Critique of Houthi Actions in Yemen

Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings.

Praise be to God and peace and

blessings be upon the Messenger of God.

And upon his family and

companions, with abundant peace.

To proceed.

Dear beloved ones,

a few days ago I posted

a video recording

in which I spoke about the Houthis

and their siege of the city of Taiz

in Yemen and their crimes. I said that their support

for Palestine, Gaza, and its people is nothing but

a pretense of supporting what is right. Rather,

in reality, they do so to whitewash their image

and cleanse their shame, and to prove—

to prove to the Sunnis in the region that they support

their cause,

which their presidents

have abandoned,

as have their leaders, kings, and princes.

Dear beloved ones,

my criticism of the Houthis for committing war crimes

in Yemen, especially now in the city of Taiz, does not

absolve others, nor does it mean that I stand with

the others. Rather, I stand against injustice

wherever it exists and whatever its source may be.

I mean, I do not stand with the oppressor,

whoever they may be. And my brothers

who criticized me, contacted me, and asked me

to remove the video, change my position, retract, or

My apologies,

even my brothers in Gaza who,

I mean, said

that

I do not represent them. I represent myself and speak

with the conscience of the

people of Gaza and Palestine.

The fact that I lost children,

a wife, and a home—this is my home in the background—

does not mean that I have become authorized

to speak on behalf of the people of Gaza.

But I truly speak with the

conscience of the people of Gaza,

the real conscience.

I do not speak with a political conscience, nor do I speak

with a humanitarian conscience.

Rather, I speak with the true

Sunni religious conscience. Dear brothers,

I affirm that the Houthi project and Iran's project,

and their support for Gaza and the

Palestinian cause, are merely

slogans meant to whitewash

their image, wash away their shame, and raise

the banner that they protect or defend the cause

of the foremost Sunni Muslims, which is Palestine

and its Al-Aqsa Mosque. Dear beloved ones,

I affirm that the Houthi is a criminal,

and that Iran, which stands behind him,

is criminal, that the Houthi

occupies Yemeni land,

and that

anyone who commits crimes against

the people of Yemen is a criminal,

whether Houthi or non-Houthi,

whether Shiite, Sunni, or otherwise,

And I am accountable for these words

before God Almighty, and this is

my position. I will never, ever waiver from it.