Yemen is bearing the brunt of a deep Sunni-Shia schism, corruption and neighbour’s apathy

Yemen, the poorest Persian Gulf country from where the ancestors of Osama bin Laden migrated to Saudi Arabia holds every promise to be the epicenter of global terrorism. Two of the most daring attempts of suicide bombings in recent months were planned in this Gulf country.

There are some very evident reasons for why the country seems to resemble Pakistan in TV footages.

While Lebanon’s name repeatedly props up as an exporter of manpower in the Middle East, it’s practically Yemen where most people want to leave for greener pastures. That seems to be one of the many reasons why the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has strong reservations in integrating Yemen into its fold. An apparent discriminatory immigration policy that aims to stem the flow the Yemenis into the Arabian peninsula has led to a surprisingly low number of Yemen nationals in nearby countries like Qatar and the UAE.

Pockets of extreme poverty and high levels of corruption in the country located next to some of the highest per-capita income grossing nations (with admirably low levels of corruption) is giving preachers with a variety of religious backgrounds and ambitions an opportunity to spread fangs. Besides Iraq, this is the only Arab country where both Sunni and Shia sects exist in good numbers to be able to wage separate conflicts.

About 52 percent of the country is Sunni, whereas 46 percent of it is Shia. While Shias dominate the northern parts of the country close to its border with Saudi Arabia, the Sunnis dominate the southern parts. Shias, mostly Zaidis, are allegedly being supported by Iran and the Al Qaeda has been able to spread roots among the Sunnis. A large contingent of extremists from the Gulf who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan came from this country, and therefore Al Qaeda, whose origins lie in the same war has found it easy to build a network.

There are reasons why Yemenis are disgruntled and are finding a solace in waging jihad(s) on different fronts. The country was ranked 140 out of 182 nations by the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index and 154th out of 180 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception’s Index. All the countries of the Arabian Peninsula that Yemen is part of are ranked quite high on all these indexes. Surprising as it may seem, before the discovery of oil in the region Yemen was the most developed country in the region where people from Saudi Arabia and Qatar emigrated to work on farms.

The country now has active LNG projects and is trying to exploit its unattractive oil reserves. But it would need a focused involvement of a rational government to extricate it out of the misery it is in.

Qataris avoid giving away citizenship; Why did they award it to Hussain?

I belong to the camp that considers artist M. F. Hussain’s relinquishing of his Indian citizenship a matter of shame for the Indians. Hussein’s self-imposed exile itself hurt. One of the most valued artists in the world, who should have been adored by India, was instead hounded out by the goons of some propaganda seekers.

As it turns out, the paintings that roused hatred were decades old. The trouble began when a newspaper published an article on them in the mid-nineties.

What is however being lost in the hoopla of Hussain donning the Qatari flag on his shoulder (he was recently photographed with a red-blood colour scarf that resembled Qatar’s flag) is the benefit he brings to Qatar.

Qatar has just opened a new 430,000 square feet new museum – one of the largest in the world.

The country has been a prominent collector of art works in the past ten years – Sheikh Saud al Thani a cousin of the country’s emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani collected artifacts worth tens of millions of pounds before being placed under house arrest on charges of inflating the invoices. This happened almost five years earlier.

Getting a Qatari citizenship is a difficult task. It requires a mandatory stay of 25 years in the country, besides being a Muslim for one’s application to be considered. Several deserving applications of Iranians, Pakistanis, Iraqis and Palestinians have been rudely set aside by Qatari immigration authorities. How does it so happen that Hussain was so gladly invited to be come a Qatari?

Hussain is 95. And he has a lifetime worth of artwork to handover to someone. Has this been smartly sensed by Qatar? And is it the opportunity of hanging Hussain’s priceless masterpieces –apparently for free or for a good bargain price -- on Qatar museum walls that has led to the maestro being invited to become a Qatari citizen?