One of the Dozens of Problems Facing Yemen Is Immigration

National Yemen, June 30th 2014

Every year, thousands of people leave their homes and migrate to Yemen from other parts of Africa, or else abandon their homes, friends and relatives in Yemen and go to other countries. Some do this because of poverty while others out of fear for their lives. Whatever the reason, migration is one of the greatest problems facing Yemen. Whether it stems from domestic or external conditions, a solution needs to be found because uncontrolled migration can bring about significant problems.

In April of 2013, the Yemeni Department of Immigration (YDI) announced that the number of people who had left their homes because of conflicts and fled to different regions within the country had passed half a million. Set up in 2009 to provide migrants with food and housing assistance, the department said that migrants are now in much worse condition. Due to the World Food Program (WFP) stepping up its assistance for Syrian refugees, the amount of food aid reaching migrants within Yemen has fallen by half.

Another problem concerning migration for Yemen is the migration overseas of an educated work force seeking a better income. More than one million have emigrated for that reason. Although losing well-educated and qualified people is a problem for Yemen, it is also not without its benefits; Yemenis who migrate overseas contribute indirectly to the country's economy by the foreign remittances they send home to their families. These migrants may also take part in voluntary activities on behalf of Yemen in the countries they live in.

The number of those fleeing to neighboring countries due to conflicts or poverty is quite large. There are estimated to be 900,000 Yemeni migrants in the Middle East and various African countries and some 700,000 in Saudi Arabia.

When the civil war in Somalia broke out, some 60,000 Yemenis returned home, but that was not the sole source of migration to Yemen from Somalia. The instability in Somalia led to an explosion in the number of migrants from Yemen to Somalia. Various authorities now say there are 700,000 Somalis in Yemen.

Ethiopia is another source of migration to Yemen in East Africa. There are an estimated 10,000 Ethiopians in Yemen. However, it also needs to be said that these figures are not entirely reliable, since they are not confirmed by official bodies.

According to a U.N. report published in 2008, 50,000 migrants reached Yemen from Africa a year.

Migrants generally reach Yemen from East Africa by sea, under very difficult conditions, and usually fall into the hands of human traffickers. Most migrants, who give their last few pennies to the traffickers, are brought to Yemen in rickety boats. These boats are very frail and lack even the most basic amenities, and are of dubious seaworthiness.

1. UN: More than half a million people in Yemen left their homes  - Daily Zaman, 21.05.2015 2. UN: 100 thousand people displaced in 3 weeks in Yemen - Daily Zaman,  08.04.2015

In order to avoid being apprehended by the security forces, the traffickers prefer to drop the migrants off in remote areas rather than in harbors. Indeed, they sometimes throw them into the sea miles from shore, or else sink the boats. The boats that carry the migrants often deliver them to their deaths; many migrants drown at sea.

Reaching the Yemeni shore does not mean salvation for the migrants. Even if they are legally admitted to Yemen, they still have to live under very difficult conditions in the country, where unemployment is very high.

Somalis generally work for very low wages doing jobs that Yemenis are unwilling to do. A Somali migrant in Yemen earns an average of $50 a month. In addition to the hard work they do, migrants are generally despised.

Such behavior is totally unbecoming of a Muslim. In verse 83 of Surat al-Baqara, our infinitely merciful Lord commands us that in order to establish social peace, the poor should not be despised, but treated well.

No Muslim must forget that the Muslims of Medina embraced the Muslims who migrated there in the time of our Prophet (pbuh) with sincerity and love. Muslims must adopt them as role models.

The Islamic world now needs the solidarity personified by the spirit of brotherhood among the pilgrims and the Ansar. Feelings such as hatred and ruthlessness must be purged from people's hearts, and replaced by brotherhood, compassion, love, affection and positive thoughts.

Believers have a responsibility to treat other believers with enormous compassion and modesty; any other behavior is incompatible with the Qur'an. Arrogance, jealousy, intolerance, rude speech and quarrelsomeness are features of deniers, not of Muslims. Therefore, a believer who has made such a mistake because of his lower self must immediately pull himself together, seek shelter in God and behave like a true believer.

Key to Democracy and Development in Yemen: Education

National Yemen, June 22nd 2014

Yemen faces serious problems in many areas like politics, economy, health or security. Yet, one of those problems, in other words education, or the lack of it, prevents many of those other problems from getting a healthy solution. This challenge becomes even more obvious when the period and quality of education Yemeni citizens receive is compared to the rest of the world.

