Mshari Al-Zaydi raises an interesting point in his column today. He notes that while the Houthis are members of the Shi’ite Zaidi sect, that is not their only identity. They are also a tribe, the Houthi, who have issues as a tribe, not as a religion. He points out that to conflate the two is an error of logic, much like the paradox of the barber who shaves everyone in town who does not shave himself. If that is so, who shaves the barber? The resolution to to understand that a person or group can occupy more than one category space. The barber shaves himself as an individual, not as the barber. So too, the problem the Houthi have with the Yemeni government can be a problem any tribe might have, regardless of whether it follows Sunni or Shi’a ritual.
Don’t Confuse the Huthis with the Zaidis
Mshari Al-ZaydiThe biggest mistake that could be made with the Huthi crisis in Saudi Arabia is portraying these clashes as a confrontation between the Sunnis and the [Shiite] Zaidi sect.
In this article, I intend to speak about doctrinal and sectarian issues, rather than political issues, because the doctrinal or sectarian mentality is the mentality that dominates the Arab world. This issue should also be discussed because while it is not wrong to avoid broaching the subject of sectarian violence under the pretext of not inflaming the situation, the situation is already inflamed.
Therefore falling into the trap of initiating a Sunni – Zaidi conflict is exactly what those who have unleashed the Huthis wish to happen. The internal divisions in the [Shiite] Zaidi sect have escalated to the point that the Huthis have completely taken over the Zaidi structure that has existed in Yemen for centuries. The Zaidi sect has existed in Yemen since the Rassid Imamate, and the first Imam of Yemen, al-Hadi Yahya Bin al-Hussain Bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi, settled in Yemen in the 9th century AD. The Rassid Imam’s were the descendents of Imam Zaid Bin Ali Bin al-Hussain Bin Ali Bin Abu Talib, whose lineage can be traced back to Caliph Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law.
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November:16:2009 - 20:34
The idea that the Iranians and their tentacles have successfully pushed onto the Western media is that this is a Sunni-Shi’ite war. In fact, the Yemeni president and nearly all the top members of the Yemeni leadership are themselves Zaidi Shi’ites. This is a war between the Yemeni government and an extremist rebel movement; it is not a Sunni-Shi’ite war.
November:16:2009 - 20:42
Media finds it easy to say, “Sunni-Sh’a Conflict!” whenever they notice that two opposing groups are of different sects. Too easy, as it often substitutes for thinking.
November:16:2009 - 23:38
John,
Did you read what I wrote? They’re not from two different sects; both sides in Yemen are Zaidi.
November:17:2009 - 00:24
Yes, I did read that. It’s immaterial to the point of the article, though, which says that the problems of the Houthis are those of a tribal group not a religious group, and that it would be a mistake to try to turn this conflict into evidence of an inter-sectarian conflict. I think Al-Zaydi’s point was that it’s too easy to do just that and then you get away from talking about politics into talking about religion. One is handled on a more rational basis by most people while the second immediately goes to emotions, with which it’s particularly hard to argue.