Armless and Harmless Yemenis
A numeral glance at the Yemeni conflict.
“I am Yemeni” and “They are from me and I am from them,” said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as stated in Al Bukhari. Then what has caused the present kingdom of the Al-Saud family to bomb the helpless in Sana? Whereas present Saudi Arabia is the place the prophet of Islam belonged from. The famous Madina Empire was there. And the monarchs of the Al-Saud family claim to be leaders of the Muslim nation as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) spent his life in Makkah and Madinah. Is it national interest or security reasons that have caused the kingdom to bomb Yemenis? Or the famous Shia (Iran) Sunni (KSA) cold war has surpassed the faith? The answer(s) might never get an objective texture, but the damage to the followers of the same prophet is confirmed. The sectarian lines are dominating the mainstream beliefs in this bloody war as the Iranian-backed Houthis, Saudi Arabian-backed forces in Yemen, and bombed helpless citizens of Sana are all Muslims, followers of ONE, SAME PROPHET.
Narrated Abu Burda: That his father said, The Prophet sent Mu`adh and Abu Musa to Yemen telling them. “Treat the people with ease and don’t be hard on them; give them glad tidings and don’t fill them with aversion, and love each other, and don’t differ”. Sahih Bukhari Hadees # 3038
Don’t be judgmental that soon. Houthis never sat back to see drones coming. They are fighting against Saudi-led forces for more than six years now. But the point is that the armless and harmless Yemenis like many other Muslims of the region are direct victims of these hostilities. For instance, the infant mortality rate was about 43.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019 in Yemen. The unemployment rate in Yemen reached 12.83 percent in 2020. Though it has seen a little decline as it was 13.42 percent in 2015. Furthermore, there were;
· ten United Stated airstrikes in Yemen in 2011,
· 42 in 2012,
· 26 in 2013,
· 23 in 2014,
· 23 in 2015,
· 44 in 2016,
· 125 in 2017 alone,
· 35 in 2018, and
· eight airstrikes in 2019.
In a nutshell, Yemenis are bombed 336 times in just eight years from 2011 to 2019 by a Saudi ally, the well-known champion of liberalism and democracy, the United States of America.
“The people of Yemen have come to you and they are more soft-hearted and gentle-hearted people. The capacity for understanding religion is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), narrated by Abu Hurairah
Moreover, according to the most recent data the Saudi Arabian-led coalition performed about 1.5 thousand air raids on targets in residential areas in Yemen between March 2015 and March 2018.
Sub-categorization of Saudi-led Air raid targets
· 169 air-raids targeted communications,
· 195 air raids targeted market places,
· 221 targeted schools; yes you read that right, the kingdom seems threatened from kids of the schools too, unfortunately,
· 233 targeted private business places,
· 268 targeted government compounds,
· 269 targeted vehicles and buses (including school buses),
· 274 targeted public figures,
· 456 targeted farms,
· 490 targeted moving targets i.e. tanks,
· 671 targeted transportation vehicles,
· 1,543 air raids targeted residential areas,
· 1,968 targeted forces, and
· 3,396 targeted military sites,
· Whereas the targets of 5,460 air raids are unknown.
“Pride and arrogance are characteristics of the rural Bedouins, while calmness is found among the owners of sheep. Faith is Yemeni, and wisdom is (also) Yemeni.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), narrated by Abu Hurairah
It is widely evident from the above-mentioned numbers that the airstrikes in Yemen have become activities of daily routine now. Though Houthi rebels do not sit back and keep watching Saudi or US air raids but the point is still the same that armless civilians have no choice. They are facing dire starvation, bombs, atrocities, and joblessness, and foremost, they don’t have peace. The platform of OIC has become impotent. None of the issues of the Islamic world seems solvable anymore on that platform. Iran’s efforts of hegemony in the region and Saudi Arabia’s attempts to impose her dominancy instead have got worse. Particularly when the Western powers and also few other Muslim nations like Turkey and Qatar have joined the tug of war in the region. Yemen presents the second picture of the occupied Palestine where atrocities do not seem to get an end in near future.
Number of undernourished people in Yemen
· 6.2 million from 2004 to 2006
· 6 million from 2006 to 2008
· 6 million from 2008 to 2010
· 6.1 million from 2010 to 2012
· 7.2 million from 2012 to 2014
· 9.3 million from 2014 to 2016
· 10.4 million from 2015 to 2017
· 11 million from 2016 to 2018
“I have not seen the Messenger of Allah touching anything of the House (the Ka’bah) except the two Yemeni corners.” Muhammad (PBUH) (Abu Dawud)
These drastic figures are only a minute light on this challenge for the globe. As United Nations was formed to secure the self-determination of the small states. It was made to ensure peace for those nations who were always under the threats of the mighty states. But as already mentioned that neither OIC nor UN seems much influential in this case. Though the current president of the United States Joe Biden has assured of not supporting Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen but that did not prove a big deal for the Saudi prince, as recent airstrikes tell a different story.
“The most beautiful pilgrims are the people of Yemen.” Muhammad (PBUH), narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar.
To conclude, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not seem reluctant to target innocent civilians when it comes to teaching a lesson to the Houthis. On the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seem behind in this struggle too. Both the rivals never miss a chance to hurt each other’s interests, no matter what cost others pay for it. And the international organizations including many powerful and Muslim and as well as non-Muslim states also seem non-influential in this regard. Therefore, it is extremely hard to say anything about the end of the Yemini conflict and the sufferings of the armless and harmless Yemenis so far.