The Importance of Individual Rights and Freedoms in Yemen

National Yemen, April 4th 2014

Efforts are being made in Yemen to build a new constitution and a new form of administration based on it. Passing new laws and implementing those laws is one of the most rational measures that can be taken against the risk of fragmentation without resorting to weapons. The aim is to build national unity in Yemen with this new constitution and the organizational structure it seeks to establish.

Of course, the structure and functioning of the state is not the only purpose of constitutions; it must also embody features intended to secure the happiness and well-being of Yemenis. The positive and negative obligations of the state must therefore be set forth.

Positive obligations include the duties of the state; in other words, the rights that the citizens expect from the state. Health, housing, work and social security are all rights of that kind. Such rights naturally impose various duties on the state in the social domain. These include taking measures regarding the protection of children and the family, the right to education, guarantees regarding the protection of those in agriculture and stockbreeding, the prevention of arbitrary confiscation of possessions and lands, and the right to work. Since these obligations entitle the citizens to demand something from the state, they are also known as "demand rights."

The majority of these rights concern the social and economic spheres and are the result of the idea of a social state. "Demand rights" enshrined in the Yemeni constitution will determine how far the state supports and watches over its people.

Yemenis need to know that application of some positive obligations is restricted with the means available to the Yemeni state. For example, the development and care of children of working women may be described as an obligation of the state in law; however, if the state cannot find the funds to open nursery schools and day care centers for children, it will be impossible to implement.

Negative obligations concern those situations in which the state is obliged to refrain from interference with the citizenry. These obligations are also known as rights of negative status, and involve a negative approach, or non-involvement. Since these rights will protect Yemenis against state and society, they can also be referred to as "protective rights."

Two of the main negative obligations are ensuring the right to life by providing security and the prevention of torture by the state. Some other negative obligations of the state are:

◉ The right to a fair trial in court;

◉ The state respecting citizens' right of privacy;

◉ Yemeni citizens being able to freely express their opinions in the country;

◉ People in Yemen being free to choose their faith and fulfill its requirements;

◉ No Yemeni being subjected to discrimination on the grounds of sex, religion or anything else;

◉ The establishment of institutions in which citizens can effectively seek their rights.

There is no reason why even low levels of income should restrict individual rights and freedoms. No matter what the form of administration, so long as negative obligations in particular are set out thoroughly and implemented with care, a positive contribution will result that provides for the peace of mind and prosperity of Yemen's citizens.

Therefore, the constitution to be drawn up is not only a necessity in order to establish national unity, but must also be regarded as an opportunity to raise quality of life.

There is no doubt that the definition of the state's positive and negative obligations under the law will be a turning point for the development of human rights in Yemen. However, in order to build up a culture of human rights in the country, the fastest route forward regarding this subject is to educate Yemenis.

The most important guarantor of human rights is a nation with an awareness of those rights. Yemenis having an awareness of their rights will prevent their violation.

This education in the awareness of human rights must be based on the moral values of the Qur'an because religion is the foundation of human rights. Our religion teaches us concepts regarding moral virtue, what is right and wrong and how to be just people.

Democracy and people being free to choose their own faith are excellent outcomes of religious moral values. All constitutions stem from religion and nobody could have drawn up a constitution without religion. Right, wrong and human rights were all taught to us by God. Everyone can choose his own faith and live his life as he wishes.

What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of God - for those men, women and children who are oppressed and say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!"? (Surat an-Nisa', 75)

According to the Qur'an, nobody can be coerced into changing his faith, and no life style can be imposed through violence. As God reveals in verse 256 of Surat al-Baqara, "There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned…" And displeasure with others' ideas, beliefs or lifestyles must not be expressed through insults, violence, and aggression. Instead, we must follow verse 6 of Surat al-Kafirun and say, "You have your faith and I have my faith."

Laws based on religious moral values stating that you cannot impose what you believe to be true on others must be included in the Yemeni constitution. If the people of Yemen act with that knowledge, it will be possible to establish peace and security throughout the entire community.

Under the new constitution, the state must be defined as a vehicle for establishing the happiness and well-being of the Yemeni people. The rights of the people must also be guaranteed under the constitution and sanctions must be imposed against any violations of it. In this manner, the future of the Yemeni people can be secured with freedom, peace, and happiness for all.

Terror Is Again at the Top of Yemen's Agenda

National Yemen, May 18th 2014

The great Soma disaster in Turkey, referendums in Ukraine, civil war in Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria: These are the main headlines on the world news. In Yemen, on the other hand, one of the topics of the agenda is again terror.

