, but little is known about this era because the Semites of the
South were separated by the vast Arabian desert from Mesopotamian Semites and
they lacked any type of script to record their history. However, it is known
that they actively traded along the Red Sea coasts. This led to contact with
the Phoenicians and from them, the Southern Semites adopted their writing
script in 800 BCE and began recording their history.[4]
The Tihama Semitic culture lasted from 1500-1200 BCE.
During the late 2nd millennium BCE, a cultural Semitic complex arose in the
Tihamah region of Yemen and spread to northern Ethiopia and Eritrea
(specifically the Tigray Region, central Eritrea, and coastal areas like
Adulis). The Semites of Yemen began settling the Ethiopian highlands. These
settlements would reach their climax by the 8th century BCE, eventually giving
rise to the Dʿmt and Aksum kingdoms[5]
Kingdoms[edit]
Ruins of Mahram Bilqis temple near Ma'rib
During the rule of the Sabaeans, 8th century BCE to 275
CE, trade and agriculture flourished generating much wealth and prosperity. The
Sabaean kingdom is located in what is now the Aseer region in southwestern Yemen,
and its capital, Ma'rib, is located near what is now Yemen's modern capital,
Sana'a.[6]
During Sabaean rule, Yemen was called "Arabia
Felix" by the Romans who were impressed by its wealth and prosperity. The
success of the Kingdom was based on the cultivation and trade of spices and
aromatics including frankincense and myrrh. These were exported to the
Mediterranean, India, and Abyssinia where they were greatly prized by many
cultures, using camels on routes through Arabia, and to India by sea.
During the 8th century BCE, The Sabaens established a
colony in northern Ethiopia, building the first Temple in Yeha and introducing
the alphabet to the natives [7] Agriculture in Yemen thrived during this time
due to an advanced irrigation system which consisted of large water tunnels in
mountains, and dams. The most impressive dam, known as the dam of Ma'rib was
built ca. 700 BCE, provided irrigation for about 25,000 acres (100 km2) of
land[8] and stood for over a millennium, finally collapsing in CE 570 after
centuries of neglect.
The Sabaean kingdom, with its capital at Ma'rib where the
remains of a large temple can still be seen, thrived for almost 14 centuries.
Some have argued that this kingdom was the Sheba described in the Old
Testament.
"Bronze man" found in Al Bayda' (ancient
Nashqum); 6th-5th century BCE. Louvre Museum.
Bronze lion with a rider made by the Qatabanians circa
75-50 BCE.
The first known inscriptions of the Kingdom of Hadramaut
are from the 8th century BCE. It was first referenced by an outside
civilization in an Old Sabaic inscription of Karab'il Watar from the early 7th
century BCE, in which the King of Hadramaut, Yadail, is mentioned as being one
of his allies. When the Minaeans took control of the caravan routes in the 4th
century BCE, however, Hadramaut became one of its confederates, probably
because of commercial interests. It later became independent and was invaded by
the growing kingdom of Himyar toward the end of the first century BC, but it
was able to repel the attack. Hadramaut annexed Qataban in the second half of
the 2nd century AD, reaching its greatest size. During this period, Hadramaut
was continuously at war with Himyar and Saba', and the Sabaean king Sha'irum
Awtar was even able to take its capital, Shabwa, in 225. During this period the
Kingdom of Aksum began to interfere in South Arabian affairs. King GDRT of
Aksum acted by dispatching troops under his son, BYGT, sending them from the
western coast to occupy Zafar, the Himyarite capital, as well as from the
southern coast against Hadramaut as Sabaean allies. The kingdom of Hadramaut
was eventually conquered by the Himyarite king Shammar Yuhar'ish around 300 CE,
unifying all of the South Arabian kingdoms.[9]
The ancient Kingdom of Awsan with a capital at Hagar
Yahirr in the wadi Markha to the south of the wadi Bayhan is now marked by a
tell or artificial mound, which is locally named Hagar Asfal. Once it was one
of the most important small kingdoms of South Arabia.
The city, which has its origin in 800 BC, seems to have
been destroyed in the 7th century BCE by the king and mukarrib of Saba Karib'il
Watar, according to a Sabaean text that reports the victory in terms that
attest to its significance for the Sabaeans.
Qataban, which lasted from the 4th century BCE to 200 CE,
was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms which thrived in the Baihan valley. Like
the other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of
frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars. The capital of
Qataban was named Timna and was located on the trade route which passed through
the other kingdoms of Hadramaut, Saba and Ma'in. The chief deity of the
Qatabanians was Amm, or "Uncle" and the people called themselves the
"children of Amm".
Kingdom of Ma'in[edit]
Main article: Minaean
During Minaean rule the capital was at Karna (now known
as Sadah). Their other important city was Yathill (now known as Baraqish).
