Amman – During a lecture at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) entitled "Zaidiyyah and Conflict in Yemen”, Yousef Hamidaddin, an expert on Yemen, voiced his uncertainty in achieving any nearby comprehensive or inclusive settlement in relation to the Yemeni crisis.
Hamidaddin said that the situation in Yemen is very complicated as conflicting parties suffer deep divisions, disputes and lack of consensus in their political and intellectual stands.
Hamidaddin suggested that the most important factors behind the complexity of the situation in Yemen are the lack of knowledge and understanding of the country’s internal dynamics, sects, ethnicities and alliances. He also attributed the crisis to the over-simplification of the Yemeni situation at a time where divisions are increasing on all levels, in addition to the unfamiliarity with the variables in which internal and external Yemeni movements function and the lack of experience and ability in dealing with these movements.
As for the south of Yemen, Hamidaddin said that the unification of the two parties in Yemen has left Southerners feeling marginalized, which made them want to go back to that era before the unification. Currently, Southerners live in a land almost separate from the north of the country, Hamidaddin added.
The lecture addressed several historical information regarding the Zaidiyyah beliefs, foundation, origin as well as its establishment, introduction and spread in Yemen. Hamidaddin also talked about the most important ideologies in Yemen that are mainly associated with Zaidiyyah and Shafi'I sects.