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Arabia

Fighting rages in Yemen capital despite UN talk of deal

2014-09-22

Fighting raged in the Yemeni capital on Sunday despite an announcement by the UN envoy that pro-government forces and Shia rebels were poised to sign a deal. All the UN ever does is talk. Why should that stop a good fight? The shelling and gunfire in the north of Sanaa was heard across the capital, as Sunni militiamen battled the rebels prompting an exodus of terrified residents, an AFP correspondent reported. A week of fighting between the two sides has left dozens of people dead and forced the suspension of all flights into or out of Sanaa airport, which lies within the battle zone. There was no let-up in the fighting during the night despite an after-dark curfew ordered by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. The fighting centred on the campus of Al Iman University, a bastion of Sunnis that the Shia rebels have been trying to capture, witnesses said. It came despite the announcement by UN envoy Jamal Benomar late on Saturday that a deal had been reached after “intense consultations with all the political parties, including (rebel movement) Ansarullah.” Benomar did not specifically mention a ceasefire nor did he say when the deal would be signed, although he said preparations were under way for the signing. Sometime after one of the sides wins out... He said the accord will be a “national document that will advance the path of peaceful change, and will lay the foundations for national partnership and for security and stability in the country”. Unlike all the previous paths for national partnership and inclusion in Yemen... He said he regretted the continuing bloodshed and reiterated that the “time has now come to overcome narrow interests and that the higher national interest should prevail”. Forces allied to the government have been battling to halt the rebels, who swept into Sanaa from their mountain stronghold in the far north last month and set up armed protest camps across the capital to press their demands. Hadi has called the rebel offensive a “coup attempt”. He has agreed to involve the rebels in the formation of a new government to replace the unpopular administration that imposed austerity measures, including a fuel price hike, earlier this year. He has also agreed to partially reverse the price hike. But the rebels have demanded posts in key state institutions as part of a push for greater political clout. The fighting in the north of the capital has raged continuously since Thursday when nearly 40 people were killed in a single day. Two prominent opponents of the rebels — Islamist cleric Abdel Majid Al Zindani and General Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar, an army commander whose troops played a prominent role in a 2011 uprising that forced veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from power — are both inside the Al Iman University campus, multiple sources said. Residents of northern districts have begun to flee their homes, an AFP correspondent reported. The streets of the capital were largely deserted as shops remained closed and the education ministry ordered schools to suspend lessons indefinitely. Sanaa University told students to stay on holiday until mid-October after its campus was hit by shelling. One of the capital’s main markets, the Ali Mohsen Souk, has been closed for three days, which residents said had started to cause problems in obtaining fruit and vegetables.

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Arabia

Al-Zindani denies US allegations of terrorism-back

2012-07-07

Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani has strongly denied No, no! Certainly not! US accusations of supporting terrorism, stressing that the US allegations are baseless. In an interview with Al-Rai Newspaper, Al-Zindani, who is head of Al-Iman University, had expressed his readiness to stand before a Yemeni court if the administration has any evidence about his ties to terrorism. Yemeni media outlets has recently spoken about an alleged “deal” between Zindani and the White House which would have seen the removal of his name from America’s terror list, but Al-Zindani denied such deal. In a statement, Al-Zindani's bureau in Sana'a said that it repeatedly demanded the US administration to present any evidence that could substantiate its claims about Al-Zindani, asserting that the administration is unable to do that and that Al-Zindani has no any ties with terrorism. It further said that the former Yemeni regime conspire to enlist Al-Zindai name in the terrorism list, pointing out that correspondences between Yemen's ambassador to the United Nations ...Parkinson's Law on an international scale... and Foreign Affairs Minister affirm that. US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein has recently said his country has not changed its position towards Al-Zindani, stressing the White House still considered Zindani a dangerous threat. The Islah Party has expressed sorrow about the remarks of the US ambassador to Yemen Gerald M. Feierestein regarding Sheikh Abdul-Majeed Al-Zandani, emphasizing that the case of Al-Zindani was made up by the former regime of President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... with the aim of political blackmailing. Al-Zindani is the founder and had of Al-Iman University in Sana'a that was founded in 1995 with Yemeni government support. He also a senior member of one of the main political Yemeni parties, the Islah Party.

