Iran expresses "concern" over mounting violence in Yemen, in the midst of which the Yemeni regime has declared jihad on Shi'ites. Of course, Iran realizes that, as a consequence of its efforts (public and otherwise) to position itself as the leading nation of the Islamic world, turmoil involving Shi'ite groups anywhere begs the question of Iranian involvement; indeed, Iran has already been accused of having something to do with the situation in Yemen.
Then, this statement from Iran serves both as damage control in the face of international suspicion, and as a chance to reiterate Ahmadinejad's contention that conspiracies outside the Islamic world are fomenting sectarian conflict, in an ongoing attempt to deflect attention from Iran's increasing rivalry with Saudi Arabia, and involvement in various arenas of jihad worldwide.
"Iran worried by Yemen sectarian unrest," from AFP:
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran has expressed concern over deadly clashes between a Shiite sect and government forces in Yemen, saying some elements were seeking to create sectarian strife there similar to Iraq, the ISNA news agency reported Thursday.
Ali Akbar Velayati, the influential advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made the comments after talks in Tehran late on Wednesday with visiting Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah Al-Kourbi.
"We are worried by the situation in Yemen as the elements which are trying to create division between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq are trying to do the same in Yemen," he said.
Some 42 soldiers have been killed and 81 wounded in rebel attacks since late January blamed on supporters of Abdul Malak al-Huthi from the Zaidi minority.
The Zaidis are an offshoot of Shiite Islam dominant in northwestern Yemen, but form a minority in the mainly Sunni country.
"Ayatollah Khamenei has always insisted on the unity between Sunnis and Shiites," added Velayati.
"The clashes in Yemen are not in the interest of Yemen and the Islamic world and we hope that the Yemeni government can use peaceful means to re-establish peace and prevent the clashes," he added.
Overwhelmingly Shiite Iran has been accused by the United States of seeking to stir trouble in countries in the region with mixed Sunni and Shiite populations such as Lebanon and Iraq.
Iran has vehemently denied the charges, instead accusing its Western enemies of plotting to create divisions between Shiite and Sunni Muslims to increase their influence in the Middle East.
The Zaidis began fighting government forces in 2004, since when hundreds have been killed.
The rebels reject as illegitimate the current authorities who seized power in a 1962 coup known as the September 26 revolution, overthrowing a Zaidi imamate.
The Shiites just need to follow the right Ali - Ali Sina, the famous apostate at
http://www.news.faithfreedom.org/
I don't advocate dividing these two groups of upstanding humans, i say keep them united, that way we can conserve our bomb loads to conserve fuel which will help lower prices at the pump!!!!!!!
"The Zaidis are an offshoot of Shiite Islam dominant in northwestern Yemen, but form a minority in the mainly Sunni country."
-- from the article
"Mainly Sunni country"? Where did the author of this article get his information? From the Arab League? Don't tell me he got it by relying on some CIA "factbook." Yemen is just barely "mainly Sunni." The two sects are almost evenly divided, with the Sunnis slightly larger.
Funny to think that during the proxy war fought between Nasser and the Saudi ruling family, or between so-called leftists and so-called monarchists, in the Yemen, the Saudis found allies among the nothern, Shi'a tribes, against those dangerous "Marxists" (a "marxism" that, according to Kelly, was about a millimeter deep, for just below the surface there was, as everywhere in the Arab lands, Islam, Islam, Islam) to the south.
I still haven't figured how Marxism can be reconciled with Islam. If we follow the Marxist template, religion has no place in Communism. On the other hand Islam seems to be a perfect mesh with Marxism - total control.
I don't beieve that the West has to really do much of anything to stir up the Sunni/Shia conflict. These creatures are self-activated.
These creatures are self-activated.
Posted by: Pelayo
And then let them deal with each other. Save our young soldiers!
The kind of worry that brings a Smile to their Face?
I meant to add that we will need all our forces fighting them for our own lands, libery and freedom.And even those riculous news stories about the likes of the unfortunate Anna Nicole.
Huge is right about the ratios; Zaidis are nearly half the population. Also its interesting to note that the Zaidi mosques comprise only about 3% of the total, giving credence to the persistent reports that the regime is replacing Zaidi Shiite preachers with Salafi preachers, in what some call forced conversions. Of 82,000 mosques in Yemen: 35% Islah, 15% Salafi, 3% Zaidi and 47% govt controlled, according to the Ministry of Endowments.
Also all reports, public and private, indicate that there are no Iranian weapons, and especially no missiles, in Saada in the hands of the Houthis. The Houthis do have a variety and substantial quantity of heavy weapons but all appear to be purchased in the quite vibrant Yemeni weapons market. This is not to rule out the possibility that Iran may be funding some of the Houthi insurgency, but its essentially a domestic conflict. Prior to accusing Iran the regime accused in order: the Yemeni Jews, Bahrain, Kuwait and Libya of supporting the Houthi rebellion. They are framing it as a Jihad now because the military is unable to make strides into the rebel's territory. As many of the units on the frontline are from the Southern region, an already heated situation with the former South is heating up, beyond the Houthi thingy.
