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March 1, 2011

Protesters in Yemen Return to Streets

By LAURA KASINOF
SANA, Yemen — As thousands of demonstrators for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh
took to the streets on Tuesday, a cleric accused by the United States of having links to Al
Qaeda joined the protesters for the first time to call for the replacement of the government
with an Islamic state.

The call by the cleric, Sheik Abdul Majid al-Zindani, seemed a marked contrast to the upheaval
that brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and threatens the rulers of Libya, Bahrain,
Oman and, to this point, Yemen, where uprisings have been seen as secular and inspired by
democratic goals.

Mr. Zindani’s appearance coincided with an unusual display of anti-American sentiment by

Mr. Saleh, who accused Washington and Israel of fomenting unrest to destabilize the Arab
world — an accusation that seemed more remarkable because the United States has been Mr.
Saleh’s most powerful Western backer during his three decades in power.

“From Tunis to the Sultanate of Oman,” Mr. Saleh said, the wave of protest is “managed by Tel
Aviv and under the supervision of Washington,” he said.

Soon after he spoke, antigovernment protesters took to the streets, backed for the first time by
opposition parties who on Monday rejected a proposal from Mr. Saleh to form a unity
government.

Mr. Saleh had suggested including opposition party members in main leadership positions in
an effort to quell weeks of sustained protests in several major cities, but the details were left
vague and open to negotiation. But Mohammed al-Qubati, a spokesman for the Joint Meetings
Parties, a coalition of opposition parties, said: “I stress that this invitation comes too late and is
no longer feasible.”

“What is required now to meet the people’s demands is the regime leaving and for authority to
meet the will of the people,” he said.

As around 3,000 antigovernment demonstrators gathered, Mr. Zindani, a former mentor of

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Osama bin Laden, called for Mr. Saleh to step down and described the fervor for reform as an
opportunity to set up an Islamic state in Yemen. “An Islamic state is coming,” he said, drawing
cries of “God is great” from some in the crowd.

He said Mr. Saleh “came to power by force, and stayed in power by force, and the only way to
get rid of him is through the force of the people.” He was guarded by about 10 soldiers while
aides held two umbrellas over his head to shade him from the sun.

Since 2004, Mr. Zindani, has been on the United States Treasury list of “specially designated
global terrorists” suspected of fund-raising for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. He has
been described as a revered spiritual leader and a onetime theological adviser to Osama bin
Laden.

In the past, he has publicly opposed terrorism, if not jihad, or holy war, and his word carries
considerable political and moral weight in Yemen. For many years, he maintained ties with
President Saleh even though he was a founder of the Islamic opposition Al Islah Party.

Some in the crowd said they supported his appearance because of his position against the
president. “Yes, he is a big influence,” said Saleh Al Garani, 25, an unemployed anti-
government protester. “But what’s important is that he says ‘get out.’ We all agree because he
says Saleh has to go.”

Others said Mr. Zindani’s appearance at the demonstration did not denote a broader Islamic
influence on the Yemeni protests. The cleric has been a supporter of Mr. Saleh for five years,
said Abdul-Ghani Al Iryani, a political analyst. “Now he has jumped ship because he’s seen
that Saleh is slowly losing his power base and therefore he wanted to be with the winning side.
That’s all there is to it,” Mr. Iryani said.

But to judge from the numbers on Tuesday, the pro-government camp seemed to have
gathered some strength, mustering one of its biggest crowds in weeks of turmoil.

Samir Ali, a 35-year-old mobile phone company worker, said that Tuesday was his first day
joining the pro-government side. “Yes, we have corruption. Yes, there is oppression. But the
government is trying to fix these things,” he said.

He also referred to a meeting on Monday between Mr. Saleh and Yemeni religious scholars.
“People like me, independents, we know that the opposition has a point, “ Mr. Ali said. “But
when the religious scholars say something, then we follow.”

At times, both demonstrations had a party-like atmosphere, even though the opposition had
billed it as a “day of rage.”

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Men on the pro-government side danced in the streets, waving aloft the traditional, curved
daggers worn by many Yemeni men. They also modified their opponents’ favored slogan —
“the people want the regime to fall” — and instead, chanted: “The people want Ali Abdullah
Saleh.”

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