Taking Photos in Al-Hasaba

Post by Ruqaya

I met up with al-Ghariba (who sometimes posts on this blog) who used to be my neighbor before the war and we thought we'd go out and take some photos of  al-Hasaba before things got cleaned up.

We took photos in and around bait al-Ahmar, the house of the tribal sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, we even got to go inside and get photos from the back garden. We got photos of the Yemenia building, all tall and burnt and then al-Ghariba suggested some photos from the back streets where the aqdam live - this is where we came unstuck.

There are a lot of sandbag walls when you go around in the areas between the big house of al-Ahmar to the bus station and the clock intersection. One street is blocked off by a bus shell filled with these sandbags, and al-Ahmar troops mind these areas and it is all OK to take photos even with them in it. Then as we exited onto the clock intersection near the bus station, some Najda Police stopped us and wanted to take our cameras. Oh no!

Al-Ghariba refused but the policeman got bothered and the remainder of them sitting around chewing qat got up, so we both surrendered our memory cards before we lost our whole cameras and phones too.

ALhamdulillahi Rabbil-alameen that these harsh policemen (who are part of the attacks on al-Hasaba and provoke the tribe fighters into breaking the ceasefire) did not ask for our IDs. I don't think al-Ghariba would have been in a good position being non-Yemeni. Well sister, at least your lahjah is coming along!

Friendly advice from an al-Hasaba resident: Do not take photos in areas with regime forces! or anywhere near them. if you want to take photos inside al-Hasaba do it near bait al-Ahmar!

And when walking by regime forces act as normal as posible and go about your business other than photo taking!

On the Streets

Post by Admin

Walking the streets of Sana'a one can get a feel when things are getting bad. The usual bus chatter increases and heats up. But what we have on the streets and in the skies is something more telling - troop build-ups, extra armored vehicles, new road blocks, and the ever present thud of not to distant bombing.

State media recently reported Shaikh Sadeq Al-Ahmar to have ordered civilian evacuation of al-Hasaba. This is NOT true and life continues, though after the report aired on Saba-TV, the market on the street disappeared a few days.

Fortifications in the suburb have increased, one street is blocked off by a bus body filled with sand bags, and exchanges of gunfire can be heard especially at night.

Petrol prices have risen a little after decreasing to 3000 from 10,000. But everyday items of food are getting harder and harder to afford and some people have taken the step to drink tea with only half the sugar! Now that is a rare thing!

The Change Square sit in is as strong as ever and the tents have undergone renovations such as being put up on stilts to avoid the rain run-off. English translations of coalition signs and handouts remains awful at best. Protesters are still marching around town shouting slogans and chanting the downfall of the regime, and at the end of it, one can only wonder where it is all going.

School and university terms are planned to start on 17 September. It is unclear how term will start at Sana'a and Science and Technology universities with main entrances still blocked off by tents and an uncertain security situation. Almost all schools have had high numbers of unenrolments, especially high end private schools.

I am not Paying my Zakat to Ali Saleh!

Post by Ayman

As you make your way around Sana'a you may notice billboards reminding people to pay their Zakat to the state. The reminder is a good thing, but paying zakat to the corrupt state is another thing.

Ideally, Muslims pay their zakat to the zakat collecting authority of the government, but what if that government is so corrupt and far from Islamic rule? What if you are sure all they'll do with your zakat money is stuff it down a pipe and explode it for your entertainment?

Paying zakat the to government is done if the government is ISLAMIC or very close to it. Would you see Muslims in the USA paying zakat to the Barak Obama government? NO! why? Because it is a kafir government of a kafir country. so why would I pay my zakat to Obama's agent in Yemen? The corrupt regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Let's look more closely, my source, fiqh as-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq.

It is permissible to pay zakat to a Muslim leader whether he is just or not provided he rules mainly according to Islamic rules. At present the majority if not all Muslim rulers do not have Islamic governance which establishes Islam, propogates and defends it, calls for jihad, and collects and distributes zakat according to rules laid down by ALlah the Most Just.

SOme Muslim rulers are under the influence of western powers while others are influenced by polytheists. Foreign powers employ Muslim rulers as tools to subjugate the people in the name of Islam and to implement their kafir foreign interests in our countries, thus destroying Islam itself. To such rulers, it is NOT permissible to pay zakat regardles of their profession of faith and that they pray.

So there you have it in a nutshell and I feel relief that I can give my zakat directly to eligible recipients which are most people in Yemen.

Allahumma bestow upon me vast wealth so I can spend it in your cause and let me be of the Successful one's who you are please with Amin.

* Admin asked me to include an ayah from Qur'an which highlighted itself especially for me during my reading this Ramadan. I chose Surah al Hashr ayah 7. This ayah is not about zakat but it mentions the purpose of proper distribution of Ummah wealth.

What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (fa'i - booty without fighting) from the people of the townships,- belongs to Allah,- to His Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer; In order that it may not (merely) be between the wealthy among you. So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah. for Allah is strict in Punishment. 

Ramadan Reading

Throughout the month of Ramadan we should spend as much time as possible with the Qur'an, reading it and thinking about its meaning and implementation in our lives.

No matter how many times you read Qur'an and read it's verses, you will find something new every time, as if you had never read it before. SubhanAllah.

We usually read Qur'an with our present condition in the back of our mind, so sometimes we read an ayah, and suddenly it means so much more.

This Ramadan, we are living in Sana'a in a time of turmoil and great fitnah, and so we read the verses of ALlah in this condition. This verse jumped out at me this year. It makes a believer feel happy and confident in the promises of ALlah.

The verse is an-Nur 55

" Allah has promised among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that he will certainly grant them succession in the land as he granted it to those before them and that he will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (Islam) and He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear provided they worship Me and do not associate anything in worship with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this they are Fasiqoon."

Although Allah swt has promised the believers this, it does not mean we sit around and wait for it to fall on us from the sky. We must work hard in our worship and good deeds. We must enjoin good and forbid evil, and we must not be afrain of the creation before the Creator,

Ramadan Mubarak.

Admin note on previous article and other news

Admin would like to clarify that people in Arhab are not necessarily Islahi, but their tribe leaders may be and the people follow their tribe leaders, and that is why their areas are being bombed by the government. It is very heavy handed diplomacy which shouts out NO NEGOTIATIONS and and we (the regime) wont leave until we spill much blood. There is no stopping it except by the will of Allah.

In the English press tribal fighters are often referred to as opposition fighters. Yes, they oppose, but they are not fighters of the opposition parties, they are tribesmen defending themselves as anyone would if such actions happened in their land or house. They tribal fighters, in a ground fight are stronger than the Republican Guard, but the RG have medium range artilliery and air support.

As for the buckets of sh#@. Admin suggests such ability to overcome such stench and filth is due to qat. People chew qat and they become deadened.

