The Houthi militia continues to tamper with the Al-Nahrain Mosque
English - Thursday 05 August 2021 الساعة 12:20 pm
Sana'a, NewsYemen:
Yemen's delegate to UNESCO, Muhammad Jumaih, said that the responsibility for the reconstruction of the Al-Nahrain Mosque in the old city of Sanaa according to international standards lies with the Houthi militia - the Iranian arm in Yemen - which is involved in the demolition of the mosque on the pretext of preserving the "faith identity".
While Jomaih explained that the demolition of the mosque was a grave mistake, and that its reconstruction in violation of UNESCO standards would be an even more grave mistake, the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center Michtild Roesler warned against the reconstruction of the Al-Nahrain Mosque “in violation of UNESCO standards for the protection of world cultural heritage,” noting that The results of this and its negative impact “on the exceptional universal value of the city, and on its position on the World Heritage List.”
Last February, official documents in Sanaa revealed that a Houthi fatwa by the leader of the Houthi militia, Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din, was behind the demolition of the Al-Nahrain Mosque in the old city of Sanaa, in a case that at the time aroused resentment and denunciation of local communities.
In accordance with the Antiquities Law and the report of a technical committee of specialists, and based on the provisions of the articles of Law No. (28) of 1997 (3-10-11-14-15-17-39-40-41), the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums demanded at the time that legal and judicial measures be taken. Against those involved in the demolition of the mosque, and “working to restore the building to its original condition at the expense of the violators as it was.”
Against the background of this case, a newly established Houthi body called the "General Authority of Endowments" strongly attacked activists on social networks and local and foreign media.
In a statement issued by it, on Monday, February 15, 2021, the Houthi organization confirmed its involvement in the demolition of the mosque, and its disruption of the functions and function of the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance, government institutions, and the applicable laws, regulations and regulations.
The statement stated that the illegal Houthi militia "began to implement the restoration and maintenance of mosques initiated by the ministry," and that it "began to completely restore the Al-Nahrain Mosque and rebuild it according to the Islamic archaeological style and to preserve the faith identity."
The term "preserving the faith identity" carries a veiled doubt about the identity of the mosque, which is a scientific and cultural platform for the Zaidi sect in Yemen throughout history. The Houthi term includes a erosion of the Yemeni identity with its sectarian and intellectual diversity, its societal unity and its civilizational landmarks, in favor of Iranian sectarian identities.
Since the emergence of the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hassan Erlo, as the default ambassador of his country in Sana’a, the Houthi militia has tended to obliterate the features of Yemeni identity, and intensified its sectarian methods within Yemeni society, disregarding centuries of coexistence and overlapping religious sects for more than a thousand years.
