Barran Press | Report prepared by - Nawaf Alhemyari
The streets of Sana'a are awash in green, a jarring spectacle that has sparked outrage among residents. The Houthis, a group designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, have transformed the city into a sea of emeralds, all in the name of celebrating the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.
But the festive facade masks a darker reality. The green paint, the dazzling lights, and the elaborate decorations are all funded by a system of forced contributions imposed on businesses and individuals.
“The entire city is green, like a giant bottle of Jabal Power (a green-colored soda),” said Mohammed Saleh, a 40-year-old shopkeeper, expressing his frustration. "This green paint is bought with money they've stolen from our pockets."
Saleh, like many others, was forced to pay a hefty sum under the guise of supporting the Prophet's birthday celebrations. He was compelled to paint his shop door green, illuminate it with green lights, and purchase green decorations.
"The Houthis are forcing this on every shop, company, and private institution in Sana'a, and in all areas under their control," Saleh explained. "The cities have become a green canvas, day and night."
A Season of Enrichment
Other merchants have echoed Saleh's complaints to "Barran Press", accusing the Houthis of exploiting the occasion to line their pockets.
“They've gone through every house, shop, company, and business, using their police departments, public works offices, and neighborhood officials to create lists for mandatory donations,” said one merchant, who requested anonymity. "They're distributing receipts with the names of heads of households, shop owners, and company managers."
A Frightening Celebration
Jamil al-Samit, a shopkeeper in Sana'a, talked to "Barran Press" and expressed his fear and anxiety over the situation.
“Every time the Prophet's birthday approaches, we feel a mix of fear and despair because of the way they steal our money in the name of the celebration,” he said. “They're imposing these payments on us for a celebration that has no basis in reality.”
Al-Samit revealed that the Houthis are demanding 40,000 riyals (about $70 at the exchange rate in Houthi-controlled areas) from each shop, forcing them to raise prices on food items to cover the losses. Large merchants and gold shops are forced to pay even more, with 200,000 riyals (around $400) demanded from each establishment.
Ordinary citizens are not spared either. Al-Samit explained that the Houthis are imposing a fee of 3,000 riyals (about $5) on every family of four to support the celebrations.
The extravagant green display in Sana'a stands in stark contrast to the hardship faced by the Yemeni people, who are caught in the crossfire of a brutal civil war. The Houthis' forced contributions further exacerbate the suffering, turning a religious celebration into a tool for financial gain.
Show of Force and a Tool for Sectarianism
"The Houthis' goal behind these celebrations is to collect money and enrich themselves at the expense of the Yemeni people," said journalist Mu'adh al-Abidi. He highlighted two key concerns: "The spread of sectarianism and the political display of their celebrations and the number of their supporters."
Al-Abidi argues that the Houthis' transformation of the Prophet's birthday into an official celebration reflects their sectarian project, which aims to erase the national identity of Yemen and replace it with a sectarian and ethnic one. He expressed astonishment at the group's "hijacking of institutions and forcing them to participate in religious celebrations that should be popular and individual."
He further accused the Houthis of attempting to "reprogram Yemeni societal behavior, shifting focus from national events to religious ones, but with a sectarian twist."
Al-Abidi does not rule out the possibility that the Houthis will eventually abolish the republican system altogether.
A Celebration of Innovation
Sheikh Ali al-Qadhi, a member of the World Union of Muslim Scholars and the Yemeni Scholars Council, denounced the Houthis' celebrations as an innovation.
"Celebrating the Prophet's birthday in this way is an innovation invented by the Houthis in Yemen," he said. "The Prophet never instructed his followers to celebrate his birthday, and he did not celebrate it during his lifetime, unlike what the Houthis are doing today."
Al-Qadhi added that neither the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Companions, nor the Followers celebrated the Prophet's birthday. He emphasized that such celebrations were absent in Yemen until the Houthis seized and occupied Sana'a.
According to al-Qadhi, the Houthis are exploiting the occasion to plunder the Yemeni people under the guise of supporting a religious event. He stressed that this celebration is not sanctioned by Islam and that the Houthis are using it to showcase their sectarian power and arrogance, seeking to legitimize themselves in the eyes of their followers.
A Space for Exploitation
Sheikh Abdullah Ahmed Ali al-Odaini, imam and preacher at the Noor Mosque in Taiz, condemned the Houthi celebrations as "contrary to Islamic belief," stating that they are "moving in a direction opposite to all the teachings and morals of the Prophet."
He described the Houthis' exploitation of the occasion for financial gain as "the most debased aspect." He asserted that the Houthis are the only ones who use religion as a "wide-open space for investment and exploitation."
Al-Odaini accused the Houthis of "amplifying any religious idea that serves their interests, turning it into a profitable and systematic project." He believes that the Houthis are using the celebrations as a dangerous propaganda tool to cleanse their blood-stained image. In his view, "what is happening is a crushing of both material and spiritual life, and a hijacking of national identity."
He explained to "Barran Press', that the Houthis invented the idea of celebrating the Prophet's birthday to use it as a means of achieving their political and sectarian goals, monopolizing power through force, and claiming it as a divine right reserved for themselves, as they claim to be descendants of the Prophet.
Since seizing control of the capital Sana'a in late 2014, the Houthis have revived dozens of sectarian religious celebrations, including the Day of the Wilaya, the Day of Ghadir, and the Prophet's birthday, among others.
The Houthis are accused of exploiting these "alien" celebrations in Yemeni society to spread their sectarian ideas, solidify their "racist" project, and erase Yemeni identity, replacing it with a sectarian identity imported from Iran.