The thawra has lost much energy, and seems failed, perhaps their will be thawra part 2 after Ramadan because if the thuar (thawra people) stop completely the remainder of the regime will round them up and imprison them. Easy done, perhaps a few assassinations.

Al-Hasaba is still full of armed tribesmen, as well as a dug trench on many street corners in case of sudden outbreak of shooting, one might take refuge in one. Some have been renovated into rooved foxholes. Many have become garbage dumps.

Sana'a received its first good rain since the first day of the "war"(23 May). Much of the rain season has passed, punishment from Allah perhaps. But the city looks much better after a rain, especially after months of dust.

Ramadan is upon us, so make much du'a and don't waste the opportunity to do much ibada and good deeds.

Stuck in the Mud

Post by Ayman
Warning: the "s" word appears often in this blog and also contains sarcasm and cynicism.

I am wondering how this thawra (uprising/revolution) can end successfully. I hold a clear contemptuous view of it all, but still hope for its success.

People (non-Yemeni) often comment at how humble and patient Yemenis are in the face of hardship. I can agree to a certain extent. They do put up with a lot of shit and just keep going, but I disagree just as much and say Yemenis lack aspiration and vision of a future that isn't full of it. I also throw in a bucket of laziness for good measure.

So when a Yemeni is handed a bucket of shit they take it and put up with the stink until they don't notice it anymore, then they are handed worse shit and the cycle continues. So thanks to Allah some youths, after seeing Tunisa and Egypt revolution decided, all we need to do is clean out the shit and we can do it peacefully but sitting around in a public space - let's do it! No that's not fair of me, the original youth of the thawra are the one's who aspire to clean out the bucket of aforementioned substance, but some old hands realised that the shi# might actually get emptied out and cleaned up and so joined the thawra, and highjacked the agenda, now the whole lot is stuck in the mud.

We can all go forward and be killed peacefully and be shuhada' (martyrs) because Shaikh Al-Zindane said that those killed in the way of the thawra are shaheed, and I really hope they are, but I add a BIG INSHA ALLAH on the end of that.

Thousands have died now and the loyalist forces bomb daily the areas in Arhab, North Sana'a Governate, Taiz and Abyan. What are these areas guity of?

Arhab: Many areas are strong supporters of the Islah political party (the Islamic party in the style of Ikhwan - Muslim Brotherhood), and the founder of Islah the late Shaikh Abdullah al-Ahmar is from this region.

Northern Areas of Sana'a Government - also Islahi people.

Taiz- Interlectual heartland of Yemen. The thawra was the strongest here and the most organised and the most able to implement governance at the fall of the regime.

Abyan: al-Qaeda heartland - so they say. But really just a bunch of armed hooligans, not the real AQAP. USA are having a big hand in landing cruise missiles on civilians.

How will the thawra end? Here are some suggestions:

1. Ali Saleh and family will run out of bullets and the remainder of their soldiers will embrace the thawra.
2. USA and Saudi Arabia decide to support the Yemeni people for the good of the people rather than self-interests at the expense of Yemeni freedom and lives.
3.The peaceful protesters have an epiphany and take up arms.
4. The 12,000 mujahideen of Aden/Abyan (as in the hadith) come and save the day.
5. Ali Saleh will come back to Yemen during Ramadan and reopen the petrol resources and the gas, and electricity will run without interuption, there will be affordable food in the markets, and then all the ignorant and starving Yemenis will fall in prostration to Him and declare, "ash-sha,ab yureed Ali Abdullah Saleh" and he will fill there buckets with extra shi#.

Have a Happy Ramadan!!!!

The Last Days of Al-Hasabah

We've had a long absence as a result of the conflict in Sanaa. The English editor disappeard to Ibb, then we couldn't find the password, then there was no electricity, and no petrol to run the generator, and no money to buy petrol then no time to sit days in the queue to buy some petrol when we did have money. Here is a recount of a sister who lives in al-Hasaba.

Post by Ruqaya

23 May 2011 – al-Hasabah Sana’a, Yemen

We started hearing shots being fired around midday, but there had been a lot of shots fired in the past weeks so we disregarded it as normal activity and continued our lesson. The serious fighting started not long after the call to the midday prayer while I was still in the streets on my way home. 

After arriving home, greeting everyone and praying thuhr, I made a sarcastic remark that the guards must be getting bored and taking pot-shots at cats. I was quickly rebuked and told it was not funny, this fighting is for real.

We had been expecting something to happen for months as the number of al-Ahmar armed guards had increased as well as their sand-bagged firing positions and road obstacles, but I never expected what was to come, I just didn’t believe the President was that evil.

Artillery shells started being fired randomly upon our neighbourhood, although we knew they were meant for the al-Ahmar residential compound. Fortunately or unfortunately the Republican Guards were not very accurate with their weapons.

The street was a buzz of gunfire near and far, men shouting orders, instructions and warnings of where government fighters were heading under heavy rain. As the fighting intensified, we prepared bags, dressed and headed to the downstairs area where there were no windows to shatter over us, and we waited there for the rest of the day hoping that it would stop, and at the time of sunset, it did. Alhamdulillah, and we hoped that was the end of it and so didn’t seek to evacuate.

24 May

Everyone was so calm about the previous day’s events that it almost seemed normal, but the second day was far more intense than the first. I did not go to work that day (24 May), and all morning sporadic exchanges of small-arms fire was still being heard from all areas of the neighbourhood and some of it right in front of my bedroom window, so I tidied up a little before going to the neighbour’s house to sit out the day because their house was better built than mine as because they had a car in case of a need for a speedy exit.

The artillery started while lunch was still on the stove and we started receiving direct hits before lunch was even half cooked. The shelling was heavy and there were many casualties from both fighters and locals. I was sitting in a small diwan peeking out the window when the first tray-back vehicles drove by loaded up with the dead and dying. As I watched this spectacle, an artillery shell landed on the building opposite, the shockwaves pushed me off the ledge upon which I was sitting and onto the floor. After that I decided to go downstairs and sit with the others until the attack stopped or we bugged out.

We lived quite near the al-Ahmar compound and were able to get news from fighters about what was happening. The 63^rd Republican Guard were not going to stop shelling our neighbourhood until they destroyed the al-Ahmar compound. On 25 May the President of Yemen said on TV that all residents of al-Hasaba should leave the area before 6pm or face the concequences of the soon to commence air attack. For once the President told the truth, although we hoped it was another lie. The attack started not long after midnight and heavy fighting took place in the streets. That day saw the heaviest fighting and the most deaths. And we bugged out and I felt sad to do so, something inside me wanted to stay despite the danger. It was my home after all.

