Yemen War Reaches Riyadh!

Precision Yemeni drones bringing the war to an end

Yusuf Dhia-Allah

The Saudi rulers must be getting a creepy feeling that the war they launched in Yemen more than four years ago is beginning to hit them much closer to home. On August 26, Yemeni drones attacked military targets in the Saudi capital Riyadh causing great panic.

Yemen’s resistance army and its allied fighters from Popular Committees launched a squadron of domestically-manufactured Íammad-3 (In-vincible-3) combat drones to strike an “important military target” in Riyadh. The drones targeted hangars of Saudi warplanes and Apache attack helicopters as well as other military sites at the airport, according to reports by the Arabic-language al-Masirah television network.

Brigadier General YahyaSari‘, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces said that the drones struck their designated targets with great precision. He emphasized that the strikes were in response to continued Saudi-led alliance’s crimes and aggression against Yemen, and its ongoing blockade of the poorest country in the Arab world.

There was no immediate response from the Saudi criminals about these latest strikes, perhaps greatly embarrassed that they are now being struck in the very heart of the Kingdom. The pleasure-loving Saudis must be terrified.

The Saudi-led war has caused more than 60,000 civilian deaths, a million children suffering from cholera, and the starvation of nearly the entire Yemeni population of 24 million. Virtually the entire infrastructure of Yemen has also been destroyed. These constitute crimes against humanity.

Despite such horrendous suffering inflicted on them, the Yemeni resistance has not given up. Instead, it has intensified its efforts and is fighting back with courage and determination. Reflecting the new tempo in resistance to Saudi-led aggression, only a day earlier (August 25), Yemeni resistance forces and their allies had launched a barrage of Badr-1 short-range missiles at strategic sites inside Jizan Regional Airport (aka King ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Airport). This airport has been targeted a number of times already causing great panic among the ill-motivated and incompetent Saudi forces. They would rather be drinking qahwah or tea prepared for them by their Indian or Pakistani servants.

Saudi soldiers find themselves in a bind. While their bone lazy compatriots enjoy themselves in air-conditioned malls in Riyadh and Jeddah or attend concerts at which Western singers perform, they are stuck in an unwinnable war that Muhammad bin Salman launched four years ago. It was supposed to make him a hero. The war was launched on the assumption that it would be over in a matter of weeks and Bin Salman would be hailed as a hero. Instead, the Yemenis have proved tough fighters and ground Bin Salman’s grandiose ambitions into the dust.

The August 25 retaliatory strikes were launched shortly after Yemen’s resistance forces mounted an offensive against the positions of Saudi forces and Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen’s former president ‘Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the Kingdom’s southwestern region of Najran. Sari‘ said Yemeni and allied resistance fighters launched a newly-developed Nakal (Retribution) missile at the strongholds of Saudi troops and their mercenaries in al-Sadis area of the region, leaving dozens of them dead or injured, al-Masirah television reported. Targets in al-Asir province have also come under attack from Yemeni resistance forces.

A recently obtained photograph of a Hammad-3 drone, which is domestically manufactured by the Yemeni resistance. Having a range of some 1,500 km, it was successfully deployed against military installations in Dubai and Saudi Aramco infrastructure in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, forcing a hurried withdrawal of all official UAE forces in the Yemeni theater of war. Specifically designed to hit a preprogrammed target, and not radio-controlled like a cruise missile, this drone is nearly invisible to sophisticated radar-tracking systems, giving the resistance a strategic advantage in prosecuting the war to the heartland of the aggressors.

There are unmistakable signs that Saudi-backed militias in Yemen see the writing on the wall and realize the war is lost. This is reflected in the defections that are taking place from their ranks. On August 23, it was reported that Lieutenant Colonel Maqbul ‘Ali Ghanim Qahtan, commander of artillery in the 156th Brigade in Jawf Province, had joined the Yemeni armed forces. His soldiers joined him and they all surrendered their weapons to Ansarallah fighters, pledging to join the resistance to defend Yemen from the invaders. Not long ago, 2,000 mercenaries from the pro-Hadi forces had fled, abandoning their posts, according to Brigadier General Sari‘.

When defections in the ranks of fighters begin, they have a demoralizing effect on other soldiers. This is what is happening to Saudi-backed militias that have also started to fight among themselves.