Other parts of modern Yemen include Qataban and the coastal string of watering
stations known as the Hadhramaut. Though Saba' dominated in the earlier period
of South Arabian history, Minaic inscriptions are of the same time period as
the first Sabaic inscriptions. Note, however, that they pre-date the appearance
of the Minaeans themselves, and, hence, are called now more appropriately as
"Madhabic" rather than "Minaic". The Minaean Kingdom was
centered in northwestern Yemen, with most of its cities laying along the Wadi
Madhab. Minaic inscriptions have been found far afield of the Kingdom of Ma'in,
as far away as al-'Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia and even on the island of
Delos and in Egypt. It was the first of the South Arabian kingdoms to end, and
the Minaic language died around 100 CE.[10]
Kingdom of Himyar[edit]
Statue of Ammaalay, 1st century BC, Yemen
Main article: Himyar
In the 1st century BCE the Himyarites had united most of
Southwestern Arabia after the conquest of Qataban and Saba', controlling the
Red Sea as well as the coasts of the Gulf of Aden. In the early 2nd century CE
Saba' and Qataban split from the Kingdom of Ḥimyar; yet in a few decades
Qataban was conquered by Hadramawt (conquered in its turn by Ḥimyar in the 4th
century), whereas Saba' was finally conquered by Ḥimyar in the late 3rd century
CE.[11] From their capital city, the Himyarite Kings launched successful
military campaigns, and had stretched its domain at times as far east as the
Persian Gulf and as far north to the Arabian Desert.
During the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, the South Arabian
kingdoms were in continuous conflict with one another. GDRT of Aksum began to
interfere in South Arabian affairs, signing an alliance with Saba', and a
Himyarite text notes that Hadramaut and Qataban were also all allied against
the kingdom. As a result of this, the Kingdom of Aksum was able to capture the
Himyarite capital of Zafar in the first quarter of the 3rd century. However,
the alliances did not last, and Sha'ir Awtar of Saba' unexpectedly turned on
Hadramaut, allying again with Aksum and taking its capital in 225. Himyar then
allied with Saba' and invaded the newly taken Aksumite territories, retaking
Zafar, which had been under the control of GDRT's son BYGT, and pushing Aksum
back into the Tihama.[12][13]
They established their capital at Zafar (now just a small
village in the Ibb region) and gradually absorbed the Sabaean kingdom. They
traded from the port of al-Mocha on the Red Sea. Dhu Nuwas, a Himyarite king,
changed the state religion to Judaism in the beginning of the 6th century and
began to make war against the Christians and Ethiopians who took advantage of
the unrest. Dhu Nuwas killed over 22,000 Abyssinians and was not defeated until
Justinian I sent a fleet to Yemen around 525 [14] The Western coasts of Yemen
and part of Hejaz across the shores of Ethiopia became a vassal state while the
rest of the country was ruled by various tribal elites [15] in 531, an
Ethiopian commander Abraha sent to roman citizen [16] killed the Himyarite
Viceroy and declared himself "King of Saba". Kaleb sent two armies
that were defeated [16] The country entered a chaotic phase and abraha managed
to stay in power by forming alliances with tribes against other. He was
challenged with stiff resistance from the Kindah tribe [17] He was able to
defeat the kendite chief "Yazid Bin Kabshat" with the help of Banu
Hamdan and other Yemeni tribes [18] by 570, a noble Himyarite Jew managed to
partly regain the rule of his family with the help of Sassanid Persians The Persians
never ruled or annexed Yemen. A lot of modern scholars refer to the
contradicting references of tribal elites ruling large portions of the country
and believe that the accounts given by Islamic historians was meant to portray
Islam as a "liberator" of Arabs [15] As there are no archaeological
accounts for the alleged Persian rule.
Medieval history[edit]
Main articles: Islamic history of Yemen and Imams of
Yemen
The Age of the Caliphs
Islam came to Yemen around 630, during the Islamic
prophet Muhammad's lifetime. At that time the Persian governor Badhan was
ruling. Thereafter Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates, and
Yemen became a province in the Islamic empire.
It was only after the arrival of Islam that most of Yemen
began to shift to Arabic language.
Yemeni textiles, long recognized for their fine quality,
maintained their reputation and were exported for use by the Abbasid elite,
including the caliphs themselves. The products of Sana'a and Aden are
especially important in the East-West textile trade.
When the Abbasid Caliphate declined in the 9th century,
the Yemeni lands fell under various competing regimes. Part of the highland in
former North Yemen came under control of Imams of various Zaidi sect, who
established a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times.
The first Zaidi ruler was Yahya al-Hadi ila'l Haqq, who founded a line of
imams, the Rassids in 897. Although he did not create a stable state, his
Shiite successors ruled in the northern highlands for most of the period up to
the second half of the 20th century.[19]
Nevertheless, Yemen's medieval history is a tangled
chronicle of contesting local rulers. The Tihama lowland was governed by the
Ziyadid dynasty in 818-1018, first as Abbasid governors and then as independent
kings. They were succeeded by the Ethiopian Najahids in 1022-1158. Other
dynasties held sway in the southern highlands. The Fatimids of Egypt helped the
Isma'ilis maintain dominance in the 11th century through the Sulayhid dynasty,
founded and brought to peak by Ali al-Sulayhi between 1047-1063. Ali's
daughter-in-law Arwa al-Sulayhi wieled power as ruling queen in 1086-1138.
Being one of the few Muslim women rulers in the Arab world, she is praised as
virtuous and politically skilled.[20]
Turan-Shah annexed Yemen to the Ayyubid Empire of Saladin
in 1174. With this feat, almost the entire Yemen was united under one rule for
the first time since the Abbasid heyday. The Rasulid dynasty ruled Yemen, with
Zabid as its capital, from 1229 to 1454. Of all the medieval Yemini dynasties,
they were the most enduring and prosperous.[21] The sultans of this dynasty
were Sunni, as were their successors, the Tahirids. In 1517, the Mamluks of
Egypt defeated the Tahirids and annexed Yemen; but in the same year, the Mamluk
governor surrendered to the Ottomans. Turkish armies subsequently overran the
country after 1538. They were challenged by the Zaidi Imam, Qasim the Great
(r.1597–1620), and were expelled from the interior around 1629. The Ottomans
retained control of the coastal areas until 1635 when they were forced to
leave.