We didn’t return for three weeks and watched and listened to the news. We heard of the death and destruction, and the fires, and the looters and militiamen roaming the streets. Finally, we got the green light to go back and check out our homes. We were all silent with anticipation as we sat in the bus to al-Hasaba.

The bus terminated at the Clock Intersection and immediately we saw the damage of the clock itself and millions of bullet holes in everything as well as the shops on that corner burnt, and the skin doctor’s clinic which I was due to visit before the fighting started also completely burnt. We heard through the weeks all the explosions from al-Hasaba and didn’t hold much hope our house survived.

We walked in a daze up the main street towards the totally burnt out Yemenia Airlines building, electricity lines hung low and limply like long lifeless snakes, metal light poles were cut in half by the sheer amount of bullets that passed through them, leaving behind perforated grey stumps with jagged tops. There were still many al-Ahmar militiamen in the street, weary and dirty, watching us as we walked by.

We reached our street corner, now empty of the women selling bread and the men selling qat. It was also blocked off to traffic because the side of the al-Ahmar compound reached half way down the street. And then we arrived.

I was so happy to see it wasn’t burnt. All the damage we had was smashed windows and qamariyas. All our things where still there and there had not been any rain to damage my books. Now the clean-up begins....  

Obama's Speech

When the White House press speaker announced that Obama will make news in his next speech it would not be pesimistic for anyone to add "same old" before the news, and that is just what we got. Nothing suprising.

A few points LPOY would like to point out is the only part when Ali Saleh is specifically mentioned. First the president said that President Asad of Syria, whose regime is far more brutal and bloody that that of President Saleh's Yemen, was told he should "lead change or get out of the way". So in effect he has been given a choice whereas Saleh was urged to move on transition of power. A very weak statement indeed. So perhaps this is why we see Saleh more stuborn and determined than ever to stay put, he has the support, or if not the support, he has the balance of not being forces, but being urged.

The other point we would like to highlight was the list of trade and investment incentives for transition to democracy that is in line with America's universal values. Instead of aid, there would be trade and istead of assistance there would be investment, or vice versa. These incentives are basically candy. USA finds itself needing to offer candy to the new regimes to toe US policy interests. Allah knows best but if there was to be democracy in Yemen, you may find a majority wanting to follow conservative Islamic lines. This type of democracy is not the type of transition that will win candy.

Israel made its response clear. It is not playing. America's strings may be unravelling.

As for the continuing protests. Personally I hope there is a solution soon and we can all get back to work. The children are starting to pick up some bad behaviour from watching civil disobedience, hearing bad language and the likes on the TV and on the street. My friends children even took to writing over the bedroom walls. My children upon hearing something they don't like immediately exclaim, "Kathaba!" Arabic for liar.

Thinking About Abi Bakr (rAa)

Post by Ayman

This is the first article I have written for this blog. I agreed ages ago to write things in English and translate interesting things, but the Yemen uprising has hijaked my life and I could only find Arabic words to describe the events. It has hijaked more than just my life, it has hijaked all of our lives, our social lives, conversations, family relationships and some, their lives literally.

So I was thinking about Abi Bakr Allah be pleased with him. I thought about him because he was so brave, and did you know that not only was he the first man to become a Muslim, he was also the first Muslim to give an Islamic speech. Really, he decided to announce Islam in Makka, with the Messenger of Allah Peace be upon him, beside him. Abu Bakr did not go very far in his speech before the people of Quraish attacked him. One in particular was very forceful against Abu Bakr and pressed his shoe into the face of as-Siddiq so hard that Abu Bakr's nose became flat. The man who did this was Otba bin Rabi'.

The people of Quraish instantly labelled Abu Bakr a trouble maker from those who are creating disunity amongst the people and the tribes. In those early days of Islam families were becoming split  - Muslims and Kufar.

I was thinking about this story and the situation now in Yemen where the powers of the day are calling the demonstrators trouble makers creating disunitiy in the nation, and families have split along party lines - those with the current regime and status quo and those for change.

Back in the time of the Messenger of Allah the split was kufr (disbelieve/denial) or iman (faith in Islam), now we are all supposed to be Muslims and we are turning on each other for the sake of a corrupt dictatorship. Another thing is the difference in the numbers of those against the dictatorship, they are far greater in number, but they are not united on anything so their numbers become superflous and they have no power. And those of us who choose Islam and iman are still the outsiders and all our brave Abu Bakrs (no one is equal to him, I mean by this, those strong Muslims who speak the truth  no matter the cost) are in prison or in hiding lest a missile fall on their heads. Shuhada' Insha Allah.

My peers are now talking of maching to the President's Palace and ask if I'll march with them. No, I am not keen. They know they could be killed and are so keen and willing to go. So I ask if they are afraid to die in a cause other than Allah and waste the one chance of Marytom. They say "NO! We will march or die!" This is for Allah, do get rid of the corruption. And as they say this they wear Yemen flags painted on their cheeks as if at a football game.

I walk away from them sullenly, disillusioned. I walk home, wishing I was more like Abu Bakr as-Saddiq, but I am not and to avoid conflict with my pro-government parents, I go to bed early.

Stepping up the Ante Again

The Protest movement is planning to march to the Presidents Palace Again. This plan was first thought of back in the earlier days of the uprising but didn't happen due to the high likelyhood of catastrophic results and masacre. It is spoken about on the blog here

This time, the mood is much different. The uprising has gained strength, and the government has bunkered down. The frustration felt by the people of the uprising is growing and they feel they need to push the situation to get a conclusion and are willing to engage in the dangerous action of marching to the heavily armed Presidential palace.

A big difference this time is that big names from big tribes and other leaders are going to march with the protesters, it is not just the youth, it is a combined effort of all involved in ousting the regime.

The uprising it seems has realised that although outside support for the President has waned, this support has not come to the uprising like it did in other uprisings. The people of the uprising realise that they themselves have to seek a solution and that all the Gulf initiatives, and Western words are baseless and empty.

Insha Allah this action is successful and peaceful and we can start to rebuild Yemen.

Corruption in the Gulf is More than in Yemen

Posted by al-Ghariba

We know about the corruption in the Yemen Government, and it being one of the potent fuels for the current uprising and the long existant poverty, so I don't want to spend time illustrating this fact further.

Corruption in Yemen is largely a result of abuse of power and the poverty bought about by these abuses, however the corruption in the Gulf spans a wider range of themes not so evident in Yemen.

Corruption in Gulf governments is present, but the fraud and misappropriation is not so visible because they are so rich and their populations so small that the people do not feel the effects of this corruption because their lives are relatively easy and comfortable. The fraud is wrapped in an immaculately starched white kandoora.

All the governments in the Muslim lands have elements of the same corruption, including special positions for family members despite their qualifications or lack thereof, bribery, collaborating with the enemies of Allah, diluting Islam, handing over Muslims to the Taghut and logistic assistance in renditions of Muslims for torture and interrogation.

