A Warning Against the Risks of Religious Theorists

In the seminar organized by the SCSS on Jun. 8, 2009, under the title "Contradiction Between Religious Trends in Yemen: Its Impact on Security," the participants warned against the risks of immoderation and extremism which may trigger violence among the followers of the different religious denominations.

At the outset of the seminar, the principal paper, which was the main focus of discussion and presented by Researcher Abdul Ellah Haider Sha'yia, reviewed the disparities within each religious denomination on one hand and between such denominations on the other. In his paper, Haider exposed the words-and-actions incompatibility featuring in all religious spectrums (the Salafi creed; the Reform Party; the Zaidi sect); and in the quotations he cited from the literature published by these three religious trends, the researcher was able to prove that they have been trying to implant in their followers the notion that they deserve to rule because they have the divine right or because democracy is infidelity or because there is a crusade against Muslims. According to the researcher, all these wrong ideas are in contravention with the  law and constitutional principles which must be respected and complied with on the part of both the state and citizens.
Such ideas, according to what the researcher said, are usually accepted widely, especially among young people who have been indoctrinated not to question these ideas. Therefore, he called on the supreme leadership to be prudent and moderate when presenting their future projections, pointing out that immoderation usually springs from the projections and visions prepared by religious theorists, and then it quickly turns into attitudes that justify fighting.
After that, Judge al-Hittar, the Minister of Endowments, took the floor and pointed out that Yemen had always been remarked by peaceful coexistence of different religious spectrums, taking issue with the exaggeration expressed by the principal paper and calling for adopting moderate and balanced policies. Also, all participants, who belong to different religious sects, expressed their viewpoints towards what the paper had presented, and they came to the conclusion that religious theorists should shoulder the responsibility of formulating a moderate religious dialogue. They also called for more comprehensive and extensive events in which all relevant parties should take part in order to handle such issue and its ramifications.