The descendants of Imam Qasim, the Qasimids, subsequently
ruled an extensive but highly decentralized realm that also encompassed
Hadramawt and Dhofar. Up to the 1720s Yemen was the only exporter of coffee in
the world, which gave the imams a financial basis to wield power. However, the
territory of the Qasimids began to shrink after 1681, and in 1731 they lost the
important port Aden. Although the dignity of imam was not strictly speaking hereditary
but depending on personal qualifications, the imams adopted royal trappings by
the late 17th century and were usually succeeded by their sons or close kin.
Yemen in this period has been characterized as a quasi-state with an inherent
conflict between autonomous tribal groups and the Zaidi regime based in
Sana'a.[22]
Ottoman influence[edit]
Declining coffee incomes, Wahhabite incursions after
1800, tribal uprisings, and power struggles among the Qasimid descendants,
contributed to the decline of the imamic state. After 1849 the Zaidi Imamate
collapsed entirely due to the internal divisions. Meanwhile the Ottomans moved
south along the west coast of Arabia. Forces of the Egyptian viceroy intervened
in northern Yemen in the 1830s, and in 1849 Ottoman troops secured Tihama. In
1872 they eventually took San'a' which they made the Yemeni district capital.
The Ottomans were aided by the adoption of modern weapons which they were
acquainted with since the Crimean War.
British interests in the area which would later become
South Yemen, began to grow when in 1839, British East India Company forces
captured the port of Aden, to provide a coaling station for ships en route to
India. The British designs in protecting the route to India led to their
establishing the Aden Settlement, subordinated to the Bombay Presidency,[23]
over the town of Aden and its harbor in 1839.[24][25] The colony gained much
political and strategic importance after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869
and the increased traffic on the Red Sea route to India
The Ottomans and the British eventually established a de
facto border between north and south Yemen, which was formalized in a treaty in
1904. However the interior boundaries were never clearly established. However
the presence of the Ottomans, and to a lesser extent the British, allowed the
Zaydi Imamate to rebuild against a common enemy. Guerrilla warfare and banditry
erupted into the rebellion of the Zaydi tribes in 1905.
Starting in the latter decades of the 19th century and
continuing into the 20th century, Britain signed agreements with local rulers
of traditional polities that, together, became known as the Aden Protectorate.
The area was divided into numerous sultanates, emirates, and sheikhdoms, and
was divided for administrative purposes into the East Aden Protectorate and the
West Aden Protectorate. The eastern protectorate consisted of the three
Hadhramaut states (Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla, Kathiri State of Seiyun,
Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra) with the remaining states comprising the
west.
Ottoman suzerainty was reestablished in northern Yemen in
the late 19th century but its control was largely confined to cities, and the
Zaidi imam's rule over Upper Yemen was formally recognized. Turkish forces
withdrew in 1918, and Imam Yahya Muhammad strengthened his control over
northern Yemen creating the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.
The Aden Settlement became Aden Province in 1932. Finally
in 1937 Aden was separated from British India and was transferred to the
Colonial Office as a Crown Colony, a status that it retained until 1963.[26]
Modern history[edit]
Mutawakkilite kingdom and southern protectorates[edit]
The old city of Sanaa
Main articles: Modern history of Yemen, Mutawakkilite
Kingdom of Yemen and Yemen Arab Republic
The Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen engaged in hostilities
with the House of Saud, feuding over Asir. The conflict escalated into a full
fledged war in 1934, though it did not result in any territorial changes.
Aden was ruled as part of British India until 1937, when
the city of Aden became the Colony of Aden, a crown colony in its own right.
The Aden hinterland and Hadhramaut to the east formed the remainder of what
would become South Yemen and were not administered directly by Aden but were
tied to Britain by treaties of protection. Economic development was largely
centred in Aden, and while the city flourished partly due to the discovery of
crude oil on the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, the states of the Aden
Protectorate stagnated.
Yemen became a member of the Arab League in 1945 and the
United Nations in 1947.
Imam Yahya died during an unsuccessful coup attempt in
1948 and was succeeded by his son Ahmad. Ahmad bin Yahya's reign was marked by
growing economic and political reforms, renewed friction with the United
Kingdom over the British presence in the south, and growing pressures to
support the Arab nationalist objectives of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul
Nasser. He died in September 1962.
The Aden Trade Union Congress (ATUC or TUC) was founded
during serious labour disturbances in the Aden Colony in 1956. The Secretary
General of the trade union was Abdullah Asnag, a pro-independence Arab
nationalist and admirer of Nasser who also advocated union with Yemen.
Supported by the UAR the ATUC rose in importance when the political
disturbances and the violence reached a head and political parties ceased to
function. By 1959 it was the only entity representing nationalist aspirations
in Aden and it used its leverage to boycott elections as the main grouping of
the People's Union. In November 1960 the ATUC boycotted the Aden municipal
elections.[27]
Yemen Houthis troops |
Encouraged by the rhetoric of President Nasser of Egypt
against British colonial rule in the Middle East, pressure for the British to
leave South Yemen grew. Following Nasser's creation of the United Arab
Republic, attempts to incorporate Yemen in turn threatened Aden and the
Protectorate. To counter this, the British attempted to unite the various
states under its protection and, on 11 February 1959, six of the West Aden
Protectorate states formed the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South to
which nine other states were subsequently added.
