Houthis ramp up against conflict against Yemen’s Bahai minority
The leader of the Houthi rebels, Abdulmalik Al Houthi, urged his loyalists to attack Yemen’s Bahai population.
The rebels launched a social media campaign encouraging their members to attack the group. Since then, there have been reports of Houthis storming residences in Sanaa believed to belong to members of the marginalised sect.
The Bahai minority in Yemen have been exposed to persecution since the Iran-backed rebels took control of the capital in 2014.
“Iran discriminates against the group, which was born in Shiraz in Iran in 1844. So, the Houthis do as the Iranians do,” the spokesman for the Bahai group in Sanaa, Abdullah Al Oulofy, told The National.
Last week, the rebel leader said in a statement carried by Saba, the Houthi news agency, that “the Bahai group in Yemen is a devilish plant sowed by Israel. Its arms are represented by Saudi Arabia and the US to drive the Yemenis out of Islam”.
The rebel leader claimed that because Acre, a city occupied by Israel, is considered Bahai’s holiest city, then “Bahaism is bred by Israel and supported by Israel and the western states”.
The group, which originated in Iran in the 19th century and spread across the world, believes in core principles such as universal peace and acceptance of all religions as manifestations of one God.
“This new invader to our homeland – the Bahaism – clearly stabs in Islam and leads an intellectual war against Islam as a religion. Furthermore it strives to encourage some to quit Islam,” the Houthi leader said.
Members of the sect have fled their homes in Sanaa looking for refuge in rural areas outside direct control of the rebel group.
A member of the group
Iran discriminates against the group, which was born in Shiraz in Iran in 1844. So the Houthis do as the Iranians do ABDULLAH AL OULOFY Bahai group spokesman
was sentenced to death by a Houthi-controlled court in January. Dozens of their activists are still detained by the rebels and have not been seen for years.
“We did not do anything or say anything against the Houthis. Peace is the core of our beliefs, we call for peace, for love and harmony and we respect the law, so what is our fault to be treated in such a brutal manner,” Mr Al Oulofy said.
The group has called to Martin Griffiths, the newly appointed UN envoy, to address their grievances and provide amnesty to the group.
Members of the sect have lived in Yemen for centuries alongside various creeds, including Shiites, Jews and Christians who have since fled the country.