Yemeni Ulema refute claims of Najaf and Qom Hawzas on Sa’ada developments [Archives:2005/840/Front Page]

In a new development, the Yemeni Ulema Society issued a statement in response to the one issued by their counterparts at the Hawzas of Najaf and Qom. The Yemeni Ulema statement said: “Statements attributed to the Hawzas of Qom (in Iran), and Najaf el Ashraf (in Iraq), claiming that Zaidi and what they call Ethna'ashri Shia'a are being prosecuted and oppressed in Yemen, were reported by the media. In response to these claims the Yemeni Ulema Society held a meeting to study these claims and agreed on the following:

“The claim about oppression against Zaidi and Ethna'ashri Shia'a in Yemen are quite contrary to reality and to what is experienced by Yemenis, as we are living according to constitutional, legal and Sharia'a principles that don't discriminate any sect. It is a well-known fact that there are no real religious differences among sects of Yemen; a proof of which is the peaceful co-existence for centuries between the two dominant Shafa'ai and Zaidi Sects. However, the Ethna'ashri Shia'a sect has never existed in Yemen, and what was going (in Sa'ada) was an attempt to stir disturbances,” the statement said.

The statement added that, “The rebellious in Sa'ada didn't represent the Zaidis and caused the loss of many lives, bloodshed, destroyed a lot of assets and threatened security and stability.”

Ulema of Yemen continued “It is appropriate for Ulema of the two Hawzas to concern themselves with the saddening events in Iraq, and to stop the bloodshed, rather than sympathizing with a fanatic who stirred trouble and rebelled against the constitution, law and public order.”

The Ulema of Yemen concluded their statement by asking their counterparts at Najaf and Qom to “seek precision and refrain from getting information from agitating sources”.

Both religious Hawzas at Qom and Najaf, issued a statement on what they called 'the oppression of Shia'a in Yemen', claiming they are 'brutal massacres' by the Government [and hinted at what they claimed is a 'sort of genocide of the Shia'a'].

The Hawzas' statement had claimed, “that it is becoming clear that there exists a 'pact of evil' that extends from Iraq to Yemen, between abhorrent sectoral fanatic forces and several centers of power of the 'ruling regime which share the same doctrine of the extinct regime in Iraq'”. ” What happened in Yemen during the recent months,” it continued, “such as official resolutions, the economic blockade several areas, and the continuous acts of killings, arrests, oppression and chasing, reveal only a part of the concealed picture of reality in Yemen”.

The Hawzas' statement warned that, “drastic effects shall result from such 'approaches against Muslims' whether in Yemen or Iraq” and that, “sooner or later, the tide will turn back against the executors of these policies and their supporters”. It concluded by calling upon officials to refrain from these 'deviant actions', otherwise”, it argued “the magic will turn against the magician”.
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