Literacy rate is around 60%, and goes down as low as to 30% in the case of women. This means, if you were to walk up to a Yemeni with a piece of paper with an address on it, the probability that he won't be able to help you with it is quite high because almost one in every two Yemenis do not read and write. The universities and other educational institutions in Yemen paint an even worse picture.

It is critical that the education problem in Yemen is solved immediately. Just like there is no highly educated but underdeveloped country in the world, you cannot find any country that is under-educated but developed and industrialized. The research shows that the increase in income per capita and other economic indicators are directly related to education levels. A country with a low literacy rate will have a low income per capita, as it is highly unlikely that an illiterate person will find a lucrative job. An illiterate person will either work in manual labor or in the best-case scenario, will be a craftsman.

The shift of Yemen from traditional agriculture society to an industrialized civilized society and even its endeavors to get a stronger democracy, have everything to do with improving education levels and quality. Indeed some economists managed to accurately guess the income per capita of a country when they were given the literacy rates of it.

With the increasing education quality in Yemen, a social awareness will be created, leading way to new areas of interest like art and science. As people become more educated, their prejudices will change, they will be more inquisitive and more respectful of differences.

The increasing education will also spearhead the very much needed openness policy in Yemen. People will more closely follow up everything that's going on around them and the developments in the politics. Naturally, an illiterate person will not be curious if the funds allocated by UNESCO for education quality in Yemen is duly used or not, because he has no means of finding out.

Improved education levels will also contribute to the political and administrative development in Yemen. People will be more engaged and involved in politics and administration, both in the form of doing politics themselves and deciding the progress of it.

Even the awareness of the importance of the country's integrity will rise with a better education. As children are taught about love for their countries, they will know that their countries count just as much as their tribes or sects.

Surely, the content of the education is just as important as the period and the accessibility of it. If a child is taught a perverse ideology such as that this life is a struggle and that the best way to fight injustice is through revolution, he will snatch a gun in the first opportunity he gets and try to create his own justice.

If children are taught not the true religion sent by God, but idolatry and invented rules passed on from their ancestors, he will end up interfering with the lifestyles of everyone else, and try to impose his choices and lifestyle on everyone else. They will even believe that those who do not believe in their radical system, which has no place in the Qur'an, should be 'fought against' and thus will adopt a perverse path.

However, the Qur'an is very clear about what is allowed and what is banned. The number of things God forbids for people is very few; all the world except for these few unlawful things are lawful. Consequently, living by the religious morality is very easy. Muslims are free to the utmost within these borders that God set. In the Qur'an, God explains: "He does not desire difficulty for you" (Surat al-Baqara, 185).

Just like in many Arabic countries in the Middle East, lack of education which plagues mostly women, form the basis of extremist movements. Half of the female population of Yemen is illiterate and while they are raised as Muslims, they cannot read the Qur'an. They can learn about their religion only from the people around them. Some of them know Islam only to the extent that they have been taught by their families and mistake extremism for 'real Islam'. And because they can't read, they cannot check to see if what they are told is really in the Qur'an or not. This is surely not their fault. All because of this, many women accept to be seen as 'second-class citizens' due to the superstitions shown as a part of religion. Surely this is not all. The children raised by such women also grow up under the influence of a similar ideology and when they hold a position in the society, they work to keep this flawed ideology alive.

It is crucial that the Fact of Creation, the basis of all Divine religions, is added to the curriculum as a rebuttal to the theory of evolution. Compassion, love, respect, understanding, reason, forgiveness and other virtues cannot be reasonably expected from people who are raised with the lie that he is an advanced form of apes. Therefore it is of paramount importance that people are taught that 'all humans are valuable beings with souls,' who are created for a certain purpose like the rest of the universe.

Countries Swamped by Debt and Interest

National Yemen, July 22nd 2014

As stated earlier, separatist movements, terrorism, assassinations, mismanagement and poverty are the first concepts that come to mind when Yemen is mentioned. Similar problems to those in Yemen are spreading rapidly across the Middle East. Every Yemeni has the right to national unity, to live in peace, to be well governed and to live in peace and prosperity.