Shortly after assuming power in 1962, Ahmad's son, the
Crown Prince Muhammad al-Badr was deposed by coup forces, who took control of
Sanaa and created the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). Egypt assisted the YAR with
troops and supplies to combat forces loyal to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia and
Jordan supported Badr's royalist forces to oppose the newly formed republic
starting the North Yemen Civil War. Conflict continued periodically until 1967
when Egyptian troops were withdrawn.
During the 1960s, the British sought to incorporate all
of the Aden Protectorate territories into the Federation. On 18 January 1963,
the Colony of Aden was incorporated against the wishes of much of the city's
populace as the State of Aden and the Federation was renamed the Federation of
South Arabia. Several more states subsequently joined the Federation and the
remaining ones that declined to join, mainly in Hadhramaut, formed the
Protectorate of South Arabia.
In 1963 fighting between Egyptian forces and British-led
Saudi-financed guerrillas in the Yemen Arab Republic spread to South Arabia
with the formation of the National Liberation Front (NLF), who hoped to force
the British out of South Arabia. Hostilities started with a grenade attack by
the NLF against the British High Commissioner on 10 December 1963, killing one
person and injuring fifty, and a state of emergency was declared, becoming
known as the Aden Emergency.
In January 1964, the British moved into the Radfan hills
in the border region to confront Egyptian-backed guerrillas, later reinforced
by the NLF. By October they had largely been suppressed, and the NLF switched
to grenade attacks against off-duty military personnel and police officers
elsewhere in the Aden Colony.
In 1964, the new British government under Harold Wilson
announced their intention to hand over power to the Federation of South Arabia
in 1968, but that the British military would remain. In 1964, there were around
280 guerrilla attacks and over 500 in 1965. In 1966 the British Government
announced that all British forces would be withdrawn at independence. In
response, the security situation deteriorated with the creation of the
socialist Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) which started
to attack the NLF in a bid for power, as well as attacking the British.
In January 1967, there were mass riots by NLF and FLOSY
supporters in the old Arab quarter of Aden town, which continued until mid
February, despite the intervention of British troops. During the period there
were many attacks on the troops, and an Aden Airlines Douglas DC-3 plane was
destroyed in the air with no survivors. At the same time, the members of FLOSY
and the NLF were also killing each other in large numbers.
The temporary closure of the Suez Canal in 1967
effectively negated the last reason that British had kept hold of the colonies
in Yemen, and, in the face of uncontrollable violence, they began to withdraw.
On 20 June 1967, there was a mutiny in the Federation of
South Arabia Army, which also spread to the police. Order was restored by the
British, mainly due to the efforts of the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders, under the command of Lt-Col. Colin Campbell Mitchell.
Nevertheless, deadly guerrilla attacks particularly by
the NLF soon resumed against British forces once again, with the British being
defeated and driven from Aden by the end of November 1967, earlier than had
been planned by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and without an agreement on
the succeeding governance. Their enemies, the NLF, managed to seize power, with
Aden itself under NLF control. The Royal Marines, who had been the first
British troops to occupy Aden in 1839, were the last to leave. The Federation
of South Arabia collapsed and Southern Yemen became independent as the People's
Republic of South Yemen. The NLF, with the support of the army, attained total
control of the new state after defeating the FLOSY and the states of the former
Federation in a drawn out campaign of terror.[citation needed]
Most of the opposing leaders reconciled by 1968, in the
aftermath of a final royalist siege of San'a'. In 1970, Saudi Arabia recognized
the Yemen Arab Republic and a ceasefire was effected.
A radical (Marxist) wing of the NLF gained power in South
Yemen in June 1969.
South and North Yemen[edit]
The NLF changed the name of South Yemen on 1 December
1970 to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). In the PDRY, all
political parties were amalgamated into the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which
became the only legal party. The PDRY established close ties with the Soviet
Union, People's Republic of China, Cuba, and radical Palestinians.
The major communist powers assisted in the building of
the PDRYs armed forces. Strong support from Moscow resulted in Soviet naval
forces gaining access to naval facilities in South Yemen.
Unlike East and West Germany, the two Yemens remained
relatively friendly, though relations were often strained. In 1972 it was
declared unification would eventually occur.[citation needed]
However, in October 1972 fighting erupted between North
Yemen and South Yemen; North Yemen was supplied by Saudi Arabia and South Yemen
by the USSR. Fighting was short-lived and the conflict led to the October 28,
1972 Cairo Agreement, which set forth a plan to unify the two
countries.[28][29]
Fighting broke out again in February and March 1979, with
South Yemen allegedly supplying aid to rebels in the north through the National
Democratic Front and crossing the border.[30] Southern forces made it as far as
the city of Taizz before withdrawing.[31][32] This conflict was also
short-lived.[33]
The war was only stopped by an Arab League intervention.
The goal of unity was reaffirmed by the northern and southern heads of state during
a summit meeting in Kuwait in March 1979.
What the PDRY government failed to tell the YAR
government was that it wished to be the dominant power in any unification, and
left wing rebels in North Yemen began to receive extensive funding and arms
from South Yemen.
In 1980, PDRY president Abdul Fattah Ismail resigned and
went into exile. His successor, Ali Nasir Muhammad, took a less interventionist
stance toward both North Yemen and neighbouring Oman. On January 13, 1986, a
violent struggle, known as South Yemen Civil War began in Aden between Ali
Nasir's supporters and supporters of the returned Ismail, who wanted power
back. Fighting lasted for more than a month and resulted in thousands of
casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's death. Some 60,000 people, including
the deposed Ali Nasir, fled to the YAR.
