Abdullah Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar

24-7-2007

BIOGRAPHY

Speaker of House of Representatives

Republic of Yemen

 

  • Name: Abdullah Bin Hussein Bin Nasser Bin Mabkhout Al-Ahmar

 

  • Born in the month of Shaaban,1351H (corresponding to 1933A.D.) in Hesin  Habour - Dholaima area of Hashid , in a family having a deep-rooted history in which outstanding names of his ancestors appeared as Sheikhs of Hashid with their significant roles in the contemporary history of Yemen.

 

  • He received his primary education at small Kottab near to Hesin  Habour Mosque where he was taught reading, writing, Holy Quram and principles of the religion and religious rites by a religious scholar.

 

  • His father "Sheikh/ Hussein Bin Nasser Al-Ahmar" was always engaged with the former two Imams "Yahya Hamid Addeen" and the latter's son "Ahmad Yahya Hamid Addeen"  while his elder brother "Hamid Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar"  was being held  by the Imam Hussei as hostage for Al-Ahmar family members…therefore, the responsibility for supervising over the family's affairs passed to the young Sheikh/Abdullah  Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar assumed supervision over the affairs of the family's house and its respective agricultural properties  such  as  follow-up of  workers  and herders, taking care of cattle  and reception of guests  and these responsibilities required his movement to other areas in Al-Osaimat  land and others in Hajja province to supervise over  their properties and lands therein.

 

  • His father Sheikh/ Hussein Bin Nasser Al-Ahmar was subjected to confinement and imprisonment by Imam Ahmed because of doubts about that Sheikh/Hussein Al-Ahmar had a position supporting the freemen who revolted  against Imam Yahya Hamid Addeen in the Constitution Revolution 1948,  while his true brother was being imprisoned in the same period, where Sheikh Abdullah spent three years exerting efforts with Imam Ahmad in Taiz  for getting his father and brother released, where he had been making efforts for a full year for getting his father released and allowing him to visit his family and village,  then he spent another year as a prisoner in lieu of his father with the Imam until his father's return, then he spent a third year making his best efforts to get his elder brother Hamid released until he convinced the Imam to allow him for few months only within which Sheikh/ Hamid Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar shall return to his homeland for getting married then he shall come back to the Imam's jail,  and the Imam traveled to Rome for medical treatment.

 

  • The young Sheikh/Abdullah  Bin Hussain  Al-Ahmar returned to his village after those three years  and settled down there and resumed supervising over the respective matters of the family and the tribe's affairs.

 

  • In late 1950s, and upon the Imam's travel to Rome, the popular rejection  against Imam/ Ahmed Hamid Addeen escalated and Sheikh/Hussein Bin Nasser Al-Ahmar and his son Sheikh/Hamid  led  national movements of  the tribes eager to get rid of the Imam. But Imam/Ahmed, upon his return from the medical treatment journey, delivered a threatening speech in Hodeidah and he worn by God that he will set fire on every red (Ahmar) and green , and he was successful by the use of mischievous manners in capturing Sheikh/Hussein Al-Ahmar after assuring his safety, then he captured Sheikh/Hamid in Al-Jof governorate after his surrendering himself to Al-Dhomain House where he was sent to Hodeidah by a special aircraft to be executed thereafter in Hajja jail and his father Sheikh/Hussein Bin Nasser was also executed after two weeks, where the Imam, prior to the execution of the two Sheikhs, had launched a military campaign on Hashid tribe and the houses and properties of Al-Ahmar family and carried out damage and destruction and arrested some  of Hashid's  Sheikhs.

 

  • During those respective catastrophic events, Sheikh/Abdullah Bin Hussein was existing  in Hodeidah governorate to which he was sent by his father to congratulate Imam Ahmed upon his return from the medical treatment trip to Italy and stayed at the Imam's premises in Al-Sokhna preparing for official receptions and celebrations, and when Imam deceived Sheikh/Hussein Bin Nasser Al-Ahmar and his son Sheikh/Hamid, arrested and deported them to Hajja where both were executed one after one , in the meantime, Sheikh/Abdullah was also arrested in Hodeidah after he was brought from Al-Sokhan under the pretext to meet with his father, and after fifteen days of arrest in Hodeidah jail, he was deported to Al-Mahabsha jail in Hajja governorate where he stayed for three years until the breakout of 26th September 1962 Revolution.