In the southern port city of Aden that has been under the control of Saudi-led forces, fighting erupted between pro-UAE and pro-Hadi forces. While the UAE has withdrawn the bulk of its forces from Yemen realizing the futility of the war and knowing full well it cannot be won, they have continued to support a breakaway faction calling itself the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Headquartered in the Atiq district of southern Shabwah Province, pro-Hadi militants were reported to have taken control of the UAE-sponsored STC, according to a report by al-Jazeera TV network last month.

The STC struck back soon thereafter. On August 20, STC militias seized two military camps near Zinjibar, capital of Yemen’s southern province of Abyan. Militants loyal to Yemen’s fugitive ex-president Hadi controlled the two camps before they were overrun by the STC. Muhammad Salim, a commander of the pro-Hadi forces in Abyan, was killed during clashes with the STC, according to reports from the area.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are supposedly allies in the war on Yemen but militias loyal to them regularly get into fights reflecting disarray in their ranks. The STC appears determined to break away from the rest of Yemen recreating the Southern Yemen Republic as it was before the two parts merged in 1990.

It was this fear of break-up that prompted the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffith to warn the Security Council on August 20 that war-ravaged Yemen faced the threat of breaking apart. He said that unless an agreement ending the persisting conflict was found immediately, “the fragmentation of Yemen is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat.” He added, “The stakes are becoming too high for the future of Yemen, the Yemeni people, and the wider region. Yemen cannot wait.”

The disparate militias in Yemen are essentially mercenaries paid for by Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Until the latter’s forces were present in Yemen, their southern puppets were kept in check through large handouts. They were corralled into fighting the Yemeni resistance forces. With the bulk of UAE forces withdrawn from Yemen, the various militias have turned their guns on each other.

Far from installing the fugitive ex-president Hadi back in power, the Saudi-led coalition has brought Yemen to the brink of disintegration. Its repercussions will be felt in Saudi Arabia as well. The Ansarallah fighters have vowed that they intend to reclaim the southern part of Saudi Arabia that was illegally occupied by Saudi forces in 1934. The provinces of Jizan and al-Asir are Yemeni territory that they want back.

The way the war is progressing, that cannot be ruled out. That may also put paid to the oppressive rule of Bani Saud. They have caused havoc not only in the Kingdom but also in the rest of the Muslim world and even beyond.

Bani Saud Crimes, at Home and Abroad

Iron fist brings American Islam to Arabia

Brecht Jonkers

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Saudi Arabia, and Bani Saud in particular, is on the forefront of some of the most heinous atrocities that are being committed across the world today. The monarchy, which has the gall to call itself the “Custodian of the Sacred Masjids,” has committed crimes that are numerous and leave little to the imagination. However, it is still worth investigating the extent to which the Saudi regime has turned to atrocious criminal conduct in order to further cement its hold on power in the heart of the Muslim world.

The most obvious recent example of the crimes of Bani Saud is the war against Yemen. In over four years of conflict since the Saudi invasion began, tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed in airstrikes, war crimes, famine, and epidemic diseases. The continued Saudi blockade of Yemen has led to widespread starvation and lack of basic necessities. According to former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dafna Rand, the Saudis have no interest whatsoever in avoiding civilian casualties during their strikes on Yemen, and even deliberately target water and food supplies.

More than 17 million Yemenis are estimated to be at immediate risk of starvation, with at least 3.3 million children, pregnant women, and young mothers are suffering acute malnutrition. According to estimates, by November 2018, over 85,000 children had died of starvation. Humanitarian aid barely gets through to the affected zones, as Saudi warships all but prevent access to the port of Hodaydah.

Aside from engaging in bloody violence directly, Saudi Arabia is also fanning the flames of a potentially greater and far more destructive conflict. On May 18, Saudi Arabia agreed to the further deployment of US military forces in order to “deter” Iran, despite the fact that Tehran has made no hostile moves against either the US or Riyadh.

On April 23, Saudi Arabia executed 37 so-called “dissidents,” most of whom had not been involved in any acts of violence or even real resistance, nor did they pose any danger to the monarchy.

Twenty-two of the victims’ only “crime” was their participation in protest marches during the Arab Spring. Six of them were minors at the time the alleged “offense” was committed, like Mujtaba al-Suwaykat, who was arrested while about to fly to the US to start his college career, and Sa‘id Muhammad al al-Sakafi, who was only 17 when he participated in a protest rally. The charges that led to the execution of the 22 activists ranged from “chanting disloyal slogans about the king” to “using social media to incite demonstrations.”

