Call for Jihad against Al Houthi rebels

Two Houthi groups fight over Zaidi leadership
By Nasser Arrabyee/11/12/2010

A Zaidi cleric called for launching Jihad (Holy war) against Al Houthi rebels in Sa’ada , northern Yemen saying they are “worse than Israel”.

“We are determined to continue Jihad against them, I swear by Allah that Jihad against them is better than prayers, and better than Jihad against Jews, they are more malignant than Israel,” said the Zaidi cleric Mohammed Abdul Adheem Al Houthi, who is based in Sa’ada and from the same family of the top leader of the Al Houthi rebels.

In an interview with Al Ahahli weekly, the Zaidi cleric, Mohammed Abdul Adheem Al Houthi, said Al Houthi rebels are “apostates” and that they are not belonging to any Islamic sect at all including the Zaidi sect.

“They are not Twelvers (Ethna Ashari), nor Zaidis, nor Shafis, nor Jafaris, they are apostates , they are out from the whole religion, they are enemies of Islam, enemies of believers,” he said in the interview, which is expected to ignite a war between the two Houthi groups in Sa’ada.
Mohammed Abdul Adheem Al Houthi was always refusing the father of the top leader of Al Houthi rebels, Badr Al Deen Al Houthi as a top leader for the Zaidis in Sa’ada and Yemen as a whole.
He would always say that another cleric, Majd Al Deen Al Muayadi, was the top leader of Zaidis.
“If Badr Al Deen Al Houthi claimed he was the leader of the Zaidis because of his knowledge, I would say the cleric Majd Al Deen Al Muayadi had more knowledge than him, and many of our clerics are better than him,” he said in the controversial interview.

For the sons of Badr Al Deen, the leaders of Al Houthi rebels, the slain Hussein, and the current leader, Abdul Malik, are “kids and illiterates”, said the cleric, Abdul Adheem, who and his followers are persecuted by the dominant Al Houthi rebels.

Both clerics Badr Al Deen and Majd Al Deen are dead.

Mohammed Abdul Adheem and Badr Al Deen are cousins. The former is Mohammed Abdul Adheem bin Al Hassan, bin Al Hussein, and the latter is Badr Al Deen bin Ameer Al Deen bin Al Hussein.
“Our grand father is one,” said Mohammed Abdul Adheem in the interview.
The local tribal leader Ali Nasser Kersha is now leading mediation efforts to stop escalation between the two Houthi groups especially after followers of Mohammed Abdul Adheem were killed by followers of Abdul Malik Al Houthi, the top leader of rebels, immediately after the interview was published.