 

  • The stay period at the Imam Ahmed's Sokhna-based quarters was a suitable opportunity for Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar to get acquainted with many dignitaries, figures, Sheikhs, scholars, politicians and intellectuals  and that was the start of  initiating his engagement in the national issue struggle and political activity.

 

  • September 1962 Revolution broke out and Sheilh/Abdullah Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar was still in Al-Mahabsha jail, and when he heard the news, he commenced his movements to mobilize the citizens' and soldiers' pro-revolution loyalty, and in the afternoon of the same day, the leader of  September Revolution "Marshal/ Abdullah Al-Sallal"  sent a telegram to the Al-Mahabsha office then in which he instructed for the release of Sheikh/Abdullah and allowing him to move to Sana'a at the earliest possible.

 

  • On the second day of the revolution, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar, accompanied by a number of soldiers and dignitaries, whose support for the revolution was secured by him, headed to  Abs area  where they spent hours as guests hosted by the tribes, then they moved toward Hodeidah  and arrived on Saturday. On Sunday, the 4th day of  the revolution's age, Sheikh/Abdullah reached Sana'a  where he was received by the revolution leaders at the Revolution Leadership Council headquarters and he was assigned to promptly move to the northwestern areas to pursue and capture the overthrown Imam "Mohammed Al-Badr", and since then, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar had been leading Hashid tribes in the battle for defending the Revolution and Republic vigorously and uninterruptedly and without being influenced by fluctuant political circumstances in Sana'a until battles were over in January 1970.  

 

  • The first meeting bringing Martyr/Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Zubairi and Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar together was on the day when Sheikh arrived in Sana'a for the first time, i.e., the 4th day of the revolution, then the two men's relation continued up to Al-Zubairi's martyrdom on 31st March 1965, and their relation was distinguished by respect and admiration, as Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was seeing Martyr/Zubairi as the Yemen Revolution Symbol against autocracy, oppression and backwardness, while Martyr/Zubairi was seeing Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar as the Revolution and Republic Hero who, along with his tribes, stand  as a blockage before the attempts to return to imamism and autocracy era. Both were constituting a significant pro-republican intellectual and popular unit,  and Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar found himself siding by Martyr/Zubairi on the rise of difference between the pro-peace and reform republicans under the leadership of Zubairi on one hand and by the pro-military determination of conflict republicans under the leadership of Marshal/Abdullah Al-Sallal supported by the Egyptian leadership in Yemen on the other hand. Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar supported the position of Martyr/Zubairi and his companions of scholars, sheikhs and officers, and Khamir city, which was the tribal and military center which was confronting the royalists, turned into a destination for the scholars, sheikhs and officers supporting Zubairi in his call for peace, internal reconciliation and purification of the republican system from the negative practices which impaired the Revolution and the Republic.Upon Judge/Zubairi's martyrdom, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar remained loyal to him and adopted his reform thoughts derived from the contemporary Islamic thought and his relation got closer with Martyr/Zubairi's learners calling for the reformation based upon the holy Islamic Shareea and wise and original  Islamic envision away from closeness, dullness and fanaticism on one hand and from the calls for deviation from Islam under the justification of false liberation on the other hand.

 

  • Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar contributed significantly to the preparation for and implementation of the November 5th, 1967 Correction Movement which rescued September Revolution from collapse and opened the way before the victory and peace. Also, he had played an outstanding role in confronting the internal and external risks encountered by  the Revolution and Republic, particularly in confronting the 70-Day Blockade sustained by Sana'a,  the capital of Revolution and Republic, and he made great efforts in communicating with the pro-loyalists influenced tribes  and convincing them to side by Revolution and Republic and he acquired their loyalty thereto, and internally, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar contributed strongly to confronting the leftist tendency who wanted to mark the Revolution and Republic by its extremist and anti-Islamic religion thoughts and principles.