Eleven others, all of them members of the Shi‘i minority in the Kingdom, were convicted of being “Iranian spies,” once again playing into the agenda of anti-Iranian propaganda and the fomenting of sectarian violence. Their “crimes” consisted of denouncing the massacres conducted by Saudi forces against the population of the Shi‘i-majority province of Qatif in February 2012, and of saving footage of the 2012 rallies and subsequent crackdown. Many of the victims were beheaded and one had his body crucified publicly, in a typical display of the cruelty of the Saudi regime.

The ceaseless violence committed by Bani Saud against its own population is not limited to the Shi‘i community. Multiple high-ranking Sunni scholars have also been jailed over the past years ever since crown prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS) took over much of the day-to-day running of the country.

One of the clearest examples of this came in September 2017 when several influential Sunni scholars were arrested and jailed on extremely contentious charges.

One of the most prominent victims of this crackdown was Salman al-‘Awdah, a senior member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, who was reportedly jailed for not having explicitly supported the aggressive behaviour of the Saudi regime toward Qatar. As of July 2018, the shaykh is being held in solitary confinement, and in September 2018 the prosecutors demanded the death penalty for him.

Aside from al-‘Awdah, two other well-known scholars jailed in the brutal Saudi campaign are ‘Ali al-‘Umari and ‘A’id al-Qarni. Both scholars were known as orthodox Sunni preachers with a large following, who refused to submit to control by the royal family. ‘Ali al-‘Umari was famed for his television and social media appearances, in which he called for unity against terrorism and criticized Riyadh’s horrible record on women’s rights. A’id al-Qarni was known for his 2008 fatwa calling for “attacks on Israeli interests worldwide,” a position for which he was heavily censored in his own country. Both clerics remain in jail as of writing this article. The prosecutors called for the death penalty for these scholars as well alongside al-‘Awdah.

In both cases — of Shi‘i activists and Sunni scholars jailed by the Bani Saud regime — we see charges of “terrorism” appearing regularly. In fact, the Saudi elite has a tendency to use “counter-terrorism” as an excuse to further cement its own position and eradicate any form of dissent. Meanwhile, Riyadh promotes itself as the epicenter of a so-called “moderate Islam,” despite being one of the main financier of takfiri terrorist organisation worldwide.

Even Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, remarked upon this highly ironic development, stating, “These particular cases highlight how the government is pursuing its own extremist, intolerant agenda under the absurd guise of ‘moderate Islam.’”

By claiming the title of “moderate Islam” for itself, thereby denouncing all other Islamic movements whether Sunni or Shi‘i as “extremist,” Saudi Arabia effectively positions itself in the camp of the Islamophobic West. In May 2017, King Salman stood next to US president Donald Trump in the unsettling opening ceremony of the so-called Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. They were joined by the Egyptian Pharaoh ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, the fanatically secular military dictator who has gained notoriety for his crackdown on the Islamic movement in Egypt.

Saudi war crimes force the people of Yemen to hunt for food in garbage in order to ward off starvation. What took place in Iraq, Syria, and Libya is currently engulfing Yemen with the catastrophic results that some 18 million could starve to death by year’s end. Israel, claimant to the Holocaust, has a genuine stake in destabilizing the region. To achieve that long-anticipated Israeli goal, Tel Aviv had to introduce a new major player in the region with new tactics. Instead of traditional military confrontation, ISIS (read that Saudi-sponsored takfiri terrorists) has been used to wage a new asymmetrical warfare in the Muslim East, targeting Israel’s adversaries. In a few years, ISIS — trained and equipped by the US, infiltrated by Mossad, and financed and indoctrinated by Saudi Arabia — has helped Israel accomplish goals it has been dreaming of for decades.

Meanwhile, ‘Abd al-Karim ‘Isa, the handpicked head of the Muslim World League (a farcical organisation completely at the mercy of the Saudi ruling family) has openly called for cooperation with the Zionist entity. The Wahhabi cleric even went so far as to personally meet with Ronald Lauder, chairman of the world’s foremost Zionist organisation, the World Jewish Congress. Last month, the League announced it was planning to invite a Jewish delegation to Saudi Arabia in the year 2020. Even the highest-ranking Wahhabi religious authority in the Kingdom, Grand Mufti ‘Abd al-‘AzizAl al-Shaykh, has openly voiced his support for Zionism and issued a fatwa stating that “fighting against Israel is forbidden.”

