Houthis Celebrate Eid Holiday Late; Sectarian Differences Grow

Sana'a, August 31, 2011, In the strong clear sign of sectarian differences in Yemen, Sunni Muslims celebrated Eid holiday on Tuesday, on the same day as Saudi Arabia and gulf countries, while the pro Shite Houthis followed the Iranian example of fasting one more day and delaying Eid until Wednesday.

Houthis called on their followers in the northern Sa’ada province to fast Tuesday and not follow the regime’s order.

A small number of residents listened to the Houthis call as the majority of Sa’ada province celebrated Eid on Tuesday.

Iran is one of the few Muslim nations that delayed Eid holiday to Wednesday and experts believe that Houthis are trying to differentiate themselves from the pro Sunni regime in Yemen.

Experts fear that the next war in Yemen is not a political one, but rather sectarian, like what is seen today in Iraq.

More than 60 percent of Yemenis are Sunni while less than 40 percent follow the Zaidi sect of Islam, a pro Shite sect.