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Arabia

Yemen university in focus after Christmas terror attempt

2010-01-09

Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab disappeared in Yemen for more than two months before he allegedly tried to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet with explosives concealed in his underwear. Investigators want to know if, during that time, he heeded the call to prayer coming from the hills above Yemen's capital, where an Islamic university headed by a fiery cleric has helped the country earn its reputation as an incubator of extremism. The students who pray at Al-Iman University now, two weeks after that failed Christmas Day attack, say the school has been made a scapegoat, and that what AbdulMutallab is accused of having done is wrong. "It's against Islam," one says. "The thoughts in their heads go against Islam," says another. Al-Imam's leader is Sheikh Abdel Majid al-Zindani, a provocative cleric with a flaming red beard. The United States considers him a terrorist, accused in 2004 of supplying weapons to al Qaeda. But in Yemen, al-Zindani is a free and influential man. Al-Zindani denied CNN's request for an interview but allowed the network to tape at the school he's built from the ground up since the early 1990s. Every year, thousands of Islamic students from Yemen, Africa and around the world are cocooned in al-Zindani's compound, where they study their faith and are instilled with a strident defense of that faith. Last year, al-Zindani made a public plea to recruit millions of young men to fight jihad against Israel. But the students say they don't think AbdulMutallab was ever at the school, and investigators don't appear to have come to ask. Yemeni authorities, it seems, have taken a hands-off approach to the university. "To my knowledge, no security, no investigation teams came here," political science professor Ismail al-Suhaili said. "Nobody thought that AbdulMutallab was here." In Yemen, Al-Iman University is highly respected and its leader admired, making it difficult for investigators to find out for sure if the Christmas Day bombing suspect was ever there.

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Arabia

Yemen's powerful Islamic Party replaces Zindani

2007-02-28

Yemen's powerful Islamic political party, Islah, on Tuesday replaced one of its top leaders who Washington suspects of funding terrorism and supporting al-Qaida. The 4,000-member party voted out Sheik Abdulmajid al-Zindani, the spiritual leader of the party and head of its Shura Council since 1991, during the party's conference and replaced him with Mohammed Ali Ajilan, a Yemeni parliament member. Al-Zindani had placed U.S.-Yemen relations on edge over Yemeni authorities objection to detaining him. In February last year, U.S. President George W. Bush sent a letter to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh calling for the government of Yemen to arrest al-Zindani. The letter said al-Zindani was listed in a U.N. document as a suspected financier of terrorism and was banned from traveling. The U.S. Treasury Department placed al-Zindani on its list of suspected supporters of terror activities in February 2004, accusing him of actively recruiting for al-Qaida's terrorist training camps and playing a role in the purchase of weapons for al-Qaida and other terrorists. Al-Zindani, who is also the president of the Islamic Al-Iman University, has denied the allegations and has called on the United States to produce evidence. He said he was not afraid of being questioned by Yemeni authorities about the charge. However, al-Zindani, believed by many to be Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor, has incited hate against the West and come close to advocating violence in his sermons. Al-Iman University is regarded as a haven for radicals. Yemen has said repeatedly that it will not hand him, or any other wanted Yemeni, over to Washington. During the three-day Islah conference, its members also urged the Yemeni government to pressure Washington into removing al-Zindani's name from its listed of suspected terrorism financiers.

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Arabia

Yemen demands material evidence from Security Council Comittee

2007-02-27

A reliable source in the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it told the Security Council Committee to present clear evidence before it could take any measures against citizens. The foreign affairs ministry confirmed that it demands that material evidence should be presented by the Security Council’s committee against the Yemeni citizens whose names are on their list. The ministry said that they will start taking measures as soon as this evidence is presented. The source said that Yemen abides by the Council’s resolution. It highlighted The Yemeni efforts in fighting terrorism. A source said that the Yemeni government participated actively in fighting terrorism. It detained many terrorist, tried them and they received different sentences. The source added that Yemen is ready to take any measures against any of its citizens if he is proofed to be involved in any acts of financing terrorism; however this evidences are presented by the Security Council Committee, or any other friendly or brotherly countries. The Yemeni announcement came after the American continuous demand to extradite Sheikh Abdulmajeed Alzandani, Head of Al-Iman University and head of Islah party consultancy council. He is one of the prominent Islamic leaders in Yemen. The Security Council Committee had declared freezing Alzandani balances, following accusations that he is among the list of terror supporters. Yemen rejected these accusations and demanded presentation of material evidences and that he should be tried inside Yemen. The American demands of extraditing terrorists are increasing tension in their already tense relationship with America. Yemenis think that the Americans don’t positively evaluate the Yemeni efforts of fighting terrorism. This reached its peak in the case of the assassination of Al-Harathi, one of the attackers of USS Cole, when an American plane attacked and killed him. Yemen considers the American trial for some Yemenis as an intervention in its internal affairs and doesn’t help in consolidating bilateral Relations. A clear example is the 75 years imprisonment of Shiekh Al-Moyad in addition to a fine of $250,000. His aide Mohamed Ziad was also sentenced to 45 year’s imprisonment. Yemen complains that its efforts in terror fighting are not appreciated and that assistance from the west has been meager and ineffective. Yemen’s policy in trying terrorists is also attributed to the heavy losses it experienced due to their attacks. Terrorism in Yemen is a major cause of reluctant foreign investment and exacts a high toll on the lives of the nations defense and security personnel.