However, the foreign influence that is the most influential in the conflict is Saudi Arabia, and it is one the side of the Yemeni government. The first "development projects" the Saudis are charitably funding are mostly roads into Saadah, wide enough for govt tanks.
Islamic Marxism was founded by Groucho Marx after he converted. Chico and Harpo soon followed him and were the original Caliphs.
Also this statement from the article is patently false: "The rebels reject as illegitimate the current authorities who seized power in a 1962 coup known as the September 26 revolution, overthrowing a Zaidi imamate."
They reject the current authorities because they are corrupt and biased against Shiites; they accept the rupublican foundations of the regime. The Hothis also seeme to think they should have a military free area in Saada. The Houthis though are extremely opposed to al-Qaeda and radical Salafism. The founder of the Believing Youth, Hussain Al-Houthi, wrote tracts against Salifism since the 1980's. And this tension between the Houthis and the Salafis is an important dynamic in the conflict. And we can see that now that the regime has fatwa-ed the Houthis.
I guess the Yemeni government has offically declared that "A WORLD WITHOUT IRAN IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!"
(And bought nuclear technology from Putin's Russia complete with ballistic missiles).
We should all be so lucky.
...I say: "Stir em up some more."
islamist when left on their own, self implode. let them kill each other, keep us safer that way.
ring ring
hello, Ali here
hello Ali, this is George here
Hey King George, wazzzup,
Listen Ali, I hear things are going well between you and Ahmadinejad..I am sorry you two are having problems....but I was just handed some top secret intel just received from our spies in Iran....Seems Ahmadinejad is mad that you are such a lousy Islamic leader, allowing alcohol and that stuff called qat, he said you could not find your **** in the dark even if you had 4 virgins with you, ready to go...he is concerned you are not reading your Qur'an. he said he was disappointed with your education system , he said your 30% literacy rate for females was way too high, what are you thinking about...I am sorry, I do not know what he meant by that...Amadinejad said you were dissing the Shiites and the Houthis,said you were being a bad Muslim ....He must be planning to send you to school, said he was going to teach you a lesson or something...He is angry that you keep issuing fatwas on Muslims, what are some kind to Muslim fanatic or something, He even accuses you of talking the me...ain't that a hoot....He said if you don't straighten up and act like a Muslim , he was going to nuke your sorry ***, I don't believe him, but he does lie....sometimes...Said he had some QOd commanders who wanted to teach you some religion, said they would even bring the religious police...I suppose they would be there to protect you right?....Hey, Ali, I have to go now,Barbara is calling, dinner is ready,, give a call and let me know how things are going ok?
thanks, Georgie boy, I will look into it...
bye
bye....
How nice to see that, if no one else does, at least the Sunnis are taking Ahmadinejad at his word. When will this world wake up and finally begin to take this Crown Prince of Terrorism seriously? The persistent inability of America's leadership to act against Iran amounts to nothing less than malfeasance. Should Iran go nuclear, that definition will shift to treason.
Regardless of whether or not Ahmadinejad's rhetoric is solely for the Iranian public's consumption, we owe it to ourselves to believe what this sleazebag says and act accordingly. Nothing would please me more than to see a few dozen tomahawk cruise missiles launched into a full session of Iran's majlis.
Tehran's mullahs must be toppled from power and brought to room temperature stat.
"to believe what this sleazebag "
...I believe him....
Bad week for Ahmadinejad. The Saudi's scope out his plan and deem him a looser. Assad screams at him and now Yemen is lopping the stuffing out of his follow Muslims there.
Just makes you want to get out the ole worry beads and bang ye olde head on the prayer mat.
Pelayo: I still haven't figured how Marxism can be reconciled with Islam. If we follow the Marxist template, religion has no place in Communism. On the other hand Islam seems to be a perfect mesh with Marxism - total control.
The reason Christianity or Judaism cannot be reconciled with Marxism is that Marxism cannot tolerate the idea that there is a power senior to the State, and that there can be religious figures who talk to people without State permission.
In Islam, the all-powerful State/Caliphate are merged. As such you can have an Islamic Marxist state without violating either the Quran or Marxist principles. In both cases, the individual is the property of the Group, and is expected to use all his energies for the advancement of the Group, rather than his own purposes
"...I believe him...."
Unlike every single mouth-breathing occupant of Washington D.C.
...to the public....that's overpaid mouth-breathing occupant of Washington D.C...
Why does this sound like something is back-firing on Iran ? Hopefully, they'll see that it's much better to deal democratically then to fall into a pit of destruction ?
"that's overpaid mouth-breathing occupant of Washington D.C..."
I stand corrected. Thank you, exsgtbrown.