Human rights of foreign workers, particularly labourers who work long hours in dangerous conditions for meagre salaries. Some paid the equivalent of two years salary to get into the Gulf in the first place. Their is no serious government regulation to assure work rights of the labourers.The development of the Gulf depends a lot on this cheap labour. May the buildings by swallowed by the sand.

Lack of rights for foreign workers is not limited only to labourers, it also affects professionals who more often than would be expected find themselves in court and or jail with no evidence against them. It could be something as simple as personal dislike for a citizen for that foreigner.

Islamic issues are one of the biggest areas of corruption in the Gulf. The region has opened its doors to foreign non-Muslim workers who bring with them their kufr, haram cultural practices and lower moral standards. You now see alcohol easily availale, pop music blaring in public areas, nightclubs, mixed gatherings, inappropriately dressed men and women and unlawful sexual relationships.

One of the reasons behind allowing alcohol (as explained to me by a Gulf citizen) is that alcohol is part of the non-Muslism's culture and we don't want to deprive them from their culture. I think it would be more accurate to say that the government enjoys the 150-250% tax on alcohol sales.

Extremes of sudden wealth have created an ultra-consumershopping culture and culture of waste without thought.

So, yes corruption inYemen is high, but mainly in areas of authority, of which the people are now in revolt. We can get rid of a corrupt government, but if the corruptions reaches the hearts ofthe people and corruption in social affairs increases, this will be much more difficult to root out and nothing will help them except a return to Islamic values.

My verdict: the Gulf is more corrupt than Yemen.

Usama bin Laden Mawjood!

Posted by Admin:

"Justice has been done." Declared the American President.

Justice indeed is in the Hands of Allah the Most Merciful, and insha Allah Usama bin Laden and those killed along with him are accepted amongst the shuhada'. Not forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars the American government has funnelled away from health, education and welfare services in the hunt for one man.

He may be gone but his legacy has not and the ideology of the establishment of an Islamic State will never die, as Allah the Most Gracious has guaranteed us that there will always be present during all times a "ta'ifat al-Mansoora" a victorious group who are on the truth of Islam.

"They" say that al-Qaeda will die now that Shaikh Usama is gone and the Arab nations rise up against the oppressive rulers, but al-Qaeda will not die, it may change name, shape but in the end the idea of establishing an Islamic state will remain. Once the reality of false freedom of democracy is realised by the Muslim world, they will realise there is no other way to govern other than by what Allah has revealed and that there is no freedom without submission to Allah.

The Arab uprisings will perhaps give groups like al-Qaeda time to rethink some of their strategies and present the Ummah a balanced plan. We, the Ummah need a plan that goes beyond martydom operations and war. What will happen after we gain a victory, how will Islamic governance be implemented on the ground.

Not all Muslims will have the iman to be like Usama bin Laden or those striving in the way of Allah, but to establish Islamic rule the majority of Muslims need to at least support the groups working towards an Islamic state.

Now that "they" have gotten their man, one could expect increased attention by US agencies on al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP), especially considering that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has become the most wanted man and he is in Yemen. We can expect impunity in military actions against AQAP in Yemen. If we look at the operation that lead to the killing of Shaikh Usama we know that the US forces entered and conducted the operation without permission or knowledge of the Pakistani government. One can expect similar action in Yemen and we have already seen such actions taking place in areas of Yemen, especially in the past year.

There have been drone missile strikes (reported in Yemen Times) on targets in Abyan not killing any AQAP but terrifying the locals. The uprising in Yemen has opened a window to unaccountability in military action as emergency law widens the powers of impunity of security forces.

America constantly reiterates that the war on terror is not a war on Muslims. I remember reading an newspaper article title when the war on terror began and it said, "America declares war on an abstract noun."
You can't kill ideas unless you kill every single person with that idea. That's not going to work. Pharoah tried to out-plot Allah by killing all the men of the children of Israel, and in the end the one who undid him was raised in his very house!!! If Allah wants something to happen, it will happen.

May Allah increase the strength of those who strive for His Sake and increase them in victories and support of the Ummah. Allah keep those striving for the establishment of Islam in the lands on the truth and away from oppression and tyrrany. Amin.

On a final note: It has been reported that Shaikh Usama's body has been "burried at sea according to Islamic traditions." Who are they kidding. They were worried his gravesite would become a place of reverence for extremists. Don't they realise that this is against the ideology of "extremists" - the ideology of the Sunnah.

Passive Resistance

Post by al-Ghariba

Passive resistance a method of nonviolent protest against laws or policies in order to force a change or secure concessions; it is also known as nonviolent resistance and is the main tactic of civil disobeydience. Passive resistance typically involves such activities as mass demonstrations, refusal to obey or carry out a law or to pay taxes, the occupation of buildings or the blockade of roads, labor strikes, economic boycotts, and similar activities.

Other methods of resistance include information warfare, picketing, vigils, leafletting, samizdat (reproducing government censored material by hand), magnitizdat (reproducing censored recordings by hand),  protest art, protest music and poetry, community education and consciousness raising, lobbying, tax resistance, boycotts or sanctions, legal/diplomatic wrestling, sabotage, underground railroads, principled refusal of awards/honours, and general strikes. Nonviolent action differs from pacifism by potentially being proactive and interventionist.*.

A campaign of passive resistance was undertaken by residents of the Ruhr area of Germany in response to the military occupation of their region by the French and Belgian Governments as a response to Germany not being able to pay the reparations after the First World War. The Ruhr area was chosen by the French as it was a very productive region and they could extract reparations from Germany through this occupation.

Due to the sudden cutting off of productive regions and access to raw materials and export markets, the currency of the Weimar Republic (the Government after the War and before Hitler) experienced hyperinflation and therefore a severe depression.

The people of the Ruhr responded to their situation with passive resistance. Approximately 130 German civilians were killed by the French occupation army during the events of the resistance but during their passive action the German citizens managed to gain the sympathy of the world, and finally pressure was put on the French and allies to reduce reparations payments (Dawes Plan 1924). The Dawes Plan was a momentous moment in European history as it marked the first time that Germany had succeeded in defying Versailles (those responsible for writing up the Versailles Treaty which placed heavy restictions on Germany after the war).*2

So the objective was to create sympathetic feelings in order to generate powerful support which came in the form of America and the resistance was successful.

Many examples of passive resistance can be found throughout history, and some of the modern resistance actions include the velvet revolution of Czechoslovakia, the Orange revolution of Ukraine, the Cedar revolution of Lebanon and this summer, the so-called Jasmin Revolutions of the Arab countries.

