Houthi militias in Yemen decided to rebrand 23 lecture halls at Thamar University after its leaders who were killed in battle against the Yemeni army forces.
The move is part of the Iran-backed group’s overall scheme to rescind the Arab roots of the Yemeni identity and replace them with a sectarian system largely associated with war and death.
Outside universities, Houthis rebranded entire streets, avenues and mosques in the former capital, Sanaa, Mohammed al-Moqrami, head of the Center for Studies and Humanitarian Information, denounced the action taken by Houthis and said it violates national principles.
Renaming classrooms at Thamar University means that the original branding which takes after historic, national and literary figures has been dropped. This, according to Moqrami, has reshaped modern history and backtracked years of fighting illiteracy and ignorance.
“Selecting the names of militia members for these classrooms, libraries, and other facilities is considered a disgrace to science and the educational process,” Moqrami told Asharq Al-Awsat, pointing out that it took place in universities other than Thamar University.
It is noteworthy that Houthis initially failed in their attempt for exploiting higher education facilities to spread their sectarian ideology, something which pushed the militant group to undertake other measures to advance its agenda.
Yemeni author Mohammed al-Salahi, for his part, said that Houthi attempts to enforce their agenda will most likely fail.
“Houthi militia will not succeed, and their goal will not be achieved, because imposing its control by force of arms reflects the Yemenis' rejection.
This Yemeni refusal will lead to great victory,” Salahi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
