(Spiked-UK) - James Heartfield Attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis have delighted anti-Israel activists in the West, who have taken to the streets with a new chant: "Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around." It's clear that those in the West currently cheering on the Houthis know very little about this regressive movement. Officially known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), the Houthis now govern much of the populous west and north of Yemen and are today the dominant force in the country. The Houthis are Zaydi, a branch of Shia Islam. In 2000, Houthi leader Hussein al-Houthi coined the slogan, "Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse upon the Jews, Victory for Islam." In the areas it controls, the Houthi regime is proving itself profoundly illiberal - it has suspended elections, and tortured and executed dissenters and homosexuals. The writer is a British historian.
2024-03-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive