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.

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.

Pieces of News

Posted by Admin
The government has completely lost control of al-Jawf province in the center north of the country, not that it ever really had much control there in the first place. It is also a place where Huthis hang out besides Sa'ada. This is where al-Qaeda is very useful for the government as the "terrorist" organisation often helps out in the fight against Huthis.

Also clashes have broken out in Hadhramaut. You can read about Jawf and Hadhramout in English here.http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=35827

Shaikh Sadeq has made public the revelation of assassination plots on big anti-government figures in Yemen. This is to be expected from the current regime, but coming from the Shaikh gives extra impetus as he is not known for dishonesty or trouble making.

Line-ups for gas are growing. I passed one yesterday of easily over 150 people long. Maybe Yemenis will need to get used to eating something other than rice and meat (no sarcasm there). It is an economic burden on Yemen to now import cooking gas when the country is a big gas supplier.

It's not just the gas but all consumer items are rapidly increasing in price

On the economic subject, Dr, Nasr al-Awlaki was interviewed on Al-Jazeera English and no mention of him being abu Anwar, which is good. The Dr. spoke only of politics (Ali should step down) and economics (Yemen falling into an abyss). 

Despite all the problems, life in most parts of Sana'a continue as per normal.

Yemen State of Emergency

At last count 52 had died from the attack on unarmed protesters at Change Square near Sana'a University last Friday. Heart-wrenching is the only word to describe the sight of the stream of dead and severely injured entering the made shift hospital set up in the Masjid out the front of the university. Some of them mouthing the shahada "La ilaha ila Allah" before passing away.

The Yemeni President has announced there will be an independant investigation into the incident, which is laughable and insulting. Independant indeed!

Most reports say the shooters were "balatajia" or hired thugs. Government supporters say it was Hameed al-Ahmar, which in my view is not possible, for anyone who knows anything about Hameed, whether he is aiming to become president or not, this action seen last Friday is not his style. At least the President didn't blame al-Qaeda.

As for reports that the shooters on top of apartment buildings lining the streets in the protest areas were snipers is debatable. The fact that most victims had head, neck, chest or shoulder injuries is not suprising if the shooters were on the roof of a multi-storey building shooting down at a crowded area. However, having said that, the report that Muhammad al-Shamiri an officer from 1st Armoured Division was shot in the head suggests that there may have been snipers aiming at 'defectors', especially considering that this particular army division recently refused orders to attack protestors (reported in al-Ghad newpaper, Yemen).

Word on the street says that the shooters were not residents of those buildings and entered without any invitation from them. This goes against Government claims that some shooters were disgruntled residents tired of the protests disrupting their lives. I know that some residents are afraid and tired of all the noise and attacks, but to go so far as to open fire is unlikely.

The goverment is bleeding high level personnel. Ministers, army officers, state media employees and Ambassadors are resigning over this bloody event.

Protesters have maintained their resolve and remaining patient and un-armed. It is well known to them that the President is trying to provoke them to fight back and thus hand the government legitimacy to open up and attack with force to clear out the protesters.

We are all making du'a that Yemen moves through this upheaval without anymore horrendous incidents. But many feel this is unlikely as military equipment and vehicles arrived at the Aden port from Saudi Arabia.

What happens next is anyone's guess. Let's all hope Saleh doesn't do a Gaddafi!

Unrest in Yemen Spreading

In Jawf and Marib province tribal squabbles and revenge killings have the potential to escalate into localised tribal skirmishes.

In Sana'a protests continue. The lack of English news in the past days is due to foreign journalists being deported or hiding out. You may have notices Hisham Ahl-Bara absent from Al-Jazeera English despite the action in Yemen escalating and possibly reaching Libya-like levels.

Here is some cut and paste from Yemen Times Newspaper (in bold).

The US ambassador continued to urge Yemenis to give Saleh another chance and to sit with him at the negotiating table. He claimed that street protests will not achieve anything, as they are blocking dialogue and causing the deaths of innocent Yemenis.

Of course USA does not want de lose Ali Saleh despite the corruption and lack of human rights metted out by his regime. He is very cooperative in the fight against al-Qaeda. However, asking the people to sit and talk with him is very aggrevating to the anti-gov side. Saleh does not listen and implement. There is no trust for him, when he speaks he lies when he promises he breaks his promise.

Ambassador Feierstein believes that the potential for violence in Yemen is even worse than in Libya, considering that most Yemenis own weapons. Weak state institutions coupled with the risk of using arms is a significant concern.

This is true. Tribes in Yemen are very very well armed and not afraid to use it.

Moving on to Shaikh Zindani who has reportedly fled Sanaa to his tribal area. (Yemen Times)

 SANA’A, March 13 – A source close to Sheikh Abdul Majeed Al-Zindani told the Yemen Times that Al-Zindani moved from Sana’a to his hometown in Arhab district on Saturday as pro-democracy demonstrations grow nationwide. Arhab district is approximately 20 km to the north of the capital.

