Why the Houthis Hate Us

National mottos encapsulate the character of a nation. They are, by their very nature, a defining aspect of the people and the vision of the founders or at the very least, the creators of the motto.

France’s motto is “Liberty, Fraternity and Equality.” The French see themselves as the founders of modern political freedom and democracy. Their motto is a constant reminder of the path they chose for their country.

Cuba’s motto is “Fatherland or Death, We Shall Overcome.” Luxembourg’s motto is “We Wish To Remain What We Are.” The Luxembourgians of old, like the Luxembourgians of today, are not fans of change.

Israel has no official motto. Their unofficial motto, however, is “If You Will It — It is No Dream.” This vision is attributed to Theodor Herzl the founder of modern Zionism all the way back in 1897. Every school child and lover of Zion is familiar with the phrase, with many assuming it to be an official motto.

By contrast, the unofficial motto of the Palestinian Authority is “From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free.” Not just a slogan, the phrase appears on a great many official web pages and in official literature of the Palestinian Authority.

In a similar vein is the Houthi motto. The motto of the Houthis is emblazoned on their flag. It starts off typical of many Muslim countries — and then it takes a very unique turn. It reads “Allah is Greater(est), Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.” Trust me, I couldn’t make this up.

That motto alone should immediately tell us that Houthis are not holding out an olive branch to the United States, to Israel or to Jews world over. By extension, that aggressive attitude extends to the entire Western world — there just was not enough space on their flag to add all the rest.

So, who are the Houthis? And why do they harbor so much hate?

In short, the Houthis are a subgroup of Shiite Islam. Their particular form of Shiia is called Zaidi Shiia because it is named after Zayd ibn Ali.

The bona fides of Zayd are very important. Zayd was the great-grandson and cousin of Ali who, they believed, should have but did not, succeed the Prophet Muhammed.

That issue, Muhammed’s inheritor, created the division within Islam the subsequent vicious battles between Sunnis and Shiites. To this day Shiites firmly believe that Ali ibn Albi Talib should have succeeded Muhammed.

Around the year 740 Zayd, the great-grandson of Ali, attempted to overthrow the Umayyads — the dynasty that ruled the Islamic world. Zayd lost. And in a brutal smackdown of his followers, they cut off his head.

To this day there are two shrines believed to be the place where Zayd’s head is interred. One is in Jordan, one in Iraq. Both are considered holy places by Zaidi Muslims.

The Zaidi form of Shia is similar to, but still significantly different from the Shiite Islam practiced by Iran. One of the biggest differences concerns the Zaidis’ battle against corruption.

The natural enemies of Houthis/Zaidis are the Saudis whom they see as partners with the West — principally the United States, Israel and the Jews. Hence, in the Houthi worldview, Saudis are corrupt.

Home base for the Houthi movement is in Yemen. That is where they planned to overthrow the governing Sunni leadership.

When Iran became their chief sponsor, it necessitated that Saudi Arabia become the sponsor of the Sunni government, securing the Sunni position. That conflict remains to this very day.

The name Houthi comes from Hussein al Houthi, the founder of the Houthi movement. A political personality and member of Yemen’s parliament, he left the parliament in 1997 and established a youth group called the Young Believers or the Believing Youth.

By creating this youth movement, Houthi was attempting to stem the Saudi/Sunni religious influence of Wahabi in Yemen.

That movement became the foundation of what is today’s Houthi. They are the force still trying to topple Yemen, the force still trying to oust Saudi influence and the force that is, as is obviously apparent, dead set upon ridding the United States and Israeli presence in the Middle East.

Interestingly, their official name is not Houthi at all — they are officially called “Ansar Allah” which means “Defenders of Allah.” But everyone still refers to them as Houthi.

This crisis in Yemen and between Saudi/Sunni and Houthi/Shiite has been going on for decades.

Most U.S. administrations did not pay much attention to the conflict. They deemed it too complicated and too far away. It was a big mistake. It is neither too complicated nor is it too far away.

The Hamas massacre of October 7th awakened Houthi support for Hamas — another Iranian proxy. And so, the Houthis began shooting drones, rockets and missiles at U.S. and Israeli targets.

Most importantly, at the southern tip of Yemen sits the Bab el Mandeb Straits. The Straits are a narrow water passage that connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea.

By extension, that waterway connects Asia to Europe. It flows from the Indian Ocean, through the Gulf of Aden, through the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, to the Mediterranean Sea, to Europe.

If the Houthis control the Straits of Bab el Mandeb, they de facto control the flow of goods and products from the Asia to Europe and the United States. If, for safety reasons, shipping is re-routed around the Horn of Africa, every import from Asia increases exponentially in price.

“Bab” in Arabic means “gate” “Mandeb” means “tears.” Rather appropriate in today’s political and military climate, I would say.

The bottom line is this. The Houthis are not an irrelevant. They are determined and dangerous — remember their motto, it is in their life’s blood. The Houthi must not be permitted to control the water passage of goods. If they do, the West will suffer greatly and the cost will be more than tears.