Dwindling in number but defiant: Yemeni Jews cling to their roots

by Mira on July 3, 2010

The two men are dressed in the same Yemeni fashion. One of them has a pin of the Yemeni president on his lapel.

They’re introduced as members of the al-Salem tribe, but one is Muslim and the other Jewish. The Muslim man is the tribe’s sheikh and the Jewish man is a rabbi. His earlocks tucked in out of sight under his sumata, one could easily have mistaken the rabbi for a Muslim Yemeni, something one takes for granted in this predominantly Muslim country.

Seventeenth-century Rabbi Shabazi’s renown is undimmed in the modern world. The late Ofra Haza, an Israeli of Yemeni Jewish descent, gained international acclaim over two decades ago for her song “Im nin’ alu,” inspired by a well-known Shabazi poem of the same name.

The poem was picked up by Madonna a few years ago, introduced to her by another Israeli singer with Yemeni Jewish roots, Isaac Sinwani, who performed the Shabazi lyrics on her hit “Isaac.”

Arabic language institutes badly hit

by mira on June 14, 2010

Yemen is able to compete to attract language students and may even have a competitive advantage. It has a well-preserved Arab cultural tradition. Yemenis are hospitable to guests in the Arab tribal tradition, taking a genuine interest in getting to know non-Yemenis. Institutes can play a greater role in tourism promotion.

“Our work falls under educational tourism,” said al-Hobaishi. “Students tell others about Yemen, and this changes the perceptions of Yemen. Our work is cultural, but unfortunately, no one appreciates this.”

However, Arabic language institutes have been hit hard recently.

Arrests add more woes to Yemen’s Arabic language schools

by mira on June 11, 2010

In the weeks following the failed December attack on a US airliner, Mohammad al-Anisi switched off the news. It was too stressful, he said. His institute was suddenly overrun by journalists and constantly in the spotlight.

It was put there by Omar Farouq Abdul Muttalib, the Nigerian member of Al-Qaeda who carried out the attack and who had enrolled at Al-Anisi’s Sanaa Institute for the Arabic Language (SIAL), only to later disappear and re-emerge on the Christmas-day flight headed to Detroit.

One of those recently arrested is French citizen Jeremy Johnny Witter, who had also studied at SIAL, highlighting an apparent trend among suspected militants to enroll in Arabic language programs to gain entry to the country.

The arrests are certain to add to the severe repercussions that Arabic language institutes here have witnessed since December.

In the footsteps of a terrorist, briefly

by mira on May 14, 2010

After the first few steps through the gate, I hesitate and stop to take it all in. It’s chilling to think of the significance of this place. The path leading to the entrance winds then disappears behind the neat shrubbery on either side, and the grass turf is a pleasant walled patch of green in Old Sanaa. A sign indicates this is the Arabic-language institute I am looking for. Not a conventional apartment building at all, the school is located in one of the Old City’s renovated mudbrick tower houses.

This is where Omar Farouq Abdel-Muttaleb studied Arabic.

A generation without a language

by mira on May 11, 2010

A custom that’s near extinction, these poetic contests were once more of a way of life on Socotra than words on paper, like poetry is in most parts of the world.

In the fishing town of Qalansiya, three young boys try to synchronize their paddles while rowing their boat to the beat of their chants. Men all over the island’s coastal towns used to sing poetry as they cast their fishing nets and the valleys echoed with women’s soft voices as they sang poetry and prepared butter oil. The descriptions evoke images of an island once merry with song, drumming up its inhabitants’ energy and pace for the work at hand and delighting its guests as they gaze with admiration.