Contrary to what mainstream media and Western “analysts” would have people believe, the main conflict in the Islamic world or the Middle East is not the “Sunni-Shi‘i divide.” Nor is it a conflict between “Islamism” and secularism, with Islamism usually being the ill-defined catch-all term, or the so-called “clash of civilizations.”

The main conflict is the clash between an imperialist bloc that seeks to dominate and subdue the Muslim world both materially and spiritually, and the larger Muslim Ummah. Perhaps the greatest crime of the Saudi regime, which holds the keys to the two most holy sanctuaries of Islam, is the fact that it remains a major player in the unholy imperialist-Zionist-Wahhabi alliance.

Bani Saud Crimes, at Home and Abroad

Iron fist brings American Islam to Arabia

Brecht Jonkers

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Saudi Arabia, and Bani Saud in particular, is on the forefront of some of the most heinous atrocities that are being committed across the world today. The monarchy, which has the gall to call itself the “Custodian of the Sacred Masjids,” has committed crimes that are numerous and leave little to the imagination. However, it is still worth investigating the extent to which the Saudi regime has turned to atrocious criminal conduct in order to further cement its hold on power in the heart of the Muslim world.

The most obvious recent example of the crimes of Bani Saud is the war against Yemen. In over four years of conflict since the Saudi invasion began, tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed in airstrikes, war crimes, famine, and epidemic diseases. The continued Saudi blockade of Yemen has led to widespread starvation and lack of basic necessities. According to former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dafna Rand, the Saudis have no interest whatsoever in avoiding civilian casualties during their strikes on Yemen, and even deliberately target water and food supplies.

More than 17 million Yemenis are estimated to be at immediate risk of starvation, with at least 3.3 million children, pregnant women, and young mothers are suffering acute malnutrition. According to estimates, by November 2018, over 85,000 children had died of starvation. Humanitarian aid barely gets through to the affected zones, as Saudi warships all but prevent access to the port of Hodaydah.

Aside from engaging in bloody violence directly, Saudi Arabia is also fanning the flames of a potentially greater and far more destructive conflict. On May 18, Saudi Arabia agreed to the further deployment of US military forces in order to “deter” Iran, despite the fact that Tehran has made no hostile moves against either the US or Riyadh.

On April 23, Saudi Arabia executed 37 so-called “dissidents,” most of whom had not been involved in any acts of violence or even real resistance, nor did they pose any danger to the monarchy.

Twenty-two of the victims’ only “crime” was their participation in protest marches during the Arab Spring. Six of them were minors at the time the alleged “offense” was committed, like Mujtaba al-Suwaykat, who was arrested while about to fly to the US to start his college career, and Sa‘id Muhammad al al-Sakafi, who was only 17 when he participated in a protest rally. The charges that led to the execution of the 22 activists ranged from “chanting disloyal slogans about the king” to “using social media to incite demonstrations.”

Eleven others, all of them members of the Shi‘i minority in the Kingdom, were convicted of being “Iranian spies,” once again playing into the agenda of anti-Iranian propaganda and the fomenting of sectarian violence. Their “crimes” consisted of denouncing the massacres conducted by Saudi forces against the population of the Shi‘i-majority province of Qatif in February 2012, and of saving footage of the 2012 rallies and subsequent crackdown. Many of the victims were beheaded and one had his body crucified publicly, in a typical display of the cruelty of the Saudi regime.

The ceaseless violence committed by Bani Saud against its own population is not limited to the Shi‘i community. Multiple high-ranking Sunni scholars have also been jailed over the past years ever since crown prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS) took over much of the day-to-day running of the country.

One of the clearest examples of this came in September 2017 when several influential Sunni scholars were arrested and jailed on extremely contentious charges.

One of the most prominent victims of this crackdown was Salman al-‘Awdah, a senior member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, who was reportedly jailed for not having explicitly supported the aggressive behaviour of the Saudi regime toward Qatar. As of July 2018, the shaykh is being held in solitary confinement, and in September 2018 the prosecutors demanded the death penalty for him.

Aside from al-‘Awdah, two other well-known scholars jailed in the brutal Saudi campaign are ‘Ali al-‘Umari and ‘A’id al-Qarni. Both scholars were known as orthodox Sunni preachers with a large following, who refused to submit to control by the royal family. ‘Ali al-‘Umari was famed for his television and social media appearances, in which he called for unity against terrorism and criticized Riyadh’s horrible record on women’s rights. A’id al-Qarni was known for his 2008 fatwa calling for “attacks on Israeli interests worldwide,” a position for which he was heavily censored in his own country. Both clerics remain in jail as of writing this article. The prosecutors called for the death penalty for these scholars as well alongside al-‘Awdah.

In both cases — of Shi‘i activists and Sunni scholars jailed by the Bani Saud regime — we see charges of “terrorism” appearing regularly. In fact, the Saudi elite has a tendency to use “counter-terrorism” as an excuse to further cement its own position and eradicate any form of dissent. Meanwhile, Riyadh promotes itself as the epicenter of a so-called “moderate Islam,” despite being one of the main financier of takfiri terrorist organisation worldwide.

Even Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, remarked upon this highly ironic development, stating, “These particular cases highlight how the government is pursuing its own extremist, intolerant agenda under the absurd guise of ‘moderate Islam.’”

By claiming the title of “moderate Islam” for itself, thereby denouncing all other Islamic movements whether Sunni or Shi‘i as “extremist,” Saudi Arabia effectively positions itself in the camp of the Islamophobic West. In May 2017, King Salman stood next to US president Donald Trump in the unsettling opening ceremony of the so-called Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. They were joined by the Egyptian Pharaoh ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, the fanatically secular military dictator who has gained notoriety for his crackdown on the Islamic movement in Egypt.

Saudi war crimes force the people of Yemen to hunt for food in garbage in order to ward off starvation. What took place in Iraq, Syria, and Libya is currently engulfing Yemen with the catastrophic results that some 18 million could starve to death by year’s end. Israel, claimant to the Holocaust, has a genuine stake in destabilizing the region. To achieve that long-anticipated Israeli goal, Tel Aviv had to introduce a new major player in the region with new tactics. Instead of traditional military confrontation, ISIS (read that Saudi-sponsored takfiri terrorists) has been used to wage a new asymmetrical warfare in the Muslim East, targeting Israel’s adversaries. In a few years, ISIS — trained and equipped by the US, infiltrated by Mossad, and financed and indoctrinated by Saudi Arabia — has helped Israel accomplish goals it has been dreaming of for decades.

Meanwhile, ‘Abd al-Karim ‘Isa, the handpicked head of the Muslim World League (a farcical organisation completely at the mercy of the Saudi ruling family) has openly called for cooperation with the Zionist entity. The Wahhabi cleric even went so far as to personally meet with Ronald Lauder, chairman of the world’s foremost Zionist organisation, the World Jewish Congress. Last month, the League announced it was planning to invite a Jewish delegation to Saudi Arabia in the year 2020. Even the highest-ranking Wahhabi religious authority in the Kingdom, Grand Mufti ‘Abd al-‘AzizAl al-Shaykh, has openly voiced his support for Zionism and issued a fatwa stating that “fighting against Israel is forbidden.”

Contrary to what mainstream media and Western “analysts” would have people believe, the main conflict in the Islamic world or the Middle East is not the “Sunni-Shi‘i divide.” Nor is it a conflict between “Islamism” and secularism, with Islamism usually being the ill-defined catch-all term, or the so-called “clash of civilizations.”

The main conflict is the clash between an imperialist bloc that seeks to dominate and subdue the Muslim world both materially and spiritually, and the larger Muslim Ummah. Perhaps the greatest crime of the Saudi regime, which holds the keys to the two most holy sanctuaries of Islam, is the fact that it remains a major player in the unholy imperialist-Zionist-Wahhabi alliance.

 

Brecht Jonkers

KHASHOGGI THE TRAGEDY, YEMEN THE STATISTIC

FARAZ RAZA BUKHARI

When it comes to the ‘who’s who’ of journalists, I will admit that I am not the most learned. You could have mentioned the word ‘Khashoggi’ to me one thousand times over the last few years and I would not have known who he was… until this month.

A quick summary of the situation (and I do mean quick): Khashoggi was an advisor to the Saudi royal family who fell out of favour, exiled himself to the US and criticised the regime from the States. Cue October 2018 where he visits the Saudi consulate in Turkey (to obtain a document showing he had divorced his ex-wife in order to marry his fiancée) and never returns. A huge fiasco ensues where KSA continue to change their story, revealing more information drip by drip (at the time of writing, they admitted that the murder was ‘premeditated’).

The death, in and of itself, is wrong. The murder of any innocent civilian should be enough to warrant critique. The fact that he was a legal, permanent US citizen and was murdered for, ultimately, his journalistic endeavours (a profession which has almost always universally been protected for its commitment to out truth) has made things incredibly worse, testified by the fact that we’re still talking about it almost a month later.