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Arabia

Al-Zindani collects millions to sue Yemeni journalists

2006-02-24

Sheikh Abdulmajeed Al-Zindani, head of the opposition Islah party’s Shoura Council and Al-Iman University head, confirmed that European insult to the prophet is due to their ignorance of his value. He added that researchers and Orientalists who studied his profile made fair judgments about him. He's referring to pious scholars like... ummm... himself, of course. Besides being head of Yemen's Islamist opposition and a molder of young minds, Zindani's also a member of the Supreme Council of Global Jihad... Additionally, Al-Zindani disclosed formation of a public legal committee to defend the prophet, adding that it has collected YR 5 million in fees for lawyers who will sue Yemeni journalists who republished the offensive caricatures. Al-Zindani declared that republishing the caricatures repeated the insult. He said that they will see to it that anyone insulting the prophet will stand trial, explaining that it is the judiciary that has the right to condemn those republishing the caricatures. It will also demonstate the utter lack of freedom of the Yemeni press. In a press release, journalist Al-Jaradi, Journalists Syndicate information committee secretary, called on Al-Zindani to use the money to indict the U.S. Administration, whose soldiers tore the Qur’an and threw it in the dirt. The U.S. has studiously — and stupidly — tried to stay out of the cartoon fray. It's done us a lot of good, hasn't it? Al-Jaradi told News Yemen network that Al-Zindani should do that instead of suing Yemeni journalists who republished the caricatures out of good will to defend the prophet. He added, “If the journalists were wrong, many scholars have asserted that they were free of bad intentions, a matter that was met by an understanding, which led the judiciary to free them.” "Dudn't matter. Dudn't matter. They still gotta die." Al-Jaradi said he is sure that many Al-Iman University scholars are wondering about Al-Zindani’s insistence in this matter. Al-Jaradi stressed the necessity of the presence of an establishment specialized in issuing fatwas in Yemen, which should be done through competent individuals capable of issuing fatwas. In normal countries, those bodies are known as "parliaments," and their fatwahs are called "laws."

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Arabia

Saudi Execs Praise Swiss Decision in Al-Qadi Case

2005-12-26

Following the exoneration of Saudi businessman Sheikh Yassin Abdullah Al-Qadi by a Swiss court earlier this month, Saudi businessmen have expressed their happiness over the news. “I am very happy to know that my friend Al-Qadi has been cleared of all charges by the Swiss court,” Zuhair Fayez, a Jeddah-based architect, told Arab News yesterday. He described Al-Qadi as a reputable businessman with international fame. Fayez said the individuals and agencies that falsely accused Al-Qadi of funding terrorism must be held responsible for damaging his reputation and interests. “The truth will certainly prevail even if it takes time,” Abdul Rahman Al-Khereiji, a local business leader, told Arab News. “Thank God for the court verdict, which has once again proved Al-Qadi had never involved in any terror funding.” The Federal Criminal Court in Berne cleared Al-Qadi of any wrongdoing in a case stemming from the 9/11 attacks, his lawyers announced on Dec. 12. The charges alleged that Al-Qadi gave money in 1998 ostensibly to construct student housing at Al-Iman University in Yemen while knowing that the funds may have ended up supporting Al-Qaeda’s plan to attack New York City. “I am delighted by this judgment, which categorically concludes that the transfers being investigated by Swiss authorities — which were all bona fide donations for the purposes of benefiting a university in Yemen — had nothing whatsoever to do with the Sept. 11 attacks,” said Al-Qadi in a statement issued through his lawyers. Al-Qadi’s assets were frozen by the US and the UN shortly after the Twin Tower attacks and an investigation was opened in October 2001. In four years no charges were ever filed against Al-Qadi. The Saudi businessman headed the Muwafaq (Blessed Charity) Foundation. The organization ended up on a CIA list of suspected Al-Qaeda front organizations following the 9/11 attacks. The group also received funds from the United Nations in 1997 for its famine-relief work in the Sudan.

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Arabia

Scores of Yemeni students arrested under pretext of terrorism links

2003-01-04

Middle East Online and Ummahnews A large number of Islamist students have been arrested in Yemen in the wake of this week's murders fatal shootings of three American missionaries and the assassination of a socialist political leader, a security official said Thursday. "Many students at Al-Iman University in Sanaa suspected of extremist activities and having links with the assassins of the three American missionaries and the number two of the Yemeni Socialist Party Jarallah Omar were arrested Thursday," said the official. He would not disclose exactly how many students had been arrested, but said among them were "persons whose names were mentioned in the questioning of the assassins of the Americans and Jarallah Omar." If the Yemenis do something with them other than hold them for a few days and then let them go, they're serious about the War on Terror.

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