Ali Asghar Asadi, Iran's economic attaché in Yemen, was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting. The other terror acts that occurred in the country during recent weeks are as follows:

Colonel Salih ibn Sabid lost his life in front his house from an armed attack by some unidentified people. In the central al-Bayda province, two Yemeni soldiers were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen and two guards suffered injuries.

In the province of Shabwa an assassination attempt was made against the military convoy of the Yemeni Defense Minister Muhammad Nasir Ahmad.

Four al-Qaeda militants were killed in the vicinity of the presidential palace where they fought against security forces.

In the Azzan area of Shabwa province in the south of the country, more than 30 al-Qaeda militants were killed in operations carried out by the security forces with the slogan, "Altogether for a Terror-Free Yemen." There are those who perpetrate terrorism claiming that they supposedly act in the name of Islam in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria – even in Europe and America – on one side and there are those sincere Muslims who say Islam is a religion of peace and commands compassion and justice.

Many world leaders, Islamic scholars, prominent media outlets, television channels and radio stations have several times conveyed to their own communities that Islam in no way allows violence and that it commands peace among people and nations. Those circles that examine Islam closely and know the true Islam commanded in the Qur'an clearly reveal that the words "terror" and "Islam" are definitely not compatible, and Divine religions never allow such savagery.

However it is not possible to say that all these efforts have accomplished the desired result. Those who commit acts of terrorism on behalf of so-called Islam continue to be propped up by some Muslim circles. Indeed, Jalal Baidi, one of the al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen, expressed for the first time that some armed men from local tribes joined them in their fight against the Yemeni army. The Islamic world needs to ponder upon the reasons for this and seek solutions.

For the Islamic world to get rid of the scourge of terror, an all-out spiritual campaign must be launched. Both international institutions such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Muslim countries must make greater efforts to correct some misconceptions about Islam. They must explain that acts and practices of terror organizations such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram are at odds with the Qur'an; that in the Qur'an killing an innocent person is equated to killing all of humanity; that Islam forbids terror, violence, oppression and tyranny; that according to the Qur'an peace, love, self-sacrifice, justice and compassion need to prevail. By employing state-of-the-art means of technology such as books, magazines, movies, and using the means of social media, newspapers, TV programs and voluntary speakers, the message of true Islam – which is based on love and peace – must be communicated to even the most remote corners of the Islamic world. This is the most urgent responsibility of Muslims. Without serious education efforts, it would be essentially impossible for the Islamic world to rid itself of terrorism through military operations or drone strikes. Against terrorism and the mistaken doctrines that produce it, a very robust scientific and philosophical campaign is essential. All televisions, radio stations, newspapers and the entirety of the media in Islamic countries must participate in this campaign.

In this campaign one point must be made clear: Although these terrorists have Islamic names and their religion is recorded as "Islam" on their identity cards, the murders they commit can never be referred to as the "Terror of Islam" just as how such acts would not be referred to as the "Terror of Christianity" if they were Christians or "Terror of Judaism" if they were Jews. It is impossible to kill people in the name of a Divine religion because as per the morality of religion, a human being is considered as a being who carries the soul of God and thus the utmost value is attached to them.

1. Yemen's cry for help - Daily Star, 06.04.2011 2. A suicidal attack in Yemen: 100 people killed  - Daily Türkiye, 22.05.2012 3. The specter of civil war in Yemen - Daily Taraf, 28.05.2011 4. A bloody attack at a parade rehearsal: at least 100 people killed - Daily Yeni Akit, 22.05.2012 5. Yemen's capital: a blood bath - Daily Cumhuriyet, 22.05.2012 6. Tragic death toll in Yemen: 360 people - Daily Milli Gazete, 22.05.2011

Unless otherwise forgiven by God, killing innocent people is a grave sin punishable by the torment of hell. A person who lives by the morality of the Qur'an and has a fear of God in his heart would never dare to kill a person. Being aware that a person will give an account of all his deeds he has done throughout his life in this world in God's Presence deters Muslims from assuming an attitude incompatible with the Qur'an, committing a deed proclaimed to be unlawful by God or resorting to violence and terror.

No matter the religion a perpetrator of such violence claims to belong to, an attack committed in the name of "religion" is actually also an attack against the religion itself. True religion commands love, compassion and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is merciless, and seeks only mindless bloodshed, killing and suffering. Consequently while seeking a perpetrator for a terror act, we need to seek the source not in genuine piousness, but in radicalism or irreligion. The names of the terrorists or their religion is not important; a terrorist who kills in the name of religion is simply a murderer with no fear of God whose sole purpose is to shed blood and to make afflict as much pain as possible on innocent people; the more proper definition of such an individual is a psychopath. Terrorist acts which kill innocent people can not be the product of Islam, but of a profoundly disturbed mindset which considers human beings as mere lumps of matter.

