An End to Aggression on Yemen
April 21, 2015
For the past month, the Saudi-led coalition military campaign against Yemen has caused significant devastation and indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians. Yemen is considered the poorest country among the Arab nations. For a number of decades, Yemen has been an arena for a number of proxy wars by regional players, while its citizens have been suffering the consequences of these devastating conflicts. This current military campaign is the most severe, since it has targeted not only military installations, but civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, markets, and media centers. For approximately a month, we have been witnessing horrific scenes of scattered human bodies as a result of the indiscriminate Saudi-led coalition air strikes.
This war undoubtedly weakens the Arabs and Muslims and inflames sectarian divisions and hysteria among them. Military campaigns have proven to be destructive, not only to the victims but to the aggressors. Saudi Arabia has used its military in recent years, not to protect Muslims who are being oppressed in Palestine and other countries, but to inflict oppression on and crush the peaceful freedom aspirations of Muslims in neighboring Bahrain and Yemen, as well as providing logistical support for the conflict in Syria. This latest military campaign in Yemen is a quagmire that will cost Saudi Arabia and its coalition, for the loss of innocent lives of men, women, and children, does not go unnoticed with God: “Your Lord keeps an eye on all evil-doing people” (Quran 89:14).
The Shia Muslim Council of Southern California welcomes the announcement of the halt to the military campaign against Yemen, and demands the immediate lifting of the devastating sanctions on humanitarian aid including food and medicine imposed upon the Yemeni citizens, and that all Yemeni groups involved come to the table to find a genuine, political, and peaceful solution, for violence and war creates nothing but a perpetual cycle of violence and war.
We call upon the American government to use its power and relations to ensure the complete end of military aggression against Yemen. The United States of America needs to promote the weapon of peace as an unbiased broker of just diplomacy in the world. We call upon the Muslim community (ummah), especially the American Muslim community and organizations to stand firm against any atrocities in Yemen and elsewhere, including Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and other nations, and to promote Islamic values such as forgiveness, peace, tolerance, compassion, harmony, and fellowship.
We pray to the Almighty to protect the people of Yemen and all Muslims from the aggression of their oppressors, and to restore dignity to the Muslims worldwide.
Shia Muslim Council of Southern California Officers:

• President – Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini
• Vice-President: Dr. Hasnain Walji
• Councilor: Dr. Ridha al-Hajjar
• Secretary: Hajj Khalil Dewji
• Treasurer: Hajj Mehdi Hirji
• Councilor: Sister Fatma Saleh
• Councilor: Sayed Asghar Rizvi