We can find many of the strategies of passive resistance in use by the anti-government protesters. They are creating awareness and continuing to grow as people day by day move to the side of the protesters. They have Suhail Channel constantly broadcasting events around Yemen, protest songs and very importantly broadcasting events and images of government brutality and the matyrs lying in pools of blood.These are very powerful images.

If you go to the protest sit-ins you will find protest art and photo-shop images of the President, there are poetry readings daily on stage, and lots of education and information about the aims of the resistance.

After more than 3 months the Yemen protests, although gathering more support throughout Yemen by the day, have not been able to capture the sympathy of powerful foreign nations allied to the current government who fear the Al-Qaeda threat to the point of phobia. The other difficulty is that Yemen protesters are competeing for air-time on the international news channels with the war in Libya, continuing political jockeying in Tunis and Egypt, the bloodshed of Syria, a Japanese Tsunami and nuclear disaster....so what can the protesters do when things get quiet and no one is looking at their resistance for "freedom"? Go for strolls about town shouting "silmian - Peaceful".

Yesterday saw a particularly bloody stroll through town as tens of thousands of protesters from Change Square in Sana'a left the sit in area for a march through heavily pro-government areas in the northern suburbs of Television, Sports City and Airport Street (near the Interior Ministry and al-Hasaba). The protesters marched down the road that runs from Amran Intersection flyover bridge to al-Hasaba passing by the sports city where the pro-government tents are. The protesters it seemed, wanted to stir a hornets nest and indeed they did.

The area is always and openly full of Republican Guard and Central Security troops who on this occassion were happy to respond to the protesters entering their area with automatic gun fire, killing on last count 12 and injuring more than 100 others with gunshot wounds.Government forces opened fire on ambulances and tens of injured protesters were gathered by the forces and taken away.

Sad as the deaths may be, this is priceless footage for the resistance to send over the world and try to get ontop of the news priority and hopefully push powerful nations to pressure the government more to step down.

Will passive resistance be successful in Yemen? I doubt it. The Yemeni President came to power by force and I doubt very much he would leave except by force, especially considering the even stronger pressure on him from his family to stay put and protect the family jewels.

*from inforplease.com
*2 from enotes.com

Table of passive resistance ations in world history (cut and pasted from wikipedia)

