Foreign conspiracy behind Yemen's unrest, Zandani

By Nasser Arrabyee/27/05/2009

A Yemeni prominent clergyman said Wednesday a foreign conspiracy was behind the unrest in southern Yemen.

He said that the warships and fleets in the Arabian Sea were also a part of the alleged conspiracy.

"Do you think they came to breathe the sea breeze or spend holydays, or to strike pirates as they say, no , no, the matter is much bigger than piracy, it is flagrant interference in the affairs of the region including Yemen," Shiekh Abdul Majeed Al Zandani addressed about one thousand Salafi scholars who met in Sana'a to support and protect the unity from the calls of separation in the south.

"For the oil of Muslims in the Gulf countries, there was the invasion and war on Iraq, and for the oil of Muslims in Darfur, there is now this heated campaign against Sudan," He added.


But he said the religious scholars and the "obeyed" President Ali Abdullah Saleh still have the ability to get Yemen out from the current crisis.

"The solution is at the hands of the scholars and obeyed leaders. It's only them, when they anger, the people get angry, and when they get satisfied, the people get satisfied," He said.


Sheikh Al Zandani disclosed a new rebellious movement in the desert region of Yemen which includes Mareb Shabwa and AlJawf, and Hudhramout, in addition to the south movement.

"If this movement, which is in the region of oil, succeeds, then we'll have the Yemeni desert issue in addition to the Moroccan desert issue," He said.



Ahmad Al Mualem, southern leader of a Salafi association in Hadhramout, called for obeying the President and urged for standing against anyone who disobey him.

"We refuse disobedience of the ruler (President) and we call for combating anyone who rebels against him," he told the Salafis who held their first ever public conference, under the slogan of the challenges of the Yemeni unity.

"If standing against those who disobey the ruler is a must even if they were respected clerics, let alone those deviants who do not care for religion," he added, in an obvious reference to the secessionist groups and the religious scholars who support them in the south.


The Judge Hamoud Al Hetar, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, who participated in the meeting, said it was for supporting unity and refusing secession.

"This meeting of the scholars of Yemen is a sign of freedom," said Al Hetar, who was presented by the Salafi organizers as the inspirer and guide liner of the meeting.





For his part, Abdul Azeez Al Dubae, chairman of the Salafi Al Hekma Al Yamania, Charitable Association , which organized the meeting said," We here to confirm that we refuse sectarianism, regionalism and we would say that calls for separation are prohibited by Islam , and we are obligated to combat such calls."



The conference brought together Salafi scholars, and supportive tribal shieks, from the south and north like Hudhrmout, Shabwa, Abyan, Aden, Lahj, Al Dhale'e, Yafe'e, Taiz Ibb, Hodiedah and Sa'ada,


"It's a call for all Yemenis to come under the flag of Quran and Sunna, and reject the differences…, and refuse the calls of separation. And if there is corruption and mistakes we should treat them," He said.

The Salafis who organized this conference are viewed by observers as "liberal Salafis" compared to other Salafis who ban the associations and even posing for pictures, like the two Salafi centres in Ma'abar and Sa'ada who boycotted this conference.

The point that all sects of Salafis agree on is the obedience of the ruler, which always makes them all close to the regime.