Conclusion

How Can Yemen Find Salvation?

Sparked by a political crisis and later erupting into conflict and civil war, the tension within Yemen has now become a full-scale war that is being further fueled by the attacks of the coalition forces from outside the country. Hunger, poverty and death have now become a virtually inseparable part of Yemen.

In addition to all these facts, the events that sparked in Yemen have brought another important truth to surface; the Yemeni people are not the only ones that suffer. The other Middle Eastern countries that have suffered under anti-democratic regimes for years are on the brink of a major disaster as well. In Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, people are faced with a situation that is not unlike the one in Yemen.

It is only natural for the people of Yemen, who have been oppressed for more than half a century, to demand democracy, prosperity, peace, safety, liberty, and comfort. However, merely changing administrations has proved insufficient for the salvation they longed for. The changing of an administration offered solutions that only salvaged the day, and emergent elements such as al-Qaeda, ISIS or Shi'ite fanaticism produced even more tragic outcomes. So how did the country come to this point?

Following are the four prominent factors that have led Yemen to the brink of the abyss and consequently down into the flames:

◉ Materialism and atheism,
◉ Fanaticism,
◉ Sectarianism,
◉ Tribalism

Any regulation or agreement that includes even one of the factors above will render all the solution efforts in Yemen futile, because these factors are based upon a mentality that denies others' the right to live. For that reason, a solution that will ensure peaceful coexistence among the members of different tribes or sects should be sought in Yemen. In conclusion, there is only one solution to the injustice, turmoil, terrorism, massacres, hunger, poverty, and persecution in Yemen: That solution is the tenets of the Qur'an.

When the problems that are present in the country are considered as a whole, one will realize that these incidents stem from lovelessness, hatred, animosity, enmity, self-interest, individualism, apathy, and ruthlessness. And the way to overcome and completely eliminate these problems is to ensure the adoption of fine moral qualities among people such as love, compassion, mercy, empathy, self-sacrifice, enthusiasm, sensibility, altruism, amity, and common sense. Below are the essential points that are based upon such moral understanding and will remedy the four factors that lead to disorder in Yemen:

1) Fascism, communism, materialism, violence and terrorism are indispensable parts of a whole. It is impossible to establish amity and brotherhood among people solely through military methods, unless they are made to realize that such ideologies which promote revolt, dissension, conflict, corruption, lovelessness, selfishness, and immorality among people are nothing but a massive deception.

Be it fascist or communist, the members of such organizations regard life as an arena of struggle and conflict. One believes that the cause of conflict lies in class differences among people, as for the other, it is the ethnic differences. For the members of these organizations who see life as merely a struggle, notions of family, religious moral values, virtue and honor lose their meaning. Thus people become susceptible to the influence of all kinds of depraved ideologies or movements.

To be able to nip the ideology-based terrorist movements in the bud, the youth should be taught and explained the erroneous aspects of all ideologies such as communism and fascism; but, along with these, they should definitely be told the truths based on scientific facts as well.

However, up until today, neither in Yemen nor in any other country, no attempt has been made to put an intellectual struggle into practice. An individual who has been brainwashed by the materialist education system for years should be told that communism and fascism stem from ignorance and lack of knowledge. The fact that they are groundless and false beliefs should be explained and all of their fallacious aspects should be displayed to the individual. After proving such ideologies to be fallacious, when the individual is told about the love of God, their commitment to such fallacious ideas will effectively come to an end. The ideology they once believed in and the terror they used to inflict will no longer be meaningful to them. Thus, the mind of the said individual will have been conquered by the truth. No terrorist organization can stand against an intellectual struggle especially when it is carried out through the television and the radio and a movement that loses its intellectual credence can be considered dead. Therefore, the states should either undertake this task of education personally, or, in line with this purpose, employ and support the nongovernmental organizations that are willing to take this task upon themselves.

2) The fallacious aspects of the twisted religious notions practiced by warlike organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda and that contradicts with the Qur'an should be emphasized; the fact that it is the bigoted mentality that is oppressive and prohibitive, not the true Islam, should be expressed extensively along with its evidences.

In order for the misjudgments and misconceptions towards Muslims to be eliminated, the citizens of Yemen should be taught that it is not Islam and the Muslims they should beware of, but the bigoted mentality. The main reason behind the problems that are attributed to Islam is, in truth, ignorance and bigotry and the only cure for this affliction is education. Those who consider violence as a method of seeking justice should be made to see that violence completely contradicts Islam; on the contrary, by perpetrating violence, they will only harm the Muslims and the entire humanity, and through education, the supporters of such organizations should be purified of this violent mindset. It is highly important to adopt an educational policy in this direction as soon as possible.