Hood Abu Ras, a spokesman at Al-Zindani’s office in Sana’a, said that this move was made in response to soldiers who have “started killing protesters to disperse them in the name of Al-Zindani.” A week ago, Al-Zindani also made a statement on state television describing demonstrations as “illegal”. His office claims that his statement was taken out of context.

On Saturday, the 26 September newspaper, a state-owned news service, sent out text messages quoting the US ambassador to Yemen, who has asserted that Al-Zindani is still considered a wanted terrorist by the US and UN.

The Yemeni government began this media campaign against Al-Zindani following a statement in which he announced his support for the pro-democracy demonstrations two weeks ago.

Al-Zindani remains a wanted terrorist by the US in spite of the fact that he leads the Islah Party Shura Council, a large wing within Yemen’s Islamist political party.

In a recent press conference, US ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein said that his government would have a problem with Yemen if Al-Zindani was elected as president or became involved in any new government.

“What we would like to see in Yemen are free and fair elections. In Palestine, we have a problem with Hamas because they are a terrorist organization. As you know, Abdul Majeed Al-Zindani is considered to be a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations. So would we have a problem if he were elected president? Absolutely,” said Feierstein.

A Yemeni political analyst has said that the Yemeni regime has exploited the US ambassador’s quote, which was taken from an interview conducted by the Saba News Agency and published on Saturday.

“When he [Al-Zindani] was in the presidential palace, they [the Yemeni government] gave him their full support. But when he sided with the anti-government protests, they began campaigning against him,” he said.

Al-Zindani is the one of the most powerful and vocal religious scholars in the country. He is also the rector and founder of Iman University, a religious school based in Sana’a that is attended by more than 5,000 students.

According to local Arabic press, social figures and tribal leaders in Arhab are now taking orders from Al-Zindani.
Some local comment on this include this from "Abdullah",

It is interesting to read the level of ignorance when people can associate Islamic caliphate/governance systems with failure and regression. Those who posit the idea of a top down system and those who criticize Islamic governance are from the same elk. The rely either on the knowledge and opinion of heretics or orientalists, all of whom have a concerted interest in seeing muslims leave their religion and preventing non-muslims from accessing accurate information on various matters of the religion.

To blame Islam of not being able to provide any solutions speaks volumes of your intellectual dishonesty. I guess by your perspective, and those who share your view, the free market, unrestricted capitalism, along with rampant corruption, lack of auditing and regulation, that has permeated throughout Yemen over the past 15 years can simply be alleviated by "giving people the vote"? I do not support the Islah party or Zindani for that matter. But blaming Islam for the socio-economic regression is an argument void of any truth and logic.

There is a famous saying in Arabic, translated "your are ruled according to your condition". The condition of nation is reflected in the ruler who is in charge of them. Not all Yemenis are corrupt nor all officials for that matter. I believe there are generally some who want a reformed system but removing one person does not solve this problem.

We need to work to build upon unification by making sure that wealth is not concentrated in the north but distributed to build the entire nation. I agree with Hussein that prior to the political riots Yemen does not feel unified. The people in south feel punished as if it was there choice to pick communism. Like a human body, Yemen is suffers many maladies. But chopping off the head is not the first step for recovery.

Shaikh Zindani Changes his Mind - Alhamdulillah

This post written by Al-Ghariba

I mentioned once before that I doubted a full scale uprising was unlikely in Yemen due to a number of factors but one of them being that Islamic leaders, especially Shaikh Zindani, the rector of al-Eman University in Sana'a, said that uprising against the government is haram because the leader - Ali Abdullah Saleh - establishes the prayer.

The Shaikh maintained this stance for years and anyone who spoke out too loudly against him in this stance may have had their house vandalised by thugs (every big character has a gang of thugs to do the dirty work) or banned from his university.

Now he has finally taken a more Islamic political stance by publically supporting the anti-government protests and calling for the establishment (I am not sure how loud he said that), of an Islamic state. That's great news but I would be hesitant to follow him in case he changed his mind again if he gets a bit scared of stronger characters.

Western media covering this are quick to remind us that the Shaikh is an al-Qaeda sympathiser (that's just one step down from being actual al-Qaeda) and that he is a specially designated terrorist (specially designated by America of course).

Since I am on the topic of a Shaikh speaking out against the government, I might now turn your attention to a speech televised on Yemen's Suhail channel of Shaikh Tareq al-Suwaidan from Kuwait. Summarising heavily, he said that the president of Yemen is a liar and the people of Yemen should not believe any of his words in regard to his intended actions and are within their rights to uprise against him.