Efforts toward unification proceeded from 1988. See also:
Aden, Aden Protectorate, Federation of South Arabia, Hadhramaut, and the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Although the governments of the PDRY and the YAR declared
that they approved a future union in 1972, little progress was made toward
unification, and relations were often strained.
In May 1988, the YAR and PDRY governments came to an
understanding that considerably reduced tensions including agreement to renew
discussions concerning unification, to establish a joint oil exploration area
along their undefined border, to demilitarize the border, and to allow Yemenis
unrestricted border passage on the basis of only a national identification card.
In November 1989, the leaders of the YAR (Ali Abdullah
Saleh) and the PDRY (Ali Salim al-Baidh) agreed on a draft unity constitution
originally drawn up in 1981.
Unified Yemen[edit]
Unification[edit]
Further information: Yemenite reunification
The Republic of Yemen (ROY) was declared on 22 May 1990
with Saleh becoming President and al-Baidh Vice President. For the first time
in centuries, much of Greater Yemen was politically united. A 30-month
transitional period for completing the unification of the two political and
economic systems was set. A presidential council was jointly elected by the
26-member YAR advisory council and the 17-member PDRY presidium. The
presidential council appointed a Prime Minister, who formed a Cabinet. There
was also a 301-seat provisional unified parliament, consisting of 159 members
from the north, 111 members from the south, and 31 independent members
appointed by the chairman of the council.
A unity constitution was agreed upon in May 1990 and
ratified by the populace in May 1991. It affirmed Yemen's commitment to free
elections, a multiparty political system, the right to own private property,
equality under the law, and respect of basic human rights. Parliamentary
elections were held on 27 April 1993. International groups assisted in the
organization of the elections and observed actual balloting. The resulting
Parliament included 143 GPC, 69 YSP, 63 Islaah (Yemeni grouping for reform, a
party composed of various tribal and religious groups), six Baathis, three
Nasserists, two Al Haq, and 15 independents. The head of Islaah, Paramount
Hashid Sheik Abdallah Bin Husayn Al-Ahmar, is the speaker of Parliament.
In late 1991 through early 1992, deteriorating economic
conditions led to significant domestic unrest, including several riots.
Legislative elections were nonetheless held in early 1993, and in May the two
former ruling parties, the GPC and the YSP, merged to create a single political
party with an overall majority in the new House of Representatives. In August
Vice President al Baydh exiled himself voluntarily to Aden, and the country’s
general security situation deteriorated as political rivals settled scores and
tribal elements took advantage of the widespread unrest. In January 1994,
representatives of the main political parties signed a document of pledge and
accord in Amman, Jordan, that was designed to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Despite this, clashes intensified until civil war broke out in early May 1994.
1994 Civil War[edit]
Main article: 1994 civil war in Yemen
Almost all of the actual fighting in the 1994 civil war
occurred in the southern part of the country despite air and missile attacks
against cities and major installations in the north. Southerners sought support
from neighboring states and received billions of dollars of equipment and
financial assistance, mostly from Saudi Arabia, which felt threatened by a
united Yemen. The United States strongly supported Yemeni unity, but repeatedly
called for a cease-fire and a return to the negotiating table. Various
attempts, including by a UN special envoy, were unsuccessful to effect a
cease-fire.
Southern leaders declared secession and the establishment
of the Democratic Republic of Yemen (DRY) on 21 May 1994, but the DRY was not
recognized by the international community. Ali Nasir Muhammad supporters
greatly assisted military operations against the secessionists and Aden was
captured on 7 July 1994. Other resistance quickly collapsed and thousands of
southern leaders and military went into exile. Early during the fighting,
President Ali Abdallah Salih announced a general amnesty which applied to
everyone except a list of 16 persons. Most southerners returned to Yemen after
a short exile.
An armed opposition was announced from Saudi Arabia, but
no significant incidents within Yemen materialized. The government prepared
legal cases against four southern leaders--Ali Salim al-Baidh, Haydar Abu Bakr
Al-Attas, Abd Al-Rahman Ali Al-Jifri, and Salih Munassar Al-Siyali—for
misappropriation of official funds. Others on the list of 16 were told
informally they could return to take advantage of the amnesty, but most
remained outside Yemen. Although many of Ali Nasir Muhammad's followers were
appointed to senior governmental positions (including Vice President, Chief of
Staff, and Governor of Aden), Ali Nasir Muhammad himself remained abroad in
Syria.
In the aftermath of the civil war, YSP leaders within
Yemen reorganized the party and elected a new politburo in July 1994. However,
the party remained disheartened and without its former influence. Islaah held a
party convention in September 1994. The GPC did the same in June 1995.
In 1994, amendments to the unity constitution eliminated
the presidential council. President Ali Abdallah Saleh was elected by
Parliament on 1 October 1994 to a 5-year term. The constitution provides that
henceforth the President will be elected by popular vote from at least two
candidates selected by the legislature. Yemen held its first direct
presidential elections in September 1999, electing President Ali Abdallah Salih
to a 5-year term in what were generally considered free and fair elections.
Yemen held its second multiparty parliamentary elections in April 1997.
Constitutional amendments adopted in the summer of 2000
extended the presidential term by 2 years, creating a 7-year presidential term.