 

  • In 1969, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was elected as Chairman of the National Council for Yemen Arab Republic and which undertook the wording of the country's permanent constitution, establishment of the consultancy principle upon which the republican system is based for that consultancy being the most important objectives of the Yemen Revolution for which scholars, sheikhs and intellectuals struggled throughout long generations.

 

  • In 1970, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was elected Chairman of the Consultancy Council for Yemen Arab Republic and which embodied an advanced consultative and democratic experience at that time compared with the backwardness and poverty circumstances which the country was suffering  and the Council remained performing its duty until the permanent constitution was suspended and the council was closed in 1975.

 

  • Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was out of the most outstanding criticizers to the State misadministration, spread of weaknesses in confronting the administrative and financial corruption and the bloody damage operations which disseminated fear and panic  among the citizens and destroyed their trust in the State in the era of president Judge/Abdulrahman Al-Iryani, particularly in the last years. 

 

  • Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar agreed upon the process of peaceful transfer of power  which was carried out by Brigadier/Ibrahim Al-Hamdi on the 13th of June 1974 upon the escalation of the political crisis in the country and supported the new era for its being a transitional period in which the country is to be rescued from the negative practices which it was suffering particularly in the security and economic fields, but soon the country entered into a new stage of political tension because of individual tendency, the desire to take power individually and dragging in the restoration  of the constitutional life.

 

 

  • On the establishment of the Consultative Council in 1979, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was elected a member thereof and he was also appointed as member of the Permanent Committee of People General Congress (PGC) since its establishment in 1982 until Reunification in 1990.

 

  • In the wake of the Reunification State coming to being and ratification of political multi-party, Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar adopted the call for establishing Yemen Islah Party (YIP) which incorporated scholars, sheikhs, intellectuals, businessmen, youths and women of various Yemeni areas from Al-Mahara governorate through  Saada governorate and Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was selected as Chairman for the Supreme Preparatory Committee which undertook the duties of establishing the party in all of the governorates of Yemen and leading the party until holding of YIS's firs General Conference in September 1994.

 

  • Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar gained the trust of the citizens in his electoral constituency in the April 1993 Parliamentary Elections and he was elected on 15/05/1993 as Speaker of the first elected house of representatives under unified Yemen and he was re-elected on 10/05/2003 for the second time as Speaker for the House and gained the members' trust.

 

  • During the political crisis which hit the country (August 1993-July 1994) Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar was successful in maintaining the safety and integrity of the legislative authority despite the terrible disorder and splitting sustained by Yemen for almost ten months, and he had contributed significantly to the political efforts made to control the separation crisis and defend Yemen unity internally and externally until victory was realized in July 1994.

 

  • On 12th January 1995, he headed a high ranking Yemeni delegation to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  to confront the serious consequences of Yemeni-Saudi borders crisis and Sheik/ Abdullah Bin Hussain Al-Ahmar remained in Saudi capital Riyadh for about 40 days until he succeeded in reaching signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the 27th of Ramadan 1516H which opened the way for the re-normalization of relations between Republic of Yemen and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia leading to signing of the Borders Agreement  on 13th June 2000.

 

 

 

The popular institutions and associations chaired by him:

 

1-      Chairman of the Popular Committee for the Kuwaiti People Support upon the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

2-      Chairman of the Popular Committee for Defending Al-Aqsa and Palestine

3-      Chairman of  the Parliamentary Committee for Al-Aqsa & Palestine

4-      Member of the Council of Trustees of the International Islamic Dawa Organization.

5-      Deputy Chairman of the Council of Trustees of Jerusalem Institution. 

6-      Chairman of the Jerusalem Institution Yemen-Based Branch  

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