Yemen Protests Continued

Today is billed to be a big day in the protest scene of Sana'a and this morning I could hear the distant chants emminating from the anti-government camp out the front of Sana'a University. I personally am taking the day off to avoid traffic and possible security problems.

As I walk around my area of Sana'a the traffic is noticeably sparse and a few trucks full of pro-government protesters with their President colour portraits zoom past, both sides emboldened, not just to speak out, but to hurl obcenities to pedestrians. Which leaves me to ask, what will happen with all those colour portraits if the President goes. What a waste of materials. I could never understand a dictators need to plaster his face on every spare surface. Smells of narcicism. But it gives anti-government protesters more to deface and destroy.

And what about all the sons of fallen and falling dictators, do you think they'd be pissed with daddy, "Hey dad, you've ruined my future! Now I will never have the opportunity to see my face plastered all over the nation and suck the money of the people."

The Yemeni President spoke to his cronies, and this was aired on local and international news channels, and he said to them, if I go, you all go, look what happened in Tunis and Egypt, the people got rid of the whole system, so think about it and be careful. True, if the pin is pulled on Saleh, it hopefully would be pulled on his associates, and similarly if Saleh pulls the pin on corruption he will be pulling the pin on himself. It's lose lose for now and the protesters are gaining momentum, and as I saw them, I was suprised by their organisation and management. Small scale I know, but nothing in Yemen bares much of the signs of fluid organisation.

I am not participating or observing protests actively but as it is the biggest news in Yemen right now I would hate to ignore it so I'd like to recommend this Yemen blog for protest commentary. Yemen Peace Project

Pied Piper of Jihad

This documentary, "The Pied Piper of Jihad," has been shown on al-Jazeera English "People and Power" program. It portrays Yemen as an ultimate destination for Western Muslims looking for Jihad.

The title suggests that those Western Muslims who come to Yemen are brainlessly following the Pied Piper -Anwar Al-Awlaki. Western Muslims I know came here for a simple life in a Muslim country, nothing more, nothing less.

The documentary was made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and was first screened in Australia.

Notice that the reporter did not speak to any Islamic representatives in Yemen or foriegners here. They only interviewed Yahya Saleh, the Amna Siyasi (Political Security) chief, and nephew of the president. It seems that the programs main aim is to strengthen anti-Muslim fears already existing amongst the west and to make it harder for people to make hijrah to Yemen by labelling all muhajireen to Yemen as fanatics and potential terrorists

You cannot view this program on Al-Jazeera, but you can watch it on the ABC website.
Pied Piper of Jihad

Al-Jazeera Coverage

Wind the clock back to when the Palestinian Papers were saturating the news coverage on Al-Jazeera English. It was not clear whether the purpose was to discredit the Palestinian Authority or to show that it is in fact Israel who is not a true peace partner or to rub salt in the wounds of the Palestinian people, and those close to the cause. Maybe all three. But really, was anyone suprised by any of the information in the leaks?

None the less, I became bored with the never ending analysis and "what do you make of these leaks?" asked to every Middle East boffin between here and Washington. Nothing will change for the Palestinian situation until the Arab world changes and stops supporting American foreign policy especially in regard to Israel. So to stop wasting my time I changed channel - to the BBC world service and was delighted to find out there would be a special program on that night about Yemen - Is it a failed state? Cliche!

The time came for the program to start when breaking news came in - the Tunisian President had stepped down a fled to Saudi Arabia. So now there was blanket coverage of the events before, during and after the Presidents demise. Palestinian Papers were filed away for a rainy day and no Yemen program.

I felt happy a dictator had fallen, but I wanted to watch my Yemen program. "Yemen needs an uprising if it is going to get any airtime now," I thought to myself. Then Tunis news was eaten up by Egyptian news. And then the domino effect, I think you get my drift.

So Yemen whose people have been demonstrating for years, is actually getting quite a bit of news time on Al-Jazeera and it feels that the broadcaster is almost encouraging, tempting further dictator demises, giving lots of coverage on protests in Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. And especially the words of President Obama  and Hilary Clinton encouraging the people of the Middle East to rise up against evil dictators, and that America supports the democratic aspirations of all people.

After all these decades of supporting these dictators America wipes its hands of them and is now tempting the people. I hope the people see the emptiness of the American words. America supports the democratic aspirations of Muslims towards kufr - disbelief. Don't let their words decieve you, and what makes you think they will stand by you once they have achieved their aims. Dispensable, the people of the Middle East are dispensible, always have been and always will be.

 So what happened as after of the Palestine Papers...oh yeah, thats right, Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator stepped down. The Arab world started making big moves towards change and hope has been reborn...Maybe I and many others I know will stop being bored with Palestine coverage once new Arab governments ammend the foreign policies of old.