Ali Abdullah Saalih finally signed an agreement to step down before his appointed term is up, in order that elections can be held in a few months, insh’Allaah. Some people are lauding this as the end of the protests and unrest in Yemen, but I find it difficult to believe[…]
Mujaahid called a couple of days ago. I could tell from his voice that he needed to talk, so I called him back so we could talk for longer. The first question, of course, as always, was “How are you doing?” And his answer, as always, was “Fine, alhamdulillah.” The[…]
There are some sounds that you never forget. The first cry of a newborn as she struggles to take her first breath of air. The laughter of your mother as she teases you while brushing your hair. The gruff voice of your father telling you he’ll always be there. And[…]
Last night I spoke with my eldest son, who lives in a village in the northern part of Yemen. I asked him how he and his family were doing, and he answered, “Fine, everything’s fine.” He then went on to tell me that the Shi’ite guerrillas had blockaded the village,[…]
It is the third night of Ramadhaan and the city skies are full of smoke. As the voices of imaams all over town are raised in the taraaweeh communal prayers, foul-smelling, swirling black clouds lazily reach upward to meet their clean, whispy-white brethren in the heavens. As people gather in[…]
I am no stranger to violence. I lived in a northern village for three years, during a time when the fighting between the shi’ite Houthis and the government and local tribes was very intense. Nightly bombings, the sound of machine gun fire, funeral prayers said with amazing frequency…these were all a[…]
Two days ago one of my students went into a small grocery store to buy tissues after class. As she was about to leave, the storekeeper said sharply, “No, stay!” He pointed out the door, and she could see the whole street filled with men on motorcycles, many with masks[…]