Dates	Region	Main Article	Summary	Refs
BCE 470–391	China	Mohism	The Mohist philosophical school disapproved of war. However, since they lived in a time of warring polities, they cultivated the science of fortification.
around AD 26–36	Judea	Pontius Pilate	Jews demonstrated in Caesarea to try to convince Pontius Pilate not to set up Roman standards, with images of the Roman emperor and the eagle of Jupiter, in Jerusalem (both images were considered idolatrous by religious Jews). Pilate surrounded the Jewish protesters with soldiers and threatened them with death, to which they replied that they were willing to die rather than see the laws of the Torah violated.
Before 1500–1835	Chatham Islands, New Zealand	Moriori	The Moriori were a branch of the New Zealand Māori that colonized the Chatham Islands and eventually became hunter-gatherers. Their lack of resources and small population made conventional war unsustainable, so it became customary to resolve disputes nonviolently or ritually. Due to this tradition of nonviolence, the entire population of 2000 people was enslaved, killed or cannibalized when 900 Māori invaded the island in 1835.	[2][3][4]
1819	England	Peterloo massacre	Famine and chronic unemployment, coupled with the lack of suffrage in northern England, led to a peaceful demonstration of 60,000–80,000 persons, including women and children. The demonstration was organized and rehearsed, with a "prohibition of all weapons of offence or defence" and exhortations to come "armed with no other weapon but that of a self-approving conscience". Cavalry charged into the crowd, with sabres drawn, and in the ensuing confusion, 15 people were killed and 400–700 were injured. Newspapers expressed horror, and Percy Shelley glorified nonviolent resistance in the poem The Masque of Anarchy. However, the British government cracked down on reform, with the passing of what became known as the Six Acts.
1834–38	Trinidad	End of Slavery in Trinidad	The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, then the colonial power in Trinidad, first announced in 1833 the impending total liberation of slaves by 1840. In 1834 at an address by the Governor at Government House about the new laws, an unarmed group of mainly elderly Negroes began chanting: Pas de six ans. Point de six ans ("Not six years. No six years"), drowning out the voice of the Governor. Peaceful protests continued until the passing of a resolution to abolish apprenticeship and the achievement of de facto freedom.	[5][6]
1838	USA	Cherokee removal	The Cherokee refused to recognize the fraudulent Treaty of New Echota and therefore did not sell their livestock or goods, and did not pack anything to travel to the west before the soldiers came and forcibly removed them. That ended tragically in the Cherokee trail of tears.
1860–1894, 1915–1918	New Zealand	Tainui-Waikato	Māori King Tāwhiao forbade Waikato Māori using violence in the face of British colonisation, saying in 1881 "The killing of men must stop; the destruction of land must stop. I shall bury my patu in the earth and it shall not rise again ... Waikato, lie down. Do not allow blood to flow from this time on." This was inspirational to Waikato Māori who refused to fight in World War I. In response, the government brought in conscription for the Tainui-Waikato people (other Māori iwi were exempt), but they continued to resist, the majority of conscripts choosing to suffer harsh military punishments rather than join the army. For the duration of the war, no Tainui soldiers were sent overseas.	[7]
1879–1880	New Zealand	Parihaka	The Māori village of Parihaka became the center of passive resistance campaigns against Europeans occupying confiscated land in the area. More than 400 followers of the prophet Te Whiti o Rongomai were arrested and jailed, most without trial. Sentences as long as 16 months were handed out for the acts of ploughing land and erecting fences on their property. More than 2000 inhabitants remained seated when 1600 armed soldiers raided and destroyed the village.	[8][9]
1908–62	Samoa	Mau movement	Nonviolent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule in the early 20th century.	[10][11]
1919. 2.8, 3.1	Korea	March 1st Movement	This movement became the inspiration of the later Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's Satyagraha—resistance and many other non-violent movement in Asia.	[12]
1919–22	Egypt	Egyptian Revolution of 1919	A countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of revolutionary leader Saad Zaghlul and other members of the Wafd Party in 1919. The event led to Egyptian independence in 1922 and the implementation of a new constitution in 1923.
1919–21	Ireland	Irish Non-cooperation movement	During the Irish War for Independence, Irish nationalists used many non-violent means to resist British rule. Amongst these was abstention from the British parliament, tax boycotts, and the creation of alternative local government, Dáil Courts, and police.	[13]
1919–present	Palestine	Mubarak Awad First Intifada Third Intifada	Palestinian groups have worked with Israelis and foreign citizens to organize civilian monitors of Israeli military activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Peace camps and strategic non-violent resistance to Israeli construction of Jewish settlements and of the West Bank Barrier have also been consistently adopted as tactics by Palestinians. Citizens of the Palestinian village of Beit Sahour also engaged in a tax strike during the First Intifada.
1920–22	British India	Non-cooperation movement	A series of nationwide people's movements of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) and the Indian National Congress. In addition to bringing about independence, Gandhi's nonviolence also helped improve the status of the Untouchables in Indian society.
1923	Germany	The Occupation of the Ruhr	With the aim of occupying the centre of German coal, iron, and steel production in the Ruhr valley; France invaded Germany for neglecting some of its reparation payments after World War I. The occupation of the Ruhr was initially greeted by a campaign of passive resistance.
1930–34	British India	Civil disobedience movement	Nonviolent resistance marked by rejecting British imposed taxes, boycotting British manufactured products and mass strikes, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) and the Indian National Congress.
1933–45	Germany	German Resistance	Throughout World War II, there were a series of small and usually isolated groups that used nonviolent techniques against the Nazis. These groups include the White Rose and the Confessional Church.
1940–43	Denmark	Danish resistance movement	During World War II, after the invasion of the Wehrmacht, the Danish government adopted a policy of official co-operation (and unofficial obstruction) which they called "negotiation under protest." Embraced by many Danes, the unofficial resistance included slow production, emphatic celebration of Danish culture and history, and bureaucratic quagmires.
1940–45	Norway	Norwegian resistance movement	During World War II, Norwegian civil disobedience included preventing the Nazification of Norway's educational system, distributing of illegal newspapers, and maintaining social distance(an "ice front") from the German soldiers.
1942	British India	Quit India Movement	The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan or the August Movement) was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence.
1945–71	South Africa	Defiance Campaign Internal resistance to South African apartheid	The ANC and allied anti-apartheid groups initially carried out non-violent resistance against pro-racial segregation and apartheid governments in South Africa.
1946–1958	Territory of Hawaii	Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954	Following World War II, general strikes were initiated by the large working poor against racial and economic inequality under Hawaii's plantation economy. Movement members took over most of the government in 1954 and the State of Hawaii was established in 1959.
1955–68	USA	African-American Civil Rights Movement Chicano Civil Rights Movement Mass protest in the United States	Tactics of nonviolent resistance, such as bus boycotts, freedom rides, sit-ins and mass demonstrations, were used during the African American Civil Rights Movement. This movement succeeded in bringing about legislative change, and making separate seats, drinking fountains, and schools for African Americans illegal.	[14][15]
1957–present	USA	Committee for Non-Violent Action	Among the most dedicated to nonviolent resistance against the US arsenal of nuclear weapons has been the Plowshares Movement, consisting largely of Catholic priests, such as Dan Berrigan, and nuns. Since the first Plowshares action in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania during the autumn of 1980, more than 70 of these actions have taken place.	[16][17][18]
1959–present	Cuba	Cuban opposition since 1959	There have been many nonviolent activists in opposition to Cuba's authoritarian regime. Among these are Pedro Luis Boitel (1931–1972), Guillermo Fariñas Hernández ("El Coco"), and Jorge Luis García Pérez (known as Antúnez), all of whom have performed hunger strikes.	[19][20][21]
1968	Worldwide	Protests of 1968	The protests that raged throughout 1968 were for the most part student-led. Worldwide, campuses became the front-line battle grounds for social change. While opposition to the Vietnam War dominated the protests, students also protested for civil liberties, against racism, for feminism, and the beginnings of the ecological movement can be traced to the protests against nuclear and biological weapons during this year.	[22]
1970–81	France	Larzac	In response to an expansion of a military base, local farmers including José Bové and other supporters including Lanza del Vasto took part in nonviolent resistance. The military expansion was canceled after ten years of resistance.
1979	Iran	Iranian Revolution	The Iranian Revolution of 1979 or 1979 Revolution (often known as the Islamic Revolution), refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.	[23]
1980–present	Poland	Solidarity Orange Alternative	Solidarity, a broad anti-communist social movement ranging from people associated with the Roman Catholic Church to members of the anti-communist Left, advocated non-violence in its members' activities. Additionally, the Orange Alternative offered a wider group of citizens an alternative way of opposition against the authoritarian regime by means of a peaceful protest that used absurd and nonsensical elements.	[24][25][26]
1986	Philippines	People Power Revolution	A series of nonviolent and prayerful mass street demonstrations that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and placed Corazon C. Aquino into power. After an election which had been condemned by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, over two million Filipinos protested human rights violations, election fraud, massive political corruption, and other abuses of the Marcos regime. Yellow was a predominant theme, the colour being associated with Corazon Aquino and her husband, Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated three years prior.
1987–90	The Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)	Singing Revolution	A cycle of mass demonstrations featuring spontaneous singing in The Baltic States. The movement eventually collected 4,000,000 people who sang national songs and hymns, which were strictly forbidden during the years of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, as local rock musicians played. In later years, people acted as human shields to protect radio and TV stations from the Soviet tanks, eventually regaining Lithuania's, Latvia's, and Estonia's independence without any bloodshed.	[27]
1989	Czechoslovakia	Velvet Revolution	During the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak citizens responded to the attack on their sovereignty with passive resistance. Russian troops were frustrated as street signs were painted over, their water supplies mysteriously shut off, and buildings decorated with flowers, flags, and slogans like, "An elephant cannot swallow a hedgehog."
1989–90	East Germany	Monday demonstrations in East Germany	The Monday demonstrations in East Germany in 1989 and 1990 (German: Montagsdemonstrationen) were a series of peaceful political protests against the authoritarian government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) of East Germany that took place every Monday evening.
1990–91	Azerbaijan SSR	Black January	A crackdown of Azeri protest demonstrations by the Red Army in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR. The demonstrators protested against ethnic violence, demanded the ousting of communist officials and called for independence from the Soviet Union.
2003	Liberia	Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace	This peace movement, started by women praying and singing in a fish market, brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.
2004–05	Israel	Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004	Protesters opposing Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004 nonviolently resisted impending evacuations of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Protesters blocked several traffic intersections, resulting in massive gridlock and delays throughout Israel. While Israeli police had received advance notice of the action, opening traffic intersections proved extremely difficult. Eventually, over 400 demonstrators were arrested, including many juveniles. Further large demonstrations planned to commence when Israeli authorities, preparing for disengagement, cut off access to the Gaza Strip. During the confrontation, mass civil disobedience failed to emerge in Israel proper. However, some settlers and their supporters resisted evacuation non-violently.
2004–2005	Ukraine	Orange Revolution	A series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was marred by massive corruption, voter intimidation and direct electoral fraud. Nationwide, the democratic revolution was highlighted by a series of acts of civil disobedience, sit-ins, and general strikes organized by the opposition movement.
2005	Lebanon	Cedar Revolution	A chain of demonstrations in Lebanon (especially in the capital Beirut) triggered by the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.
2010	Israel-Palestine	Palestinian Protests in West Bank	A "White Intifada" has begun to take hold in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Weekly protests by Peaceful Palestinian activities accompanied by B'Tselem ( the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) in addition to Israel academics and students against settlers and security forces. The EU through it's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has criticised the peaceful movement and is she was deeply concerned about the arrest of Abdullah Abu Rahmeh. There have been two fatalities among protesters and an American peace activist suffered brain damage after being hit by a tear gas canister	[28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]
2011	Tunisia	2010–2011 Tunisian uprising	A chain of demonstrations against unemployment and government corruption in Tunisia. Protests were triggered by the self-immolation of the vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi and resulted in the 24-year-ruling president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fleeing the country a month later.
2011	Egypt	2011 Egyptian protests
2011	Syria	2011 Syrian Revolution	started on March 15, 2011 as a collaborative effort between online websites such as Liberty For The People of Syria {الحرية لشعب سوريا}, The Syrian Revolution 2011, The Syrian Days of Rage {يوم الغضب السوري}, and some other media websites that facilitated the coordination and communication of Syrians on the grounds who were deprived from any local organizing bodies due to the country's 48-year old state of emergency that was instated in 1963 upon the takeover of power by Al-Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party and that was later taken over by the Assad regime in November 16, 1970. Since then, Syrians have experienced very minimal political life and virtually no exercise of freedom of expression until the Syrian revolution erupted, launching the most significant coordinated campaign of civil disobedience and peaceful protests in various Syrian cities. The response by the regime was and continue to be very brutal and has caused the death of hundreds of Syrian citizens and more than a thousand wounded in addition to thousands of people arbitrarily detained in a government campaign to quell the rebellion but it is only growing stronger by the day. The future of the Syrian revolution remains uncertain but one thing that has been certain thus far is its civil nature despite the elaborate media campaign by the ruling Assad regime to defame and attack the rebellion.

