Houthi militiamen storm mixed-gender hotel café in Yemen’s Sanaa
Firas
Shamsan, Al Arabiya, 30 April 2018
Houthi
militiamen raided a coffee shop in the Burj al-Salam Hotel in the Old City of
Sanaa and arrested two of its employees because the cafe allows for men and
women customers; a mixed-gender environment.
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| This is not the first time Houthis have attacked cafés in Sanaa with previous raids on coffee shops named “Bon and Qishr” and “Moon Café.” (Supplied) |
This is
not the first time Houthis have attacked cafés in Sanaa with previous raids on
coffee shops named “Bon and Qishr” and “Moon Café,”
attacking mixed-gender customers.
Ali
al-Qabatti, one of the customers present when the Houthis raided a coffee shop
in the past, told Al Arabiya.net that when the Houthis stormed the café, he
objected to their behavior so they arrested him because he was wearing a
necklace and jeans.
al-Qabatti, one of the customers present when the Houthis raided a coffee shop
in the past, told Al Arabiya.net that when the Houthis stormed the café, he
objected to their behavior so they arrested him because he was wearing a
necklace and jeans.
Qabatti
added that they told him he was “spreading infidelity,” and later
released him after signing a pledge not to go to coffee shops again.
added that they told him he was “spreading infidelity,” and later
released him after signing a pledge not to go to coffee shops again.
Cafes in
Yemen have become gathering places for artists and social workers but the
Houthis accuse those who go to cafes of delaying the “divine victory” they seek
to accomplish.
Yemen have become gathering places for artists and social workers but the
Houthis accuse those who go to cafes of delaying the “divine victory” they seek
to accomplish.
Houthi
leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi has repeatedly warned of the “phenomenon” of men
and women mixing thus allowing his supporters to harass people and blackmail
shop owners. English language centers, for instance, were accused of allowing
mixing between the genders and of doing intelligence work for the US.
leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi has repeatedly warned of the “phenomenon” of men
and women mixing thus allowing his supporters to harass people and blackmail
shop owners. English language centers, for instance, were accused of allowing
mixing between the genders and of doing intelligence work for the US.
