Houthis: Politics and Islam in Yemen

The Houthi movement (Arabic: الحوثيون al-Huthiyun) is the Shiite Islamist political and military organization that came to political prominence in Yemen during the 1990s. They are also known as Ansarullah (أنصار الله ʾ), in other words, the Supporters of God. The movement is mainly composed of Zaydi Shiites and their leadership comes largely from the Houthi tribe.

Most of the world’s Zaydis live in North Yemen and the Najran region of Saudi Arabia. Zaydism (Arabic: الزَّيْدِيَّة, al-Zaidiyyah) is one of the three main branches of Shiite Islam that emerged in the eighth century after Zayd ibn Ali’s unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate. Zaidism is a branch of Shiite Islam with elements of Sunni Islam. The Shiite temperament of the Zaydis is based on the acceptance of Ali as the rightful successor of Muhammad. The Zaydis regard rationality as more important than Koranic literalism and have in the past been quite tolerant of Sunni Shafiism, the version of Islam practiced by half of Yemenis today.

Theologically the main part of Zaidism is the result of the interaction of two currents, Batrism and Jarundism. The Zaydis advocate the position that Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the imam because he led a revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate, a political system he believed to be tyrannical and corrupt. Muhammad al-Baqir was not involved in political action and Zayd’s followers believed that a true imam should fight against corrupt leaders. The Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa, also the founder of the Hanafi School of Sunni Islam, issued a fatwa (legal declaration) in favor of Zayd in his rebellion against the Umayyad ruler. He also secretly urged people to join the revolt and handed over funds to Zayd.

Unlike Twelver Shiism and the Ismailis, the Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of their Apostles and reject the concept of a mass imamate. However they advocate the notion that an Imam can be any descendant of Hasan ibn `Alī or Husayn ibn ʻAlī. The Zaydis believe that Zayd ibn Ali at the last hour was betrayed by the people of Kufa. The Zaidi reject anthropomorphism and instead take a rationalist approach to the graphic uses of anthropomorphic expressions.

In matters of Islamic jurisprudence, the Zaydis follow the teaching of Zayd ibn Ali, as documented in his book Majmu al-Fiqh (مجموع الفِقه). Zaydi jurisprudence is similar to Sunni Islamic jurisprudence of the Hanafi School, as well as the Ebadi school. Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school, was favorable and even donated to the Zaydi cause. The Zaydis reject the religious principle of pretence. Zaidism does not rely heavily on the Hadith (Traditions about the Prophet), but uses those that are consistent with the Qur’an and is generally receptive to the Hadith. Some sources regard Zaydism as a philosophy of political governance that justifies the overthrow of unjust rulers and gives priority to the tribe of Banu Hashem.

As in Islam, religion and politics are inextricably intertwined, the understanding of the worldview of the Houthis is a basic condition for the assessment of the geopolitical developments in Aden and the Arabian Peninsula, and more likely in the interior of Yemen, with ramifications that reach and affect substantially and unprecedentedly the Palestinian Question.