Suggestion for Salehs Farewell Speech

I cringe when I hear the president address the nation "O great Yemeni people," It is soooooo condescending, it is insulting coming from him.

I wrote up this short and sweet speech, a suggestion if the great Yemeni president is stuck for words.

ياأيها الشعب اليمني العظيم
شكرا للذكريات... نعم
و شكرا لأعمالكم
و شكرا لعرقكم
و شكرا لدموعكم
و شكرا لدمائكم
و شكرا جزيلا لمالكم

مع السلامة

O Great People of Yemen,
Thank you for the memories
Thank you for your toils
Thankyou for your sweat
Thank you for your tears
Thank you for your blood
and a big thank you for your wealth

Good bye

Steps to Start a War in Sana'a

Yemen Post reported that Yemen's president Saleh has planned to explode the situation militarily in the capital Sana'a, amid the escalation of the protests calling for his ouster, almasdaronline.com reported on Wednesday.

The independant news website quoted political and security sources with knowledge of the plans as saying that: " Saleh and his relatives, especially those who command key military systems, have chaos and criminal plans on which they pin hope to cling to power and that these plans just need to be implemented".
The plans will be implemented in two phases; in the first phase, the targets will be the first armored division, whose commander announced peaceful support to the popular uprising, the square of change outside Sana'a University and houses of opposition leaders , the sources were quoted as saying.
"Missiles will be fired at these targets, and in the second phase the pro-Saleh forces will raid the targets".
Saleh himself will run the operations in collaboration with his son, Ahmed, commander of the republican guard, his nephews commanders of the national security and the central security, and his brother, the website said.
The national security will use force to disperse the tens of thousands, who have been conducting a sit-in in the square of change for months to call for the resignation of Saleh, it said, quoting analysts and politicians as warning of the consequences of such plans.

LPOY contacts have also expressed similar information. The targeting of the main Ali Muhsin rebel army base would affect the areas around Al-Eman University, Nahdha street and Sitteen areas adjoining the bases. Threats have also been made to the residences of Ali Muhsin as well as parts of the al-Ahmar* family including the compound of Shaikh Sadeq in al-Hasaba area.

Insha Allah the situation finds a solution before such potentially catastrophic events befall the community. If the President leaves, it seems he will destroy what ever is left on his way out.

*The al-Ahmar family are not the same as the al-Ahmar name of Ali-Muhsin.

Local Gas Demonstrations

As the gas supply crisis intensifies, the smell of charcoal thickens in the air. The availability and price of charcoal has forced many residents to switch to this fuel supply to meet their daily cooking needs.

On plastic shopping bag of charcoal costs around 60 riyals and if used for a meal and tea/coffee, will last 2days. Despite this, the fuel source is proving to be cheaper than gas, if one can get their hands on gas, which has risen to up to 5000riyals per bottle.

Local residents have taken to blocking roads with their empty gas bottles.These blockages are causing further disruptions in traffic flow.

Sana'a Situation Map Link

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=208524688437899033617.0004a0dea7f037b0c6774&ll=15.38815,44.221001&spn=0.193975,0.287361&z=12

American Journalist Jeb Boone updates this map every-so-often.

Civil Disobedience and Sabotage

A lot is going on around town and not all of it is happening at the demonstration area in Change Square.

Sit-inners are getting more and more frustrated and have been marching by the tens of thousands through town calling for more people to join them as well as continuing their demands of complete removal of the President, his sons and cronies rejecting all dialogue and mediation as a useless until their demands are met.

The protesters are often being met with lethal force, and  are fighting back with rock throwing and many are armed with traditional daggers, which are not merely for decoration.

Acts of civil disobedience have been various, ranging from simple grafitti to spreading sit-ins to other areas of the capital, but the more dangerous actions have been coming from the big players, actions such as skirmishes between the two armies (government loyalist forces and the forces of General Ali Muhsin). One of these exchanges was reported to have happened at the Amran Road check point. (Road to Amran from Sana'a to the north). It has been reported that artillery was used by both sides as the Ali Muhsin army attempted to gain control of the area.

The call by protesters to partake in civil disobedience has opened the door for the government to sabotage vital services and then blame it on protesters, such as the cutting of power lines in Marib. These power lines provide a large portion of the energy needs of the capital Sana'a.

Government forces are also restricting gaz trucks into the Capital, causing mass cooking gas shortages and inflated prices as bottles are now exceeding 3000 riyals.

An interesting story has come out of Abyan about who was responsible for the ammunition factory explosion with resulted in the deaths of 150 people. A previously unknow Jihadi group in Jaar (the town housing the ammunition factory) has come forward claiming responsibility and saying that their group is not al-Qaeda but share the same vision as al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and also say their people wear the same clothes as Afghani people. I found this quite strange that this group has now emerged, I cannot hold the reports of this group with any credibility and will hazard a guess that this is a fabricated group made up by the Government to cover their possible involvement or implicity in the explosion.

