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Arabia Felix Magazine The Sheikh of All Sheikhs By January 1, 2006, 01:50
This reputation didn’t come from nothing. It was earned. Here’s his story. It is the dawn of the modern world in Yemen: 1959. King Ahmed, the Imam, who ruled Yemen as if were ruling his private family, has just returned from Italy where he has been taken to recover from injuries sustained during an assassination attempt. Revolutionaries had come dangerously close to regicide. Sheikh al-Ahmar is sent from his native village to Hodeidah, to the palace there, to congratulate the Imam on his successful return to Yemen. Why this particular young man from the country? Because his family is important and every important family had to send a son. He, however, is no politician; he’s interested in looking after the household and its needs. If any more important family member were to be sent to the Imam, the Imam, who mistrusted everyone, might just do away with the emissary. So off he goes. Meanwhile, his father (Hussein bin Nasser al-Ahmar) stays out of reach; but a brother (Hameed), is taken by the Imam. Abdullah,for his part, is the lone emissary of the al-Ahmar clan at the Imam’s court. As it turns out, he is a Trojan horse. It is he who listens to the speeches, and he who congratulates the King on his health, his wisdom, his beneficence. And he who silently absorbs information on ruling: what to do, what not to do.
At the palace, a world opens before him: diplomacy, intrigue, courtly manners, rituals, secret messages, money, power. The young man from Haboor, who had until then left politics to his brothers and father, is astonished. This, he thinks to himself, is a new life; it is dangerous, but possibly also rewarding. His father, meanwhile, thinking himsef safe from the Imam’s reach, is not. He is hunted down by henchmen after he spearheads a tribal alliance to topple Imam Ahmed Hamiduddin. He and Hamid are executed, leaving Abdullah alone to care for the family fortunes.
Now, as the head of the Parliament and the president of the Islah party, the second largest political party in the country, Sheikh al-Ahmar recalls these pivotal moments in Yemen’s history warmly. He is not a man to harbor regrets, or to dwell on the past. Yes, he was thrown in jail by the Imam. Yes, it turned out the jail was a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. Here he met and conferred with the nation’s other Sheikhs and enemies of the regime. Here he planned the next step.
Now, Sheikh al-Ahmar is a powerful man, with family interests in a half dozen business sectors in Yemen. In Yemen, he’s known as an iron-fisted Sheikh and also for his power as a politician. But anyone who really knows him, knows what he’s like as a person. He has a modest, humble exterior. He can be tough when tough is needed but for everyday requirements, he is quiet. Power speaks for itself. In a recent interview at his house in Sana’a, he spoke about his past, his tribesmen, and how this colorful biography influences his views of current events. He is, as these comments show, not one to hide his views. He speaks with a refreshing directness.
He views the tribal system of local government that prevails in many parts of Yemen as a profoundly democratic thing: “Democracy is freedom and tribal customs promote freedom,” he said, recalling his own experience as the Sheikh of his community. “Yemen is democratic by nature.” On America: “My impression was good but it was made during my visit a few years back. The American people were peaceful and democratic, having great values and traditions and the whole world was taking after them as an example. Back then, the country was ruled by a different administration than the one it has now. But now my impression of the current practices and policies of the White House, particularly regarding Palestine, is really bad. One fifth of the world’s population is Muslim. These people are now angry at American policies.”
On the way around the current deveolpment problems: “Inevitably, the world has to come together. The developed world must help the undeveloped.” On the Yemeni tribes: “Some of their qualities are generosity, chivalry, sticking to Islamic teachings, rejecting practices that are unIslamic.” On who exactly is Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar: “Ask someone else.”
As we said, he is a man who doesn’t like to waste words. His directness sets an example for admirers of this bold, forthright Sheikh: just say it. Be direct, stand up, say what you feel. That, in Sheikh al-Ahmar’s book, is leadership. The Sheikh in his own words The Career of Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein bin Nasser bin Mabkhout al-Ahmar: • Born in 1933 in Hashed region. • He received his basic education in a Kutab (a traditional school). • His father, Hussein bin Nasser al-Ahmar, was an opponent of the dictatorship of Imam Yahya Hamiduddin and his son Ahmed Yahya Hamiduddin . His brother Hameed bin Hussein al-Ahmar was taken a hostage by the dictator Imam. • The young Sheikh assumed the responsibility of the family house and oversaw the properties of his family. • Sheikh Abdullah was detained in Hodeida by Imam Ahmed Hamiduddin after his father spearheaded a tribal alliance at the end of 1950s to topple Imam Ahmed. • After his eleventh day in the Hodeida jail, Sheikh Abdullah was sent to Al-Mahabishah jail where he was imprisoned untill the eruption of the September 26 Revolution in 1962. • His stay in Sokhna region, in Hodeida, at the headquarters of Imam Yahya, was a good chance for Sheikh Abdullah to meet high-caliber politicians and educated people. It was also the beginning of his involvement in the political life. • After the September 26 revolution in 1962, leader of the revolution Abdullah Al-Sallal delegated Sheikh Abdullah to trail ousted Imam Mohammed al-Badr and arrest him. • Since then, Sheikh al-Ahmar has led the tribes of Hashid in defending the revolution and the newly born republican system until the battles were over in January, 1970. • Sheikh al-Ahmar greatly contributed to planning the November 5 Corrective Movement in 1967. Al-Ahmar also played a significant role in opposing interior and foreign threats to the Revolution, especially the 70-Day Siege of Sana'a. • In 1969, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar was elected chairman for the National Council of the Yemen Arab Republic. His election to this position was simultaneous to the drafting of the country's permanent constitution • In 1970, Sheikh al-Ahmar was elected chairman for the Shura Council in a country struggling with poverty. The council continued to operate until the permanent constitution was suspended and the council was closed in 1975. • Minister of Interior in 1972. • When a civic council was established in 1979, Sheikh al-Ahmar was appointed a member and then was given a membership in the General Committee of the People's General Congress since it was founded in 1982. • During the standoff in July 1994, Sheikh al-Ahmar greatly contributed to the integration of the judicial branch of the state and the unity of the country. • In, 1995, he successfully negotiated for a peaceful settlement of the Yemeni-Saudi border dispute, ending up with the signature of a bilateral treaty. It was after this treaty that the Yemeni-Saudi ties came back to normal. • Sheikh al-Ahmar has chaired the following organizations: • The Popular Committee for Supporting Kuwaiti People. This society was formed after the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait • The Popular Committee for Defending Aqsa and Palestine • Parliamentary Committee for Quds and Palestine. • Al-Quds Corporation in Yemen, Yemen branch • Sheikh al-Ahmar has also been a member of the Trustees Council of the Islamic Daawa International Organization and a vice president for the Council of the Trustees of al-Quds Corporation. Copyright © 2005 - 2007 Arabia Felix. http://www.arabia-felix.com |
