Doha, January 22: The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has formed a delegation to outline a comprehensive plan to end the raging fighting between the Yemeni government and the Houthi Shiite rebels.
“The IUMS Executive Council under Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has decided to mediate between the Yemeni government and Houthi Shiite rebels to end violence there,” Sheikh Abdullah bin Beya, a member of IUMS Board of Trustees, told.
A high-level IUMS team will arrive in Yemen in the coming days to discuss ways of ending the fighting between government troops and Houthis in the northern Saada province.
Led by Qaradawi, the scholar delegation will group Mauritanian bin Beya, Qatari Ali Al-Qurdaghi, Saudi Salman Oudah, Omani Mufti Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili and Iranian Shiite scholar Mohamed Ali Taskhiri.
Yemen troops are engaged in fierce fighting against Shiite rebels in the northern province of Saada.
Sana’a says the rebels, known as Houthis, have been fighting to restore the Zaidi imamate, which was overthrown in a 1962 republican coup.
The rebels deny the claim, saying they are defending their villages against what they call government aggression.
Saudi Arabia was dragged into the conflict last year after the Shiite rebels shot dead two border guards and made incursions into Saudi territories before being driven out.
Before launching the initiative, the IUMS listened to a report by President of Malaysia’s Islamic Party (PAS) Abdul Hadi Awang who visited Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iran to discuss the solution to the conflict.
The Dublin-based IUMS was launched in July 2004 in the British capital London as an independent body and a reference for all Muslims worldwide.
End Bloodshed
The Muslim scholars hope to help find a solution to the growing unrest in southern Yemen.
“The IUMS will also seek to reconcile between the government and southern separatist groups,” said bin Beya.
Yemen was divided for decades and became a Cold War battleground when the south gained independence from Britain before reunification two decades ago.
An insurgency erupted in the south in early 2009, with protests and attacks on government forces.
“The IUMS is keen on closing Arab ranks and end Muslim bloodshed,” Qurdaghi told the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel.
He said the ongoing bloodshed in Yemen saddens Muslims worldwide.
“Therefore, we have launched this initiative to stop the killing of Muslims,” he explained, adding that the IUMS is now coordinating with the government, Houthis and southerners.
Qurdaghi described the scholars’ initiative as an addition to political efforts exerted by some Arab countries, including Egypt and Iraq.
“The IUMS initiative goes in line with the political efforts to bring an end to this war.”
-Agencies