The constitution provides that henceforth the president will be elected by
popular vote from at least two candidates selected by the legislature. The
amendments also extended the parliamentary term of office to a 6-year term,
with the next elections supposed to take place in 2012. On February 20, 2001, a
new constitutional amendment created a bicameral legislature consisting of a
Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of
Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote). In April 2003,
the third multiparty parliamentary elections were held with improvements in
voter registration for both men and women and in a generally free and fair
atmosphere. Two women were elected. In September 2006, citizens re-elected
President Saleh to a second term in a generally open and competitive election,
although there were multiple problems with the voting process and use of state
resources on behalf of the ruling party.
Destabilization and insurgency campaigns[edit]
Ambox current red.svg
This section is outdated. Please update this article to
reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2012)
Further information: Shia insurgency in Yemen, South
Yemen insurgency, Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown and 2011 Yemeni uprising
In the 2000s the government has been fighting numerous
rebel groups, such as the one led by Hussein al-Houthi's Zaydi movement Shabab
al-Mu'mineen, "The Young Believers". In 2009, armed insurgency also
resumed in southern Yemen, led by South Yemen Movement successors.
Protesters in Sana'a on 3 February.
The 2011 Yemeni protests followed the initial stages of
the Arab Spring and began simultaneously with the Egyptian Revolution. The
protests were initially against unemployment, economic conditions and
corruption, as well as against the government's proposals to modify the
constitution of Yemen. The protestors' demands then escalated to calls for
President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign.
The situation however quickly deteriorated into a
widescale uprising, with various insurgency campaigns consolidating into an
armed tribal struggles, both between the armed opposition and terror groups vs.
the government and among themselves. Despite the assassination attempt on
Saleh, and the eventually signed Saudi brockered agreement on Saleh's
resignation the conflict kept inflicting casualties nationwide in late
2011.[citation needed]
Salafis declare Jihad on Yemeni Shiites
In Yemen highlands, the Houthis -- Shiite group whose
stronghold is based in the northern Province of Sa’ada and which is led by
Sheikh Abdel Malek al-Houthi -- have come face to face with their sworn
enemies, the Salafis, as the latter have launched an open war on Shiite Islam
to destroy the vestige of Yemen’s oldest Islamic tradition and claim Yemen’s
rich highlands for their own.
For the past couple of weeks, the clouds of war have
darkened the skies of Dammaj, the epicenter of a religious reckoning. The
repercussions of such a conflict could tear apart the Arabian Peninsula and to
an extent the Islamic world, due to its very pernicious sectarian nature.
Following decades of latent religious hatred, the Salafis
have laid bare their plans, claiming religious supremacy over those they have
labeled “infidels.” Interestingly, the Salafis have often been slammed by Sunni
Islam, branded a sect rather than a religious school of thought or even a
movement. Born in the 1980s, the Salafis are essentially an extension, an
appendix of Wahhabism, itself an artificial religious creation which was
promoted and shaped by Imperial Britain in the 18th century as a tool to
destroy the Ottoman and Iranian Empires from within, through the eroding and
perversion of Islamic values, teachings and traditions.
In his book, “Black Terror, White Soldiers” David
Livingstone clearly articulates how Wahhabism came to be; he wrote, “It was not
legal in Islam for a Muslim to fight another Muslim. Therefore, in order to
rile the Arabs against their Turkish brethren, it was necessary to first create
a new interpretation of Islam that would sanction such murder, but under the
guise of Jihad. This new interpretation came to be known as Wahhabism, and was
founded by British agent, Muhammad Abdul Wahhab.”
Although the princes of Saudi Arabia have often claimed
otherwise, their entire belief system was created and founded with one purpose
in mind - destroy Islam and sow discord in between its two ancestral houses,
Sunni and Shia Islam - Hempher, the British agent who nurtured and encouraged
Muhammad Wahhab to spring forth a new religious dogma, an antithesis of Islam, clearly
understood that Islam had to be destroyed for the West to claim victory over
Islam’s empires.
By his own admission, Hempher exposed in his memoir what
he and his protégé, Wahhab set out to do in the name of greed and power.
Hempher wrote, “We, the English people, have to make mischief and arouse schism
in all our colonies in order that we may live in welfare and luxury. Only by
means of such instigations will we be able to demolish the Ottoman Empire.
Otherwise, how could a nation with a small population bring another nation with
a greater population under its sway? Look for the mouth of the chasm with all
your might, and get in as soon as you find it. You should know that the Ottoman
and Iranian Empires have reached the nadir of their lives.
Therefore, your first duty is to instigate the people
against the administration! History has shown that the source of all sorts of
revolutions is public rebellions. When the unity of Muslims is broken and the
common sympathy among them is impaired, their forces will be dissolved and thus
we shall easily destroy them.”
Moreover, “Encourage oppressiveness among emperors.
Encourage secularism, or the need to separate religion from state affairs.
Aggravate economic decline through sabotage. Accustom statesmen to such
indulgences as sex, sports, alcohol, gambling, and interest banking. Then, in
order to make the new generation hostile towards their rulers and scholars,
expose them for their corruption.”
Such plans have been in motion in Yemen and the world’s
over, one needs only to have eyes.
Just as the Wahhabis subdued Hijaz - now known as Saudi
Arabia - before al-Saud declared himself the guardian of the two holy mosques
as to rule over Sunni Islam, the Salafis wanted to bring under their yoke the
ancestral land of Sheba and assert their insidious claim over Islam.