In this education system, after explaining that Islam does not promote violence as a means to seek one's rights, in the second step, it should be taught that it is not in line with the Qur'an for Muslims to resort to oppression and compulsion; that instead of resorting to these, it is necessary to use the methods of persuasion incorporating scientific evidences and inviting people to the true path only using nice words. Another topic that must be communicated is that the tenets of Islam preach freedom of belief.

Through an education policy adopting these principals, further losses of lives will be prevented, billions of dollars will be saved, terrorism will not be disseminated and people will be ensured freer and safer lives. Fighting against the spreading of violence through education instead of weapons will be a far more humane, effective and permanent solution that should urgently be employed.

Not only the Yemeni people, but the whole world should know that Islam is not the source of terrorism, on the contrary, it is its only solution. Islam is the religion of love and compassion that is based on mercy, forgiveness and justice.

3) The on-going conflict between Shiite Houthi tribe, Zaidis and Sunnis in Yemen is the major factor that led the country to the predicament it is in today. The Yemeni government is trying to resolve the conflicts through security measures, and occasionally, through armed intervention. However, instead of employing such methods, it will be remarkably effective to remind all the parties that God commands the believers in the Qur'an to treat people in the nicest way possible, even those they bear enmity towards.

It is a grave mistake for Muslims to carry out hateful, resentful attacks against each other despite the obvious commandment of God in Surat al-Fussilat, verse 34. Muslims should immediately correct this mistake by casting sectarian differences aside and unite in solidarity as God rendered it a religious duty. In the Qur'an, God informs all the Muslims to act in unison "as a single community":

Hold fast to the rope of God all together, and do not separate. Remember God's blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way God makes His signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. (Surah Al 'Imran, 103)

The members of the predominant Sunni and Zaidi sects in Yemen should aim for a unity built upon the policies of love. Only then can Yemen have the part it deserves in the world politics. For this to be possible, firstly, all the regulations based on sectarian differences should be abolished in Yemen. The first step can be taken by launching a joint initiative towards removing from the textbooks the statements that promote enmity between sects. When appointing government officials, the candidates' qualifications and competence should be taken into consideration rather than their sects or tribes.

İnkar edenler birbirlerinin velileridir. Eğer siz bunu yapmazsanız (birbirinize yardım etmez ve dost olmazsanız) yeryüzünde bir fitne ve büyük bir bozgunculuk (fesat) olur. (Enfal Suresi, 73)

4) Another vital problem of Yemen that must be solved is tribalism.

The population of Yemen consists of tribes that are far more numerous than many other Arab countries, and these tribes are engaged in major disputes among each other. The tribes act as if they are autonomous states. This situation has a negative impact on both the economical and the political structure of the country. However, Almighty God, Who created all the members of all tribes, informs people that superiority is achieved through a deep fear of God, not by being a member of a particular tribe:

Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in God's Sight is the one with the most piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surat al-Hujurat, 13)

The solution, as is also understood from these four points, should certainly be sought in the path God and our Prophet (pbuh) have shown to us. The sole and permanent solution God and His Messenger (pbuh) offer us is 'the unification of the entire Islamic community around a leader, and the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union'.

Yaklaşık 401 yıl Osmanlı idaresinde kalmış, Yemen'in Şehare Dağları ve meşhur Huş Geçidi.

When the Islamic world forms a powerful union, no longer will anyone under the roof of this union suffer oppression and injustice, and no one will be able to attempt to persecute its citizens. Each country will preserve its sovereign structure, but the safety, happiness, welfare and comfort of the citizens of all the countries will be ensured by the Turkish-Islamic Union.

This union, which will be formed through the unification of the Turkish Islamic states, will bring about solidarity, order and peace not only to Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Jordan, but to the whole Islamic world ranging from Morocco to Fiji, from Indonesia to Chad. Only then will true democracy be achieved, only then will all the people be equal, only then will poverty be eliminated, and only then will a great breakthrough be achieved in science, arts and technology. Only then will a person living in any village of Tunisia or in the capital of Indonesia be able to live in comfort, beauty, plenitude, and prosperity to the fullest.

The Turkish-Islamic Union does not mean the reestablishment of the Ottoman Empire as some would believe. The Great Ottoman Empire provided the best living conditions for its people and set an example with its respect for all religions, beliefs and ethnicities, but there were instances when the Empire followed erroneous practices and methods as well. People should learn from these mistakes and not repeat them. Indeed, the aim of the Turkish-Islamic Union is to establish a civilization that is completely in line with the tenets of the Qur'an, and unprecedented in splendor and might. By God's leave, this civilization will be a means to the complete and utter elimination of oppression, and establishing the reign of truth and justice all around the world.