Yet ideas and practices concerning the political management of countries and international relations are literally treading these rights underfoot. The problems still fail to be resolved, despite all the various models, foreign aid and work by international organizations.

Let us consider the economic problems. Yemen's total debt as of 2013 was 46.8% of GDSP. That means when a Yemeni spends 100 riyals he is only contributing 53 riyals to the national economy. Inflation in Yemen in 2013 was 17%. In other words, 9 of those 53 riyals disappear with inflation, leaving 44 riyals. So does every Yemeni contribute 44 riyals to the national economy out of every 100 riyals he makes a year, excluding debt and inflation? Definitely not! It is much harder to earn that than one would think, because of the high unemployment levels in Yemen, 30%. In other words, 30 out of 100 Yemenis never see 100 riyals. This means that two out of every three Yemenis live below the poverty threshold.

Many people in the world and in Yemen live below starvation level. The Yemeni state needs foreign aid in order to survive. The size of the Yemeni economy in 2013 was $39 billion, while its foreign debt stood at $7.2 billion. This is a huge ratio. Neither is it enough for Yemen to find such a huge total debt every year, because the compound interest on this aid increases the outstanding debt all the time.

The present international economic order is based on the interest system. The high-interest loans given by banks have a negative effect on the national economy in many respects. Countries like Yemen that need overseas money increase interest rates. Those who wish to earn greater revenues thanks to high interest rates establish a flow of money from outside the country to inside. The state seeks to make use of this money entering the country, but other economic problems then raise their heads. Since interest rates rise, the costs of loans from banks rise. It becomes impossible to invest by taking out loans. On the other hand, people are encouraged to invest their money in banks rather than in manufacturing. It is much easier to make money out of interest than by working.

The main reason for the global economic crisis is the interest system. Our Lord has made this system unlawful. Yet it is shamelessly implemented in societies based on self-interest because it is depicted as attractive, and people never consider that it will actually harm them, and even think it will benefit them. Since the interest system is made to look attractive, people are encouraged to invest their money in banks rather than production or investment. Since there can be no production or money circulation in the markets under a system in which people invest their money in banks, or keep it hidden under the mattress or in safes, financial consequences such as high costs of living, inflation and economic collapse are inevitable. This is what happened in the global financial crisis; production coming to a halt, no circulation of money and money being kept in banks to earn interest all brought the economy down.

Yet Almighty God advises us to avoid interest in verses, and tells of the scourges that will result from it;

You who believe! Do not feed on usury, multiplied and then remultiplied. Have fear of God so that hopefully you will be successful. (Surah Al 'Imran, 130)

Those who practice usury will not rise from the grave except as someone driven mad by satan's touch. That is because they say, "Trade is the same as usury." But God has permitted trade and He has forbidden usury. Whoever is given a warning by his Lord and then desists, can keep what he received in the past and his affair is God's concern. But all who return to it will be the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, forever. God obliterates usury but makes charity grow in value! God does not love any persistently ungrateful wrongdoer. (Surat al-Baqara, 275-276)

Political Life in Yemen

National Yemen, July 14th 2014

Yemenis deserve a life in which justice, moral virtue and honesty prevail at all times. One of the areas where this is most important in Yemen is politics. A politician is someone who assumes responsibility for a large number of people who look to him for solutions and service. That person must decide matters on the basis of justice, observe no distinctions between people, recognize people who are in need and respond to those needs right away. In providing that service, he must always work together with experts and assign duties to competent people. Defects, interruptions and delays must be detected right away, many solutions must be produced and the capacity to make rapid decisions is essential. He must be able to see what is urgent and get services where they are needed, without delay.

However, politics has stopped being a sphere of service for some people today and has turned into a business based on self-interest. The aim has become simply to attain a position, to maintain that position under all circumstances and, if possible, to climb to even higher posts. That being the case, all manner of immorality committed to achieve that aim is regarded as legitimate.

One can see situations of that kind in all countries. There are hundreds of examples of officials resigning over corruption and markets being distorted for personal gain. For example, in many countries governed as dictatorships, while the people live in terrible poverty, fighting drought and epidemic diseases, the rulers enjoy enormous wealth and luxury; previous administrations in Iraq, Syria and Tunisia are clear instances of this. Mobuto Sese Seko, the former ruler of Zaire (today's Democratic Republic of the Congo), would bring his personal hairdresser from France every month by private plane while the people would fight over a single loaf of bread. Mobutu had all the country's underground resources and diamond beds signed over to himself and opened them up for exploitation by Western countries, yet ignored the plight of his people mired in tribal conflicts.