The Houthis have since 1962 kept Yemen’s Imamate
tradition alive in spirit by remaining true to their religious roots. Much more
than a ruling system, the Imamate of Yemen based their legitimacy on descent
from the Prophet Muhammad.
It is important to understand that this profound desire
to honor and remember their past, has never clashed with the Houthis’ hope to
see establish democratic institutions. Very much in the same way Britain
managed to embrace democracy while in the same breath celebrating its
monarchical past, the Houthis, too, wish to embrace their past and all it stood
for as to better move forward as one social and political unit.
Unlike the Salafis who have spilled their poisonous
hatred onto Yemen, claiming their dogma to be the reflection of God’s Truth,
the Houthis have never sought to convert, oppress or dictate, only to protect.
While the Salafis have built armies behind the walls of
their religious centers, the Houthis have only worked to better their
communities and attend to their people’s needs and aspirations.
Today it is such a way of life the Salafis have declared
war on, shamelessly calling for “Jihad” against Shiite Muslims.
As noted by Daniel Greenfield from Frontpage Mag, “With
the Middle East exploding in a Muslim civil war, Jihadi Triage is becoming a
serious issue.”
In Yemen, Sheikh Abdalazim al-Huthi has declared that
Jihad against the “Houthis infidels is better than the jihad against the Jews;”
declaring that all Shiites “are the enemies of Allah and His Messenger.”
The fact that Sheikh al-Huthi felt comfortable enough,
secure enough in its alliance with the Salafis to utter such atrocious words
and make them public, should be enough proof of the true evil nature of the
Salafis movement.
Such calls for religious hatred, the clear negation of
Islam’s most sacred and inner truths -- compassion, peace, tolerance and
submission to God’s will - one can only hope will finally tear the veil of
falsehood which such so-called religious entities have pulled over the masses’
eyes.
All Muslims, Shiite and Sunni alike need to understand
that through their attack of Shiite Islam in Sa’ada, the Salafis really seek to
destroy Islam and all it stands for. Just as the Wahhabis declared war on Hijaz
in the 1930s, pillaging and murdering all those who dared oppose their
nefarious dogma, the Salafis have set out to do the same in Yemen, under the
leader of Sheikh Hussain al-Ahmar - one of Yemen’s most prominent tribal
leader.
The Salafis continue to sow discord amid brothers,
following the old Roman adage, “divide and conquer”, to secure their own
hegemony. Through fanaticism they seek to enslave Muslims and tear them away
from their true religious roots. (Continoe)ses’
eyes.
All Muslims, Shiite and Sunni alike need to understand
that through their attack of Shiite Islam in Sa’ada, the Salafis really seek to
destroy Islam and all it stands for. Just as the Wahhabis declared war on Hijaz
in the 1930s, pillaging and murdering all those who dared oppose their
nefarious dogma, the Salafis have set out to do the same in Yemen, under the
leader of Sheikh Hussain al-Ahmar - one of Yemen’s most prominent tribal
leader.
The Salafis continue to sow discord amid brothers,
following the old Roman adage, “divide and conquer”, to secure their own
hegemony. Through fanaticism they seek to enslave Muslims and tear them away
from their true religious roots. (Continoe)
Salafiyyun And Islamic State
by
Shaikh Salim bin Al-Hilali Id hafizhahullahu
Question.
Shaikh Salim bin Id al-Hilali asked: How does our
attitude in dealing with doubtful that leveled directed toward as-Salafiyyun,
that as-Salafiyyun not concerned with the problem Iqamatud Daulah or Khilafah
Al-Islamiyah (Establishing or building the state and the rule of Islam)?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wash-shalatu was-salamu 'ala Rasulillah,
wa' ala alihi wa wa ash habihi walah man.
As was already mentioned by Shaikh Ali Hafizhahullah that
doubtful-doubtful that many [1]. So the answer it was taking a long time.
Therefore, he summed it up. And what he has to say is enough.
However, when the problem in question relating to the
affairs of state and government, then this problem is the biggest problem, and
is the biggest reason that raised up and inflame the youth is very easy to do
takfir (pengkafiran) and uprisings or demonstrations, and even act anarchist.
Most of these problems have been described by Shaikh Ali Hafizhahullah and I
will explain from the other side, which is more closely related to political
issues or state briefly anyway, God willing.
The first time that we should understand is that the
country where the Muslim call to prayer echoed inside, enforced prayer, the
majority of the Muslims lawless state with Islamic law, then this country is an
Islamic state. Because of the differences between the Islamic state with the
heathen nations, as already mentioned by Al-Sunnah Ushulus Muzani in the book,
is the call to prayer echoed and enforced prayer in it.
Therefore, the people who say "you do not care about
the iqamatud Daulatil Islamiyah (an Islamic state)", then we tell them the
true Islamic countries already exist and stand! However, the problem, the majority
of laws are now applied in most Islamic countries, both in the fields of
economy, politics, education, culture and so on, almost entirely a man-made
laws, import laws (which to come from pagan countries, ed).
The scholars have explained in detail about this issue
[2]. Namely, about arbitrate with laws or man-made laws. The scholars explained
that someone who arbitrate with the law other than the law of God, then he has
done a little disbelief, that does not remove it from the religion of Islam. However,
it is possible that this small little disbelief to disbelief issuing large as I
have explained in detail at the Istiqlal Mosque yesterday [3] .Yaitu when he
assumes and believes bolehnya lawful or unlawful confiscation by law other than
Allah; or he said, I do not feel obligated or must arbitrate with the law of
God; or said in addition to arbitrate with the law of God is better than
arbitrate with the law of God; or say, the laws and other laws is tantamount to
the law of God; or say, I am free (I want to arbitrate is up to God's law or
otherwise, the same); and other matching words with him. So, it means that
he-with consensus of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah- has done a great disbelief
(out of Islam, ed). Wal 'iyadzu billahi tabaraka wa ta'ala.
