Al Arabiya has published an article titled “in Yemen’s Turmoil, Is The Muslim Brotherhood The Main Loser?” that looks at the losses suffered by the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of the current Houthi offensive. The article begins
Yemeni Flag
Until very recently, it was safe to say that one of the main beneficiaries of the 2011 uprisings in Yemen was the Muslim Brotherhood. Well organized and prepared like its Egyptian counterpart, the Brotherhood spearheaded the protests that demanded an end to Ali Abdullah Saleh’s three decade rule.
The Brotherhood took advantage of the power vacuum to play a central role in the political transition process. As part of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (or al-Islah, the coalition formed by Hashid tribal leadership, businessmen and Islamist groups of various kind), Brotherhood leaders participated actively in Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference.
Politically, the Houthi offensive paid off, at least so far
Manuel Almeida The unelected national unity cabinet, appointed in December 2011 by then Vice-President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, was divided in equal numbers between the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) and the opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) of which al-Islah is part. The allegiance of Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa and Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to al-Islah allowed the Brotherhood to spread their influence within the state and military apparatus.”
The GMBDW reported in September on the takeover of the Yemeni capital Sana by Houthi militants.
In February 2013, the GMBDW reported on Hamid al-Ahmar, also a senior leader in the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood. According to a report in the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat:
Also on Monday, armed rebels were reported to have looted the homes of several Yemeni officials, including that of presidential defense adviser Gen. Ali Mohsin Al-Ahmar, and leading Al-Islah Party figure Sheikh Hamid Al-Ahmar, as well as the minister of education, among others.Houthis blame Gen. Ahmar for the death of the group’s founder Hussein Al-Houthi, and he has become a hate figure for the group due to his role leading government forces in a number of recent battles against Houthis in the province of Saada.
In December 2011, we recommended on a New York Times article titled “Yemen’s Opposition May Be Caught by Its Own Double Game.”
The Al-Islah Party in Yemen is identified by an Israeli research center as the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen. One of the other important leaders of Al-Islah is Abdul Majeed al-Zindani. In addition to his leadership of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood, Zindani also has strong links to the global Muslim Brotherhood including serving on the board of global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi’s Union of GoodHamas fund-raising organization and his relationship to Muslim Brotherhood figure Zaghloul el-Naggar of Egypt.