In Islam based on the morality of the Qur'an, there is by no means any room for terrorism. On the contrary, according to Islam the acts referred to as "terror" – that is acts of violence committed against innocent lives – is a great crime and it is incumbent upon Muslims to prevent these acts and instead bring about peace and justice to the world.

In Islam there is by no means any room for terrorism. On the contrary, according to Islam "terror" is a great crime and it is incumbent upon Muslims to prevent these acts and instead bring about peace and justice to the world.

The Corruption Eating Away at Yemen from the Inside

National Yemen, June 1st 2014

If you look at world history you will see three primary reasons why states undergo great upheavals, or even collapse; wars, political instability and socioeconomic problems. Most of the time, these three are inter-related and can distinguishably reveal themselves. However there is usually another cause that develops silently but eats away at the state from the inside; corruption.

Corruption is one of the main reasons behind socioeconomic problems, one of the three causes of the collapse of states. This player is not alone in the economic world. It is accompanied by bribery and misappropriation, and when those three combine together the result would be the inevitable economic death of the state.

These three players have actively taken parts in Yemen for a very long time. A report prepared by The London Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, in 2013 on the subject of corruption and capital flight in Yemen makes this abundantly clear. (1)

According to the report, 46% of Yemenis are malnourished, and the reason for this is the elite who exploit the country's resources in order to accumulate wealth and then send it out of the country. (2) The report states that not only is this money acquired illegally, but tax is also avoided by sending it abroad. Yemen stands in fifth place in the world in terms of illegal capital flight. The total amount fleeing from the country between the years 1990-2008 is twelve billion dollars. (3) The report goes on to say that the source of a part of this capital is credits obtained from overseas, and that since international institutions are aware of this matter, they are unwilling to issue credit for Yemen. Another important point stressed in the report is that there is also no mechanism in Yemen to prevent the misappropriation of credits obtained. (4) In subsequent sections the report states that corruption is widespread in the military as well; there are many soldiers involved in fuel smuggling and human trafficking and that there is no civilian authority in the country to prevent this. (5)

There may be deficiencies or errors in this report, but it is nonetheless impossible to deny that there is massive corruption and misappropriation going on in Yemen.

New legal arrangements could be introduced in Yemen in order to prevent corruption, and new regulatory bodies could be established, as in many other countries but mostly, the reasons for this situation in Yemen need to be closely examined. Such examination will show that instilling a fear of God in the hearts of every official will produce more precise results than installing a regulator in every institution.

There is a huge difference in behavior between someone who knows that he will go to God and be rewarded (or punished) for his actions and someone who imagines he will not have to account for anything. Someone with no fear of God can commit all kinds of wickedness and turn a blind eye to all manner of immorality out of self-interest. For example, someone capable of coveting even the property of an orphan out of worldly self-interest or some other mundane reason will do so because he has no fear or awe of God. If he believed in God and the Day of Reckoning with certain knowledge he would never do something for which he cannot account in the Hereafter. While those with no fear of God will be capable of stealing from the poor without batting an eye, those who fear God would share all they have with their brothers, even though they themselves are in need.

"You who have faith! Give away some of the good things you have earned and some of what We have produced for you from the earth. Do not have recourse to bad things when you give, things you would only take with your eyes tight shut! Know that God is Rich Beyond Need, Praiseworthy." (Surat al-Baqara, 267)

This fine moral conception is the result of a healthy fear of God. Therefore, when all members of society fear God, all phenomena that will be unpleasing to Him, such as injustice, misappropriation, bribery and corruption, will come to an end.

Another reason for the cruelty and immorality of some people is their passionate devotion to the life of this world. Such people are perhaps worried about ending up in poverty or having no guarantees for their future; because of those reasons, many people make habits out of crimes such as bribery, corruption, theft, bearing false witness or prostitution. However for a believer, the approval of God is more important than anything else in the world. Such a person will scrupulously avoid anything he knows will cause him to lose the approval of God. He will fear God alone, and neither death, nor hunger nor any other troubles will turn him away from the true path.

Consequently, someone who fears God will never compromise on the moral values of the Qur'an, no matter the circumstances; at the same time, such a person will be completely trustworthy. He will always behave in a conscientious manner. Even if he is alone, since he knows that God always sees and hears him he will never behave wrongly or cruelly under any circumstances.

Truly your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (Surat ash-Shu'ara', 9)

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)