Means, during the Islamic countries and now there are
upright, we are required to do is to improve the state of Islamic countries,
the methods that have been taught by the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam; either in the way of preaching, coaching people based method
at-Tasfiyah wat-Tarbiyah (purify the people of shirk, bid'ah and sinners, then
develop guiding them to understand Islam properly), not in ways that are
currently intensively conducted by most of the classes or parties. Such conduct
military coups, uprisings, strikes, or even more ironic held alliances with
pagan nations, for the sake mnggulingkan Islamic governments, or other
endeavors.
Know! Precisely all adds to the divisions and weakness of
the Muslims in many Islamic countries!
So, what we do is to hold the government fixes the
Islamic countries today. We also tried to unify all Islamic countries, so that
they work together, united, help from each other; and finally they were like
the word of Allah Almighty follows.
والمؤمنون والمؤمنات بعضهم أولياء بعض
"And those who believe, men and women, their friends
one (is) be a helper for friends one another ..." [at-Tawbah / 9: 71]
We should always remember and do not forget that the
pagans, even though they vary disbelief, their country was different, but we
should remain vigilant and alert for they always do-unification unification
organized their neighbors, both in politics , economy, science, and others.
Because (they also know) that a united force.
Therefore, among our goals (in holding the improvements
in all areas of life) is like our Shaykh (Al-Albani rahimahullah) always writes
in his books, striving for an Islamic life.
Of course, he did not mean that the current Islamic life
does not exist at all! But what he meant, that the existing Islamic life is
still a lot of shortcomings and still far from the religion of Allah Almighty.
Therefore, we need to preach to the people and the Muslims entirely, to the
enforcement of shari'ah of Allah Almighty in all areas of their life; both in
the fields of politics, perekonmian, or science. Similarly, in national and
international relations, either with friends or opponents.
Here's a glimpse and our view (of the state) in general
and brief. Our method is to make improvements to the way of preaching invite
the people to Almighty Allah, purifying them from shirk pollution, heresy, and
immorality, and to guide and nurture them to the understanding and practice of
Islam are good and true. As word of Allah Almighty.
ادع إلى سبيل ربك بالحكمة والموعظة الحسنة وجادلهم بالتي هي
أحسن
"Call upon (human) to the way of thy Lord with
wisdom and good lessons and bantahlah them ... in a good way." [An-Nahl /
16: 125]
We also do not forget, O my brothers, that the
establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah and the gift of God's only provision for
His servants the righteous and pious. If we do good, righteous people also do
good, then indeed the strength, power and glory of Islam is God's promise.
Allah Almighty says.
وعد الله الذين آمنوا منكم وعملوا الصالحات ليستخلفنهم في الأرض
كما استخلف الذين من قبلهم وليمكنن لهم دينهم الذي ارتضى لهم وليبدلنهم من بعد خوفهم
أمنا يعبدونني لا يشركون بي شيئا
"And God has promised to those among you who believe
and work righteous deeds, that He will truly make their power in the face of
the earth, as He made those before them, and indeed he would establish for
them their religion which has diridahiNya for them, and He will actually swap
(the state of) them, after they are in fear of being safe sentosa, they still
worship with no associating anything with Me ... "[an-Nur / 24: 55]
And we gave the good news to you all, that the future
belongs to Islam were true and straight, which is above the manhaj as-Salih
Salafush. Manhaj blessed God, which binds the human family to stay in touch
with God and implementing the Sunnah Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam.
That will bring them all to their faith, security and peace.
We ask God Almighty to give taufiqNya always to every
Muslim.
(Adapted from the lecture of Sheikh Salim bin Id
al-Hilali in Jakarta Islamic Center, Sunday 23 Muharram 1428H / February 11
2007M)
[Copied from the Sunnah magazine Issue 03 / Year XI /
1428H / 2007. Published Istiqomah Standing Committee Foundation Surakarta, Jl.
Solo - Solo Gondangrejo Purwodadi Selokaton Km.8 Ph 57 183. 0271-858197 Fax
0271-858197]
______
footnote
[1]. See As-Sunna magazine, issue coverage 01 / XI /
1428H / 1427M, rubric Manhaj, Salafiyyun Dismissed Accusations Lies, lectures
Fadhilatusy-Shaikh Ali bin Hasan Al-Halabi al-Atsari -haizhahumullahu, in the
center of Jakarta Islamic mosques, 23 Sunday of Muharram 1428H / February 11
2007M
[2]. See Shaikh Salim bin scientific treatise Id
al-Hilali that explains this issue in a clear and detailed, Tash-Fi Uyun
Qurratu hihi Tafsiri Abdillah Ibni Abbas Li Qaulihi Exalted: Wa Ma Man
lamYahkum Anzalalluhu fa bi-ika Hummul Kafirun Ula.
[3]. Lecture in Al-Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, Saturday
22 Muharram 1428H / 10 February 2007 which meant we foster discussion on this
issue in a series of Manhaj rubric. See answer Shaikh Salim bin Fadhilatusy Id
al-Hilali hafizhahullahu about Duna Kufrun kufrin.
No comments:
Post a Comment