One can see such administrations where people do not live by the values of the Qur'an because where there is no religion, there is in one sense no justice, mutual aid, compassion, love, respect or honesty, either. Everyone will be out for his own interests in a spirit of intense greed. God draws attention to this danger in a verse:

When he leaves you, he goes about the earth corrupting it, destroying crops and animals. God does not love corruption. (Surat al-Baqara, 205)

As we have seen, the people described in the above verse will always exist so long as people do not adhere to the Qur'an. Yet in a country ruled by people of good conscience who fear God, nobody will be allowed to treat anyone else unfairly, all needs will be met and new solutions and services will be provided all the time. People who live by Islamic values will provide all kinds of services for no reward. The reward for services and hard work undertaken for God's approval is to be expected in the Hereafter, not this one. The messengers sent by God to preach the faith have always been subjected to various false accusations as people have always sought to find ulterior motives behind these messengers calling on them to worship God and live by the faith. The envoys are reported to have issued the following reminder to their peoples:

"My people! I do not ask you for any wage for it. My wage is the responsibility of Him Who brought me into being. So will you not use your intellect?" (Surah Hud, 51)

Relations between self-interested groups around national administrations frequently enter the political agenda. As in Yemen, these interest groups may sometimes be tribes, sometimes organized criminal groups and sometimes multinational companies.

In such countries where people do not live by Islamic values, and where rank and duties are not determined by qualities and abilities, the first thing that someone who achieves an important position will do is to place his friends in important posts and protect and look after them. That is why 'placemen' are so important for many parties and politicians; in other words, nobody considers the interests of the nations, and service is never what matters. Personal and political preferences and even nepotism come to the fore instead. As a result of this way of thinking, service concentrates on political constituencies, rather than cities and villages that need it. Instead of the urgent need of a village with no water or electricity being met, the interests of those who may possibly support electoral campaigns are considered instead.

Militants executed as a result of a political investigation in Yemen… It is impossible to enforce justice in an environment that does not confirm to the moral code of the Qur'an. Inhumanly violent methods cannot create the environment of love, respect and compassion that we crave.

As we have seen, a failure to live by Qur'anic values, whether that be in Yemen or some other part of the world, leads to the existence of administrations that turn a blind eye to all kinds of perverse activity. Since people do not fear God, they do not behave justly, compassionately or morally; since they never think they will have to account for themselves in the Hereafter, they are capable of all kinds of wickedness and immorality. What everyone who wishes to eliminate such a climate and ensure that mankind has a bright future needs to do is therefore to live by Qur'anic moral values and ensure that others do so, too. One of the greatest responsibilities attendant upon a Muslim is to tell people of God's commandments about moral values, to encourage people to live by them and to forbid any other kind of behavior. People who ignore this fact, or who postpone what they should be doing, and who leave the work to others, should fear having to account for that heedlessness in the hereafter.

Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. (Surah Al 'Imran, 104)

Why Is Military Spending Significant?

National Yemen, August 17th 2014

Countries wrestling with debt and unemployment at a time when an ongoing economic crisis is still badly affecting the world are making no concessions when it comes to military expenditure. Many countries continue to spend a significant part of their revenues on arms and the military.

The amount spent on arms across the world in 2012 was $1.75 trillion. With the amount spent on armaments in one year, 120,000 fully equipped hospitals could be opened, or 1.75 million schools. With that same money you could also feed 200,000,000 people for a year.

So what is the military spending position in Yemen?

Yemen spent $1.25 billion on its military in 2012. Many international bodies and observers are of the opinion that this military expenditure is grossly excessive: Income per capita in Yemen is only $2,500. In other words, the earnings of some 500,000 people in Yemen are used entirely for military purposes.

Why does Yemen, with national revenues far below the global average, feel the need for such great military spending? Yemen has been the scene of many coups and attempted coups in the past. Politicians and soldiers have been assassinated, and many civil conflicts and uprisings have occurred in the country. All these threats emanating from inside Yemen have led to great security concerns in the state for many years. The security forces in Yemen are organized, not against any external threat or common crime within the country, but against political instability and domestic enemies.

