A Comprehensive War
Yemen
Tharwa: Consequently, the government launched a comprehensive war using all kinds of weapons and making no distinction between Zaydi Shiites and Imami Shiites, and conducted a cleansing campaign against everything that is Shiite in the region. From the very beginning, the state resorted to indecent tactics by using the media as a tool to propagate false news. The official media sometimes claimed that Al Huthi is pretending to a prophet and sometimes claimed that he is the expected Mahdi. In addition, the government revived the Salafi radical movement and supplied it with money and weapons. After two days of the beginning of the war, Wahabi fatwas (religious decrees) were issued permitting the killing of Shiite Twelvers because they are “infidels”, “atheists” and “miscreants”, and because of this Wahabi incitement, Twelvers were included in this anti-Shiite campaign alongside Zaydis, during which the following government goals were achieved:1- Shiite Zaydi and Twelvers followers were arbitrarily detained.
2- All Shiite Zaydi and Twelvers libraries were closed down.
3- Shiite Lebanese and Yemeni book publishers were prohibited from taking part in Sana’a Book Fair.
4- Twelvers’ sympathizers were prosecuted.
5- Some Shiite Twelvers’ books like Mafateeh Al Jinan (Keas of Heavens), Muraja’at (Revisions), Asr Al Zuhour (Era of the Reappearance) and others were confiscated.
6- Zaydi educational centers in Sa،da, Hajja and Sana’a governorates were closed down.
7- Whole Shiite villages were wiped out (not sparing women and children).
8- Shiites from all confessions were dismissed from government positions.