Some interesting claims have been made that students from al-Eman University have been trained by the Ali Muhsin army and instructed to attack the Sana'a International Airport as well as government media. I am unable to confirm if such a plan was underway, but this is not the first time that students of al-Eman University have been accused of receiving military training from the army base that borders the university.

Meanwhile the value of the riyal is falling which is a problem for a country that imports almost all its food. This has been a long term prblem in Yemen and we could blame qat growing for that - agricultural sabotage and a government that seemed to encourage qat chewing perhaps as a means to pacify the population all these years.

The Third Person View Through Town

Many people are getting weary of the demonstrations blogging down in their lives and clogging the roads. It is hard to get about one's daily business without meeting either road blocks, military checkpoints, demonstrators both in fixed locations and large bodies of them marching around town, tear gas, armed hooligans and other types of armed locals.

It isn't a strange thing to accidentally get caught up in a tear gas storm if your way home happened to be along the protesters march route, maybe even a stray bullet to brighten you day.

Tahrir, is reported by some to be out of bounds not because of the pro-government camp as such but because of the horrendous stench emminating from the location. One local remarked, "they are indeed the garbage of the regime."

Balataja (hired thugs) do roam and do so openly and menacingly. Just walk by and make dua they don't take to you with a bat or butt (of a rifle).

Another group described as balataja has taken over the suburb of al-Hasabah, the location of the al-Ahmar compound. Since moving in at the start of the uprising to protect the residence of Shaikh Sadiq al-Ahmar (the eldest of the brothers and the leader of the Hashid tribal confederation) residents of the area complained of rubbish in the streets, the blocking-off of roads and thoroughfares as well as feeling of fear of their mere existance.

They are not the same as government sponsored balataja as they do not actively go out and hunt people to assault or kill, the just sit around chewing qat with their rifles. They lack basic bearing and carry their weapons in dangerous ways that could easily cause a fatality of a pedestrian should the trigger become caught on something, which during the few hours I spent in al-Hasabah, happened three times, and the locals I was visiting simply remarked, "oh, there is another one," indicating that these accidental discharges happen regularly. These hired tribesmen hardly seem a force to reckon with should an attack on the al-Ahmar compound eventuate.

While walking through the area I was myself almost bowled over as a mad dash of al-Ahmar tribal gunmen ran like a heard of startled gazelles onto the road. I wondered what had happened until I saw them all clammouring at the window of an ice-cream truck!

Also in al-Hasabah area, at jawlat as-sa'ah (intersection of the clock) which is near the Thawra Park and the Ministry of Interior one of the foreign brothers reported that he was stopped by police for an ID and weapon check. Alhamdulillah he was not harrassed further and walked away without even paying a bribe. Those police must have already bought their qat.

The protestors of Change Square are continueing with their daily marches around the area, often resulting in the blocking of the Sitten, either along the road between the Science and Technology Hospital heading west, or up the Sitteen near Al-Eman University. It seems sitting-in is not enough now, and extra measures are needed. These marches are part of the civil disobedience sweeping through anti-government camps in a few protectorates of Yemen.

One wonders how long this situation can continue as many people are now out of work due to closure of businesses, schools, universities and many other institutions around the city. Transport is difficult and journeys can take double and tripple the time the same journey would take before the uprising started.

This will be a battle of patience. Not just for the protesters and political figures, but for the residents of the whole country.

Numbers

The Government claims that five million people attended the pro-government rally in Sana'a this past Friday, named Friday of Compromise by the government and Friday of Steadfastness by the anti-Government camp.

Five million however seems somewhat exaggerated. I admit that there was a huge crowd, but five million is something enormous. If you have ever seen the massiveness of a one million crowd, you will understand that a five million crowd is much bigger and much more beholding to the eye, actually it would be too much for the eye, so after seeing footage of the Saleh rally, I would say it would be one million tops. A source mentioned that the number this Friday was the same as last Friday, that is, 15,000 from inside Sana'a and another 70,000 trucked in from other governates. That number falls way short of the one million that I generously estimated.

The source also estimated that country wide, the president has 600 close supporters and 4 million general population support of a population of 24 million, so democratically speaking, its a landslide popular uprising.

The President after accepting GCC initiatives of mediation has slammed the door, seems GCC brothers are no longer in support of supporting him so he's taken his ball and gone home.

I found this quote describing diplomacy with President Saleh, “The brusker, the blunter, the better,” the British ambassador to Yemen said. “Saleh doesn’t understand anything if it’s framed diplomatically.”

How much more blunt can the people be demonstrating in very large numbers all over the country for his ouster?

The only people with him now are his sons, the corrupt and the ignorant, all the rest will leave him once their payments stop.

Sh#% Rolls Down Hill

It has been 2 months since the anti-government sit in started at the front of Sana'a University, slowly growing and extending along the adjoining streets. The protesters have remained patient and not retaliated violently to violence metted out to them by government forces and their affiliates.

I applaud the audacity of the original sit-inners, but now the situation has become way too big for the youth and well, quite frankly they have bitten off more than they can chew and now need support, help and guidance from those older and more experienced.

Hearing statements from youth expressing disappointment that America has not been more helpful is one such naive idea I have found amongst youth activists. Or the call for democracy and freedom, not realising that democracy does not equate to freedom, but is a system that bends with the desires of the people, which may not always be in keeping with Islamic principles. A move further away from Islam is not a desireable outcome for Yemen or for the Ummah in general.

In fact no matter what system is in place after Saleh leaves, the situation for the people is going to be desperate. Poverty will increase, long with unemployment and lack of opportunities while the new leadership slowly combs out all the knots tied up by the current regime. The patience of the sit-inners will have to continue as all Yemeni hands work to clean up the mess, something that could take an entire generation, pending no future internal conflicts or messy foreign interventions.

Protesters have recently  taken to taking walks en masse around the areas near university and have attracted attacks from pro-government affilliates. Yesterday 4 were killed on the Sitteen not too far from Al-Eman University (which is in an Ali Muhsin army area), while on one of these walks. The protesters are frustrated that it is taking so long to dislodge the President and so need to push the point further. Continued killings have prompted responses from EU for the President to hand over power immediately, but America is still weak on resolve in this crisis wanting to support the President for his cooperation in the war on al-Qaeda, and in doing so, creating a police state which people can unite on in opposition to the Saleh regime and American foreign policy.

From what we can see, the President will cling to power as long as he can, buying time with agreements to GCC sponsored talks (which the opposition opposes as talks with the President are a waste of time, no talks until he is gone), and no one really knows how far the President will go in regards to military force upon protestors as well as opposition figures and their families. He may go so far as to "do a Gaddafi".

Allah protect us from such lunacy and strengthen us so not as to let such lunatics rule over the Muslims. Amin.