Therefore, every incoming administration regards it as absolutely essential to establish control over the military or police in order to remain in power. That control is only possible by raising the wages of the military and police force to the highest level on a regular basis and to endow them with a wide range of privileges. That of course means a massive amount of spending from the state treasury.

Nothing can be more natural than for a country to foresee external and internal threats against it and to take precautions against them; indeed, that is one of the primary responsibilities of the state. However, if it does not consider various factors in doing so, this can lead to severe problems in the national economy and structure.

Defense expenditures are high in many Middle Eastern countries; the difference between Yemen and other Arab countries is that its defense spending is largely focused on personnel costs than buying arms. In contrast to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, spending on weapons and technological improvements is at a low level, while paying salaries occupies a very important place. Enrolment in the military is used as a form of job creation, rather than meeting security needs. Therefore, rather than the military being highly developed, modern and with a strong defensive capacity, it is technologically weak, cumbersome and difficult to manage.

Soldiers' salaries must not be used for social or political purposes other than military objectives. If that happens, the result will be people who are soldiers only on paper, yet who contribute nothing to national defense and security. Troops who do not really exist but whose salaries are paid every month will begin to be used as vehicles for transferring funds to please the tribes or ensure their loyalty, and this will lead to big problems.

Politicians must not establish military and security forces out of tribes or relatives they regard as loyal to them. If that happens, the army stops being a national army and becomes the armed force of one particular group; that, of course, leads to the targeting of those who cannot be part of the army and their arming themselves by illegal means.

Another important matter is the establishment of transparency in military spending and arms purchases from overseas, and a regulatory mechanism for that is of primary importance for the stability of Yemen.

The problems with the military and security forces are not restricted to compromised security. They also involve widespread material losses and economic collapse. If efficient use cannot be made of the military, anarchy and turmoil caused by revolts and terrorist actions will prevent investment in the country. Terrorist attacks aimed at damaging the economic infrastructure of Yemen not only prevent regeneration in the regions concerned, but also destroy existing means. Economic obstructions lead to backwardness in many areas, and particularly social life.

Military spending on the fight against terror represents a separate burden for every country. Material resources that should be used to raise people's standards of living are instead being diverted to military spending, and this has a damaging effect on the national economy.

Therefore, in moving toward rearranging and restructuring its army, Yemen must also try to ensure security using methods that are not based on arms. The only way of combating terror and domestic conflict is not through resorting to arms. Students in Yemeni schools must be taught that sectarian division is incompatible with Islam, that Zaidis and Shiites and Sunnis are all real Muslims, and that they should not fight against one another. The moral virtues of Islam that ensure peace and goodness must be emphasized on a frequent basis, and people must be taught the difference between fanaticism and the true faith.

Efforts must be made, in the military and in schools, to prevent Yemenis from being raised as people devoid of affection and compassion, who regard life as a battleground, who regard love and solidarity as unnecessary and who are cruel and selfish. That will prevent the emergence of impoverished young people, who have fallen into the clutches of the notorious drug khat and of corruption, who are morally degenerate and whose only desire is money, as enemies of their own country.

Houthis Are the Brothers of All Yemenis

National Yemen, September 5th 2014

Yemen is on the brink of new conflict and tension. Protests sparked by the leader of the Houthis in Yemen, Abdulmalik Houthi, calling on the government to resign are growing. Yemen is a country where such tensions frequently arise.

Uprisings in 2011, when former head of state Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down, were followed by actions by the secessionist Southern Movement and attacks by al-Qaeda.

The secessionist Southern Movement is clashing with Yemeni security forces. In the north, there are frequent clashes between Houthis and Sunni tribes and the military.

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda has lost its bases in many regions to the Yemeni army; in response, al-Qaeda militants are trying to make the army cease its operations by attacking oil and natural gas pipelines. It takes a very long time to repair damaged pipelines since security cannot be completely established and of course this gives rise to serious problems with natural gas and oil supplies in Yemen.

