Researchers and Academics in Taiz: Popular Resistance is the National Option to Confront the Dynasty Project and End the Coup

Taiz: Private

The Weekly Resistance Forum in Taiz organized a unique intellectual event, examining resistance from historical, political, and cultural perspectives. Three scholarly papers were presented by a group of researchers and academics. These papers emphasized that popular resistance is not merely a reaction, but rather a genuine historical and national option in confronting the projects of tyranny and dynastic priesthood. They also emphasized the path for free peoples to regain their freedom and dignity and restore their state.

In the first section of the forum, held weekly at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council of the Popular Resistance, Abdullah Hassan Khaled, a member of the Popular Resistance Council in Taiz, presented a paper titled "Resistance Around the World." He discussed the concept of resistance historically and politically, emphasizing that it is a fundamental human right against tyranny and occupation, supported religiously and legally, including by UN resolutions.

 The paper reviewed forms of resistance, from peaceful to armed, and their conditions in terms of political project, organization, leadership, and commitment to human rights. It addressed prominent examples of resistance movements around the world, including: the resistance led by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) against the Quraysh; the American Revolution against the British occupation; the European resistance against the Nazis during World War II; the Vietnamese resistance against the United States; the Algerian resistance led by Abdelkader al-Jazairi against French colonialism; the Libyan resistance led by Omar al-Mukhtar against Italy; the Yemeni resistance against British colonialism and the Imamate; the Egyptian resistance against the British occupation; and the resistance in South Africa led by Nelson Mandela against the apartheid regime.

The paper also highlighted contemporary models, including the Syrian resistance, which began peacefully in 2011 and transformed into an armed struggle, ending with the overthrow of the Assad regime in 2024. It also highlighted the Palestinian resistance, which has extended since the Balfour Declaration and was renewed by the myth of the Al-Aqsa Flood, affirming the continuation of the struggle despite international and Arab aggression and abandonment. It also highlighted the popular resistance in Yemen, which began under the leadership of Sheikh Hamoud Saeed al-Mikhlafi.  This was now represented by the Supreme Council of the Popular Resistance, headed by Sheikh Hamoud Al-Mikhlafi.

The paper concluded by emphasizing that resistance is the path to restoring rights and achieving dignity, and that free peoples do not die, but are immortalized in history through their sacrifices.

In the second section, Dr. Saeed Iskandar, Professor of History at Taiz University, discussed in a paper titled "Resistance, Its Challenges, and Available Opportunities," the historical, social, and political contexts that helped the Imami dynasty survive in Yemen from the arrival of Yahya al-Rassi in 280 AH until its return through the Houthi coup on September 21, 2014. He emphasized that the struggle against the dynastic project has not ceased for more than 1,200 years.

The history professor divided his paper into two main sections: the first was devoted to dissecting the challenges facing the popular resistance against the Houthi dynastic project, and the second to reviewing the opportunities available to the popular resistance.

 The paper provided a historical introduction, highlighting five major challenges faced by Yemenis in their struggle with the dynasty. These challenges included: (The historical challenge represented by the sectarian factor of Haditha, which established the theory of racial selection and guardianship; ignorance and tribal fanaticism, which the dynasties historically exploited as fuel for their wars; the political vacuum and the clever use of slogans against corruption and resistance to occupation and what they called aggression; economic hegemony through the promotion of the "Khums" lie and the misleading of tribes; and the social and religious exploitation of Yemenis' love for the Prophet and his family).

Despite these challenges, Dr. Saeed Iskandar emphasized in his paper that the Yemeni people never surrendered. Rather, they waged a long resistance until they succeeded in launching the greatest revolution in contemporary Arab history, the September 26, 1962, revolution that overthrew the Imamate and declared the birth of the republic.

 The paper also identified a number of internal and external factors that contributed to the overthrow of the Imamate regime, including Imamate despotism, the hostage system, tributes, the policy of impoverishment, political exposure following the 1934 war with Saudi Arabia, the emergence of an intellectual class, and external influences such as the July 23 Revolution in Egypt, which inspired Yemenis to realize the need for change.

The history professor then went on to identify the challenges facing popular resistance today, following the return of the Imamate in Houthi guise. He noted the existence of three resistance fronts: the first in the liberated areas, the second within Houthi-controlled areas, and the third among Yemeni immigrants, expatriates, and activists around the world.

Among the most prominent challenges discussed in the paper were: the psychological challenge associated with frustration, the fragmentation of the national ranks, and the resistance's need to unify its forces across Yemen; the political challenge; the military challenge represented by support and armament, including air support; the security challenge; and the weak economic capabilities required for the liberation process.

Dr. Saeed Iskandar concluded his paper by emphasizing that the dynastic project lacks the necessary foundations for survival if the popular resistance meets the conditions for its rise, invests in national awareness, and unifies the republican ranks. He called for reviving the spirit of September and repeating the historical experience of Yemenis in confronting priesthood and dynastic tyranny until its overthrow.

In the third section, Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Saeed, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Taiz University, emphasized in a paper titled "The Culture of Resistance" the importance of popular resistance in light of the challenges facing Yemen, explaining that it is an informal movement that fulfills the duty of national protection when the official role is absent or weak, or when it needs support.

 He pointed out that the emergence of the popular resistance came as a result of a series of dangers that emerged over the past decade, following the Houthi coup. These included efforts to undermine legitimacy and seize national decision-making power, in addition to foreign interventions and internal divisions, the establishment of militias outside official state institutions, the return of separatist movements, the destruction of the economy, and other dangers that necessitated the emergence of the popular resistance.

Saeed emphasized the need for the popular resistance to instill its concepts and intellectual, cultural, and ideological references in the consciousness of its members and the popular environment. He emphasized that the culture of popular resistance is a comprehensive culture that transcends partisan and regional frameworks.

The paper highlighted the importance of adhering to the unity of the Republic of Yemen and its republican system and rejecting petty projects, such as sectarianism, regionalism, the politicization of society, or the subordination of national decisions to external influences. He considered this to be at the core of the resistance's role in confronting the Houthis' project of imamate and dynasty.

 The paper emphasized the necessity of the popular resistance's commitment to a broad national partnership with all political forces and parties committed to the republican system and the political and social unity of Yemen. It also called for the overthrow of the coup, the restoration of the state, the rebuilding of its institutions, the liberation of Sana'a and the overthrow of the coup, the dismantling of sectarian and regional militias, the proper construction of the national army and security forces, the achievement of national sovereignty without internal or external tutelage, the proper development of the national economy, and the restoration of the prestige of education and teachers.

Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Saeed called for the popular resistance to be comprehensive in its activities—militarily, culturally, politically, and intellectually—and to be distributed across the entire Yemeni geography. He emphasized the necessity of rebuilding its presence in the various liberated areas, in conjunction with the national army and state authorities.

 He concluded his paper by emphasizing the importance of recalling Yemen's national history as a single, unified state since the dawn of history, and rejecting all projects that seek to dismantle its national identity, whether internally or with external support. He called for condemning and resisting all attempts to reproduce priesthood and dynastic hegemony at the expense of the unity and future of the Yemeni people. He also called for efforts to restore the social unity of the Yemeni people and resist small-scale projects based on the rejection of others based on regional and sectarian considerations.

At the conclusion of the forum, the event witnessed valuable contributions from attendees, emphasizing that popular resistance is not merely a field action, but a national project. They also offered diverse observations and visions on ways to strengthen popular resistance and unify the national ranks in order to complete liberation. They emphasized that the current circumstances are favorable and represent an exceptional opportunity to launch a decisive battle and eliminate the Houthi coup.