It has, however, been around 50 months since Houthi rebels took over most of the capital of Yemen, 44 months since a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the country, 25 months since a Saudi-led airstrike hit a crowded funeral killing 140 and injuring 500, and 17 months since an outbreak of Cholera killed 2,100 and affected almost 900,000 others in the country. The head of programmes for Oxfam in Yemen called it “…one of the world’s worst crises”, and the senior UN official in the country stated that “the world has turned a blind eye to what’s happening in Yemen”. 8.4 million (around the population of London) are at risk of starvation and 75% of the country is in need of humanitarian assistance according to the UN. Almost 400,000 people under the age of 5 are at risk from severe acute malnutrition and half the population are facing “pre-famine conditions” leading to perhaps “the worst famine in the world in 100 years.”

The link? State-sponsored terror.

A Yemeni woman holds her son/Shutterstock

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to play oppression Olympics here. I’m not saying the killing of Khashoggi should be an afterthought to the crisis in Yemen (although most things ought to be), but rather attempting to look at the entire thing from a more philosophical perspective; attempting to understand why it is that the murder of a journalist can incite a righteousness that the deaths of over 10,000 haven’t been able to (or at the very least, haven’t been able to sustain).

This is the way the world operates. We turn blind eyes because it is in our (see: governments, corporations etc.) benefit to do so. We profit greatly from the sales of arms to such countries and we do not look back because if we don’t sell them, someone else will, and we can provide them with assistance on how not to target civilians and this helps to support British jobs. There are those that simply forego such facts in their arguments but that is often problematic because it doesn’t accept the world for what it is: a world in which classical principles and values do matter, but only to the extent where they do not impinge on other principles and values, the ones which allow countries like the US and the UK to sell arms to assist in war crimes, where countries are happy to help bomb mosques whilst their neighbours continue to spew sermons about peace and respect to one’s brethren.

In doing so, we have chosen to devalue the principles of justice and of truth in order to sustain ourselves for maybe another few years, another few decades. I see where those who make these decisions and those who agree/do not care are coming from; it is just…not right.

What does being right have to do with anything? Well, it has to do with the idea that if in our lives, the few years we have on this earth before we inevitably depart, we cannot advocate for humanity, stand up to injustice wherever it may present and sacrifice worldly benefits for the pursuit of justice… what do our lives amount to?

I do not just speak to those who know nothing about injustices or who choose to hold back for worldly gain but also to those who have chosen to play pick and mix with principles, allocating them to where they see fit. There are countless people today who turn a blind eye to Yemen because it raises too many difficult questions. The regime that murder innocent civilians and have oppressed minorities within their own country for decades, if not centuries, also happen to be, for a lot of people, the moral compass with which they guide their life or, at the very least, a ‘respected’ nation because they hold the keys to the two most holy sites in Islam. Attention is directed at Syria and Palestine but little at Yemen. I speak only from my personal experience and observations, but I doubt many would argue against the point that Yemen has remained an afterthought. Upholding principles and values are not paths of least resistance and the raising of difficult questions is often the first sign of a correct recalibration of one’s moral compass.

There are those who will read this and think this has nothing to do with me, why should I care? All I can say is that morality is the only thing we have in this world; the way one conducts themselves and the ethics they uphold. To quote Imam Hussain:

“If you do not have any religion, then at least be free in your present life.”

I am not saying that it is only the religious that have this sense of the afterlife and one’s actions in this world having a direct effect on the next, but rather whatever one believes, whether it is in a God, in Gods, in no God or anything in between, at least be free in this world, be free to choose right over wrong and be free from the agendas of those so clearly in amorality.

Shabbir Hassanally: UN A Mercenary Outfit for United States

TEHRAN (FNA)- Political analyst Shabbir Hassanally says the UN has become “a means to legitimize the corruption and excesses of the American regime on humanity”.

Mr. Hassanally, in an exclusive interview with FNA, said that the UN is totally complicit with the genocide of the Yemeni people, and it is possible that the situation in Yemen “would be the final nail in the coffin of the corrupt and impotent United Nations.”

The analyst also said that the Saudi-led coalition’s deliberate targeting of civilians is aimed at making the Yemeni people move against the resistance movement.