If we ignore the leftist groups within the Southern Movement, we can reduce the security problem in Yemen to the political and armed opposition of Islamist groups. This problem is leading to severe issues in a country whose economy is already troubled. It is obvious that in order for these problems to be overcome, the groups involved in Yemeni politics need to act together. However, it also needs to be stated that the union of Muslims in Yemen, be they Zaidi or Sunni, is not a political necessity to put an end to the existing problems; unity is in any case a prerequisite for being a Muslim. Muslims must behave in accordance with Qur'anic moral values in national and international politics, as well as at all other moments of their lives. The moral values of the Qur'an primarily demand that the Islamic world be in alliance. In the event that Qur'anic moral values are followed in Yemen, the alliance to be established will be permanent and this will mean the country, with its strategic position, will be able to play the active role that is expected from it.

Islamic moral values require that Muslims always behave in a unifying manner and be brothers in faith in a spirit of solidarity and mutual aid. God commands Muslims not to quarrel among themselves (Surat al-Anfal, 46) and reveals that such behavior will only weaken them.

A Muslim who acts in the light of good conscience and reason, and who thinks of justice for the sake of God rather than his own interests, can never fail to be allied with other Muslims and mustn't be in a state of constant dispute with them. Explaining this to the Houthis in a sincere manner, and using the appropriate means, can represent a good start to a solution.

God forbids Muslim communities to be unjust or hostile toward one another. The Qur'an reveals that any such behavior must be stopped and that peace must be made between the quarrelling Muslim communities.

Of course there may be various regional, cultural and traditional differences of practice and understanding among all Muslim communities. There will even be different interpretations, views and sects, such as in the case of Zaidi and Sunni sects; that is perfectly natural. What there must not be, however, is for one group to line up against another, like in Yemen, because of such differences, and cease all relations with them, regard them as foreign and even enemies as if they are people with whom there can be no agreement on the basis of common values. That is wholly unacceptable.

God warns Muslims against falling into such an error in the Qur'an, and points to the errors made by Christians and Jews on the subject as a deterrent. In reporting the errors made by Christians and Jews, we are also told that these communities fall out among themselves: Verse 4 of Surat al-Bayyina says that the People of the Book divided into sects even though a 'Clear Sign' came to them. Other verses point to poor moral values such as "injustice," "envy" and "rebellion against the Lord" as the reasons for such division.

It is the fact that people do not abide by the moral values commanded by God that lies behind religious divisions. These moral values are based on humility. People who abandon humility regard themselves and their own ideas as absolutely in the right, despise those who disagree with them and feel hostility toward them. Since they have no doubts at all about the correctness of their ideas, they never question themselves and thus cannot make any progress or improvement. The position of those who take great pride in their own ideas is described as follows in the Qur'an:

… But they disagreed and split up, dividing into sects, each party exulting in what it had. (Surat al-Mu'minun, 53)

What needs to happen is for different Muslim communities to be careful not to fall out over possible cultural and traditional differences, nor prepare the foundations of conflict by constantly emphasizing these differences, but to support an alliance based on living by the moral values of the Qur'an. Muslims must support one another in alliance and must behave in an understanding manner on those areas in which they disagree. In particular, leading thinkers and people of ideas in the Islamic world who realize the danger must engage in intense activities and encourage union and unity among Muslims. Solidarity built upon love, respect and compassion must be established, not only in Yemen, but in the entire Muslim world.

What lies at the heart of Islamic moral values is not dispute and division, but a concept based on unity of belief and shared values. The duty of all Yemenis, Zaidi or Sunni, is to adopt and implement that understanding.

(They are) those who perform the prayer and pay the alms and are certain about the hereafter. (Surat an-Naml, 3)

Yemen Must Not Fall into the Trap of Identity Politics

National Yemen, September 14th 2014

Ideological policies predominated during the Cold War. At that time, the world was quite literally divided in two camps. The Western allies espoused a free market economy and private property, while the Eastern Bloc favored central planning and joint ownership. The struggle between the two ended with the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and ultimately, the Soviet Union.

Numerous politicians and political scientists declared the collapse of the Soviet Union to be the definitive victory of capitalism. In their eyes, communism had now been absolutely vanquished and there was no longer any obstacle to the hegemony of democracy and capitalism. Yet many subsequent events showed that this prediction was untrue. Policies of identity rather than policies of ideologies became the source of tensions between countries.

Political identity is a term used to describe those policies intended to build a "pure and specific" identity in a country or region. Resistance to this policy implemented in a country as a whole can also be evaluated within the scope of political identity. The basic element in political identity may sometimes be based on ethnic differences and sometimes on religious or sectarian ones yet the best course of action is not to keep different identities separate, but to build a civilization in which they can all co-exist within a just order.

