Yemen follows Lebanon footsteps in encountering Houthi, MB extremism

Rabab al-Hakim

Yemen has been suffering a state of chaos in various life aspects after Houthi rebels in 2014 overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The chaos, however, did not only cause turmoil in the Yemeni political, social and military scenes, but it also reached religious institutions.

The Houthis and Muslim Brotherhood have been excommunicating their opponents since they took over the Yemeni Dar al-Fatwa, not to mention issuing authoritative legal opinions that allow bloodshed.

Therefore, the Yemeni Ministry of Endowments has been seeking the establishment of a new Yemeni Dar al-Fatwa, like the Lebanese one, which proved significant success overtime.

Since the Houthis announced founding an alternative for the Dar al-Fatwa, to serve promoting their extremist ideas, a Yemeni government report revealed the Houthis vandalized 750 mosques and kidnapped around 150 worshippers in many Yemeni governorates.

Over the past years, the Houthis have south to spread their extremist ideas in Yemen, as they have launched armed campaigns to ban prayer calls in mosques, allowed fasting one day before the holy month of Ramadan, and even prohibited certain prayers in Ramadan.

The Muslim Brotherhood has also issued a number of fatwas that allowed the killing and punishment of southern Yemeni citizens; in 1994, former minister of justice and senior MB member Abdul Wahab al-Dailami excommunicated southern Yemeni citizens and desecrated their blood and land.

Moreover, in 2017, the MB and Houthi-affiliated Yemen Scholars Association refused to officially recognize the Southern Transitional Council, which has partial control of Abyan and Aden governorates.

In a related context, Minister of Religious Endowment Ahmed Attiya received an invitation by Mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Abdul Latif Fayez Durian, this month, to visit Dar al-Fatwa in Lebanon.

Tariq al-Qurashi, undersecretary of the ministry, told The Reference in an interview that the purpose of this visit is for the Yemeni minister to observe and take a closer look at the Lebanese Dar al-Fatwa before establishing a similar institution in Yemen.

Qurashi also stressed that the Yemeni ministry of endowment is currently responsible for issuing fatwas as Houthis destroyed all the official religious channels and foundations in Yemen.

Islamic Law Professor Wafik Hijazi also pointed out that the Lebanese Dar al-Fatwa is considered the official reference for Islamic affairs for all the Lebanese people and that it aims at achieving peace and coexistence all over Lebanon.

He also said in an interview with The Reference that the Lebanese Dar al-Fatwa, established in 1922, only aims for the higher interest of the state and the eradication of corruption, discord and disorder.