Shabbir Hassanally is an Islamic Scholar and political analyst. Mr. Hassanally lectures at various Islamic Centers from time to time and is currently working on a book on the commonalities between Zionism and Wahhabism – from a political and hegemonic perspective, as well as examining historical parallels between the two. He also consults on subjects related to human rights, activism, Islam, anti-sectarianism, and Islamic politics, economics, the Palestine issue and issues affecting Muslims across the world.

FNA has conducted an interview with Shabbir Hassanally about the ongoing Saudi war on Yemen and possible motives behind the war imposed on the impoverished Arab country by Saudi Arabia and its western allies.

Below you will find the full text of the interview.

Q: What do you think of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by the Saudi war and the blockade on the country?

A: The humanitarian crisis, which is exasperated by the inaction and complicity of the United Nations against Yemen is without a doubt a criminal activity, and perhaps even the last nail in the coffin of any credibility that the United Nations had.

The pandering of the UN to the Zionist Entity historically has led to the UN being unable to – or perhaps unwilling to – prevent the Arab Zionists from perpetrating the most horrific of crimes on Yemen and getting away with them, without so much as a slap on the wrist by the so-called “civilized” international community. 

The UN was built on the notion of “Never Again” following the atrocities we are told happened during the Second World War; that the world would never allow mass genocide to take place; yet here we are, for the umpteenth time, witnessing a genocide that the UN facilitates.

Q: What are the Saudis’ objectives in their war on Yemen?

A: The Saudi’s wanted to ensure that Yemen was prevented from exercising its right to be independent, to choose its own government and to control its own natural resources and indeed its own destiny. 

The Saudi regime knows that Yemen is a strong, powerful country, with people who have great honour and dignity, and that given the control that Yemen has over the Bab al-Mandab Straits, it could potentially be a threat to both Saudi Arabia and its Zionist siblings occupying Palestine.

The stated objectives were to “reinstate” the “legitimate” government of AbdurRabuh Mansour Hadi, but this is invalid as Mansour Hadi had voluntarily resigned – not once but twice, and was no longer the President of Yemen. What he was, was a slave of the Saudi and Zionist project, and as a result, he committed the greatest treason upon those who he professes are his own people.

Q: It seems that the Saudis expected an easy-to-win combat when they first stepped into the war. What do you see as the reason for Riyadh's continued failure in Yemen?

A: The primary reason for the catastrophic failure of the Saudi-coalition, led by the US/Israel/UK/UAE against Yemen has been the bravery and resilience of the people of Yemen. Their loyalty to the land and to their sovereignty, and their respect and love for the Ansarallah Resistance – who are incidentally made up of more than just the Houthi Tribe (though they are a key component of the Ansarallah movement).

Ansarallah is a popular movement, and everywhere we look, when a resistance movement is built on the popular support it is always successful and victorious. For example:

In Lebanon with Hizbullah

In Iraq with the Hashd ash-Sha’bi (also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU))
In Iran during the early years of Islamic Revolution and during the Eight-Year Sacred Defense with Baseej and Sepah (IRGC)

In Syria with the various Resistance movements that came in to defend Syria from the Takfiri terrorism, such as the Zaynabiyyoun and Fatimiyyoun Resistance Groups, and many other home-grown resistance groups that worked alongside the Syrian Army.

So whenever and wherever you see a genuinely popular movement; something that comes from the people; and is rooted in the dignity of the people and the land; that forms a “Golden Equation” as described by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah; an equation of the People, the Army and the Resistance – and if examined the above movements; as well as the Ansarallah Resistance in Yemen fully conform to this equation.

The core of the Yemeni Army is with the People and with the Resistance; as a result; since the Golden Equation is complete; there is NO POSSIBILITY for the Zionists – be they Arab or European – of having any sort of success in Yemen (or anywhere that operates on this idea of the Golden Equation). This provides a safeguard for Yemen.

Granted, the enemy will – and sadly is – working to create a monumental humanitarian crisis in Yemen; but this is merely sealing the fate of all those bombing and harming Yemen, and those who supply those criminals with weapons and “logistical support” – sadly like the UK and France.

Q: Why do the US and the UK continue to supply Saudi Arabia with arms despite international criticism regarding civilian casualties?

A: As for why the criminal regimes in Washington and London (neither of which have any sort of real public mandate; since both came to power based on deception and lies, rendering their “election” invalid and void, but I digress); these are regimes based on savage capitalism; they are driven by money and power; and controlled in every facet by the Zionist project. They are also driven by a constant fear of their own impending destruction; a fear that is the staple of the Zionists and is used by them to further their own agendas and as a means to mitigate any potential resistance against them – but again, I digress.