Events in Catalonia and the Basque region of Spain or in Northern Italy can also be analyzed under the heading of political identity.

A similar state of affairs applies in Yemen. Despite President Hadi's suggestions for the Houthis to end their protests, the Houthis' demand for five ministries in a new Cabinet to be established is yet another example of this desire. The demand for different identities to be equally represented in the administration is a legitimate one, although it is wrong to seek to make this a tool for conflict and seek to achieve legitimate democratic demands through undemocratic means.

People who engage in politics of identity prefer to live in a relatively weakened state as a community based on one single characteristic rather than joining forces under different identities. That difference in perspective means that policies of identity that have multiplied since the years of the Cold War have constantly created fresh spheres of conflict. For example, the Serbs in Bosnia, the Basques in Spain and the PKK in Turkey represent the main figures in the conflicts taking place.

It is in fact impossible for identity politics to fully achieve their aims, because human societies are not made up of indistinguishable individuals like the atoms in a table. The Southeast of Turkey is not entirely Kurdish: Arabs and Turks also constitute a major part of the population in the region and all of them lived together for centuries, and ethnic divisions disappeared. The same thing applies to Yemen. Many Sunni Arabs live in those areas where Houthis are in the majority. Even if people living in a region have the same ethnic or sectarian make-up, this does not mean that these differences have been eliminated. The great majority of people living in Southeast Turkey do not support the separatist Marxist Kurds, and those who do support them only tend do so at gunpoint; likewise, it is also not possible to say that all the Zaidis in Yemen support the Houthi movement.

As we have seen, it is unrealistic to promise peace or tranquility to a region by concentrating on ethnic or sectarian characteristics. Conflicts engaged in for regional divisions simply and inevitably cause further conflicts once separation has taken place.

1. The Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) 2. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen)

North and South Yemen were united on 22 May, 1990. In the following two and a half years until the 1993 elections, the first after the unification, the two parties governed Yemen jointly.

The Different Identities and Groups In Yemen

Southern Movement

The Southern Movement was opposed to the unification of Yemen in 1990 and aims to revive the former South Yemen. The Southern Movement brought many people out into the streets in cities in Southern Yemen such as Aden.

Houthis and Ansar Allah

This group was founded by a group of young men who called themselves "The Believing Youth." The movement began in 1992, and is supported by the Shiite Zaidiyyah tribes of Yemen, who comprise one in five of the population.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

It has been one of the most active Islamic groups for many years. The group has committed many deadly attacks against the Yemeni security forces.

Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi

He was chosen as the president for a transitional period in 2012. Following the seizure of Hadi's presidential palace in Sana'a by the Houthis, Hadi moved to Aden.

The Islaah Movement

It combines tribal and Islamic interests. It spread all over Yemen, and had gained a lot of influence during the transition period. However, much of this power was lost with the rise of the Houthis.

Ali Abdullah Saleh

President of North Yemen from 1978 to 1990; and first President of Yemen. He was forced to leave public office in 2011 by means of public demonstrations, yet he remained in office until 2012.

Countries frequently enter into conflict with separatist forces for that reason, and these conflicts can last many years. Seeking a solution in armed struggle alone leads to heavy material losses and casualties.

Political identities are not enough to bring justice, peace, security and wealth to the north of Yemen because no matter how much they consist of people with a similar identity, it is always possible for even further divisions to appear within those identities. Conflict is just as probable within the north of Yemen as it is in Yemen as a whole. Moreover, even though they are made up of the same ethnicities or sects, there are also several impoverished communities in conflict with one another.

People being of good conscience prevents them from discriminating on the basis of ethnic origins or beliefs and the only way to be of good conscience is faith. Only people who have faith can always act in the light of their conscience. There is only one solution to the injustice, conflict, terror, killing, poverty and oppression in Yemen – the moral values of the Qur'an.

Looking in general terms at the problems in Yemen and the rest of the world, all these things are clearly the result of feelings such as lovelessness, ruthlessness, enmity, hatred and self-interest, not to mention a lack of rationality. The way to totally eliminate these negative attitudes lies in understanding and forgiveness, and acting with good common-sense and reason. It also lies in establishing such pleasant virtues as love, affection, compassion and altruism firmly in the society. These features only belong to people who fully comply with the moral values of the Qur'an.