Cleric Al Zindani calls Yemen President for dialogue with al-Qaeda

YemenOnline

May 30, 2012

Official source (Asked to remain  anonymous) attended the clerics meeting with  the Yemeni president Abdu rabu Mansoor Hadi last Tuesday said to YemenOnline that  the Yemeni cleric Abdul Majeed al-Zindani , the  most politically powerful religious and political leaders in Yemen called president Hadi to stop the war against the Islamic militia linked to al-Qaeda in southern Yemen and  hold dialogue with them.

Al-Zidani  was revered by many one of the most prominent educators is the Islamic world. In the struggle against the Western powers, he has called for armed jihad against Israel, and to oppose any US troops who may be sent to Yemen to fight al-Qaeda. In 2004, he has been identified by the US Treasury Department as "Specially Designated Global Terrorist".

 He had close ties not only to Osama bin Laden as one of his spiritual leaders,but also with Anwar al-Awlaki who was vice president of Zindani's Charitable Society for Social Welfare . Awlaki later was found to have unexplained associations with the 9/11 attackers and the Fort Hood shootings, eventually being targeted and killed because of his threats and connections to attacks against the US. Zindani's name is also on the UN 1267 Committee's list of individuals belonging to or associated with al-Qaeda. His Al Iman University reportedly cultivates militant Islamists.