This can be seen in their understanding that the people in Yemen have chosen the path of Resistance, and whenever that path is chosen when the Golden Equation can be found, the people are always successful. And it will be the cause for the destruction of the enemies and those criminals who seek to invade and colonize Yemen. 

They also know that if they allow Yemen to prevail (and of course they cannot stop the inevitable victory of the people of Yemen, they can only try and delay it and cause more deaths and destruction), then the next stop for victory is Palestine; and this will lead to another certainty; the destruction and end of the Zionist entity occupying Palestine.

For this reason – amongst others – the US and UK, who are the parents of the Zionist entities – both the one occupying Palestine and the one occupying Arabia – are making sure that they arm their two rabid children – “Israel” and “Saudi Arabia” to the hilt – and ensure that they can thwart any attack.

Alongside that they constantly and indeed pathologically choose to point the finger of blame on the Islamic Republic of Iran for somehow provide support and weaponry to the people of Yemen; who are incidentally under what is essentially a hermetic seal and complete blockade. Nothing can get in and nothing can get out without the permission of those engaged in the blockade and “police” the same. Something attested to by the UN which is itself a party to the blockade and does nothing to prevent or lift it.

So, considering this complete blockade of Yemen, how would Islamic Iran or any other party for that matter get any military equipment or missiles into Yemen?!

Food can’t be brought in; lifesaving medications can’t be brought in – and yet somehow the world is expected to believe that Iran is somehow able to send huge missiles and bombs into Yemen?!

The lies of the aggressors are getting worse and worse; and indeed, will bury them.

Q: Why have the international organizations, particularly the UN, remained passive in the face of the ongoing Saudi atrocities?

A: As I’ve explained above, the United Nations is an impotent organization; it is crippled by the illegal imposition of the five permanent members who all have the veto power – rendering the participation of all other global countries pointless if they cannot get a veto-wielding power to agree with them.

The UN in this instance is completely complicit with the genocide being perpetrated on Yemen, and as I said; it is entirely possible that the Yemen situation would be the final nail in the coffin of the corrupt and impotent United Nations. An organization that speaks much of international law but can do nothing (unless a veto power-wielding member agrees and chooses to do something) to impose and enforce such laws.

Rather, what the UN excels at is being a mercenary outfit for the United States, a means to legitimize the corruption and excesses of the American regime on humanity. Legitimizing the barbaric “oil for food program” against Iraq; legitimizing the existence of the Zionist entity, an entity built and based on theft; legitimizing the existence of the terrorist factions attempting to harm Syria and indeed working in a manner so as to topple the legitimate government of Syria – all at the behest and for the sake of the United States.

When things don’t quite go according to the US’s desires, the US does what it has been doing as of late; it says it will leave and acts like a spoilt child. 

Indeed, if the UN doesn’t go through significant reform, including the removal of the veto power from the five permanent members – especially the United States, United Kingdom and France who have used it brazenly to support genocides and illegal aggressions across the world, from Palestine to Yemen and elsewhere – this organization should just be closed and relegated to the museums of history, as the broken and corrupt relic that it is.

Q: The airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition have mostly killed Yemeni civilians, including thousands of women and children. What do you see as the objective of these airstrikes targeting civilians?

A: The core reason for the mass murder of civilians in Yemen – and indeed in other places – has been to break the spirit of the people, and somehow make the people go against those resisting the aggression.

They feel that in killing people they will somehow make the people want to capitulate and have tea and biscuits with those throwing deadly bombs upon them. It is based on a deluded sense of grandeur, and is yet another reason why those who act like this were referred to by Imam Khomeini, may God rest his pure soul, as “Global Arrogance” – because it is extremely arrogant.

Since we are also led to believe that the US and UK are providing “logistical and intelligence” support to the “Saudi”-led coalition, then it might be argued that the targeting of civilians – and this is without a doubt what is happening a deliberate targeting of civilians in Yemen is being done not only by Saudi Arabia, but by those providing it with the “intelligence” that such and such place is a “threat”. Because naturally, we must understand that for the forces of Global Arrogance, a wedding is a threat, a funeral is a threat, a school or hospital is a threat and so on.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t discuss further why these civilian places are such a threat to Global Arrogance, and why they are explicitly targeted by the Saudi/Israeli/UK/US/UAE coalition against Yemen, suffice it to say that the world is losing its humanity in Yemen.