Mideast: The Music Video Approach To Propaganda in Yemen
Many current US and European discussions about foreign policy in the Middle East reference the Iran-supported Axis of Resistance. These conversations are crucial because Iran and its allies in the Middle East stand in direct opposition to U.S. policies and Western interventions in the region. The major groups associated with this Axis are the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (Al Hashd), and Hamas, as well as small factions throughout the region.
In Yemen’s last decade, civil war has erupted between the Houthis, backed by Iran and currently designated as a terrorist group by the US, and the internationally recognized Yemeni government. The violence worsened civilian access to water, food, medicine, and education. It has destroyed vital infrastructure and limited mobility and hamstrung the authorities’ abilities to govern, resulting in resource depletion, abuse, and corruption. Yemen currently faces one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the planet.
Again, so much of the focus in Western conversations is on how to negotiate with destabilizing forces in the region or what the exact goals of the groups are geopolitically. But what about the domestic politics of these groups? Many of them, like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, also operate as political parties in their territories. They provide governance and infrastructure and engage in popular mobilization campaigns.
So, forget the analysts in DC and Brussels; how do Yemenis see the Houthis?
Notably, the Houthis are not often referred to as “the Houthis” within Yemen. They are officially named أنصار الله (AnSar Allah) [Helpers of God]. The movement's leaders have been from the city of Huth and the Houthi tribe, thus the name assigned by outsiders. AnSar Allah is a movement of Zaydist Shia Muslims who are sworn against the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
When Yemen’s government lamented the US coalition in the Gulf War and sided with Hussein, Saudi Arabia ungraciously defenestrated hundreds of thousands of Yemeni migrant laborers. The influx of disaffected young men in 1991 back to rural Yemen led to the rise of the AnSar Allah militancy three years later.
Today, AnSar Allah controls much of Yemen, including the capital city Sana’a, in the country's West. Direct conflict between their militants and the official Yemeni military has quieted down significantly in recent years due to several ceasefire agreements. AnSar Allah, over the last thirteen months, has refocused onto another of its sworn enemies: Israel. Their slogan reads, in part,
الموت لأمريكا, الموت لإسرائيل, اللعنة علی اليهود
[Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews]
Since the current war between Israel and Hamas began last October, Arab populations across the Middle East have become increasingly supportive of Palestinians and increasingly opposed to Israel. Groups like AnSar Allah recognize this as their most potent political force. While opposition to the Yemeni government is not particularly popular in Yemen, opposition to Israel, Jews, and America is.
The group has released several music videos recently which reflect this focus. The music videos are often colorful and catchy. They are sometimes in regional Yemeni dialects and feature famous spokespersons for AnSar Allah or other significant Yemenis. They are broadcasted on Houthi-aligned channels in the Middle East and blasted on social media to audiences far beyond Yemen’s borders, often with translations into English. One final thing they all have in common, they all call for violence against Jews, against Israel, and against America.
Precise imaging of soldiers marching over the Israeli flag lets people know exactly their intentions. They also use the symbols of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the IRGC, and other groups to express solidarity with other Axis of Resistance groups and at least a nominal solidarity with Palestine — always a winning approach. Further, their lyrics refer directly to the October 7th Hamas-led attack on Israel, which devastated the country, killed some 1200 people, and took over 200 hostages. In the video, they refer to القدس [Jerusalem] as the destination of the revolution, wear keffiyeh-like buffs, and Palestinian flags on their arms. The singers, a group of soldiers, refer to themselves as the “Jihadist resistance axis” set to “drive out the invaders” and end “zionism.”
The Yemeni Navy, mainly loyal to AnSar Allah, released a similar song and dance routine a few months later following successful disruptions of Red Sea trade routes by the group.
This video differs significantly from the first in that it depicts members of the Yemeni Navy, not Axis of Resistance militants. Though the Yemeni Navy is aligned with AnSar Allah goals, the visual is much different and likely more palatable to the average Yemeni. The video is upbeat; they are dancing, featuring fast-paced and dancey drumming while the men singing wear elegant Yemeni clothes, not fatigues. That being said, the song is still singing the praises of attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and calls for violence against Jews and an end to “Jewish violence in Gaza.”
The video draws on viewers’ likely sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza. Throughout the current war, Israel has murdered over 40,000 Gazans, presumed to be primarily Women and Children, and tens of thousands more died from disease and starvation. Using the shock and horror people feel for Gaza’s devastation, the video tells Yemeni viewers that they are part of the solution. They claim to be fighting the perpetrators of the campaign in Gaza and that their Red Sea campaign will stop the violence. Nowhere is the AnSar Allah or Houthi movement mentioned.
Their successful propaganda relies on this subtlety. People can be aligned with the Houthi movement without considering themselves Houthi members. This separation is harder to achieve when your politics are domestic, but when the politics becomes about an international war, it is much easier to convince people of your cause. A Yemeni comedian released an antisemitic Arabic Trap song and accompanying video, which revealed, if not Houthi support, a particular popular sentiment acceptable in the Yemeni mainstream.
While not expressly a Houthi propaganda video, it refers to AnSar Allah operations as representative of the artists’ views. “We’ll bomb your ships.” Of course, Yemen is a large country with over 38 million residents and myriad political alignments. However, for a mainstream comedian to produce a video with such high cost and production value, the views must be somewhat reflected and/or accepted within the culture.
It is a comedic song and is undoubtedly meant as hyperbolic satire. Although, the portrayal of Yemeni militants is not very comical and is somewhat intimidating. On the other hand, the portrayal of Israeli, American, and British leaders is weak, cowardly, conspiring, and evil. It is a gross representation of Judaism and Israel. The portrayal of Israelis mocks Jews, particularly Orthodox Jews, with facetious dress and mocking features. The joke still carries a clear message and target: ‘Watch, Yemenis, as the Houthis triumph over Israel and the West.’
In today’s era of technology and social media, the barriers to producing quality content are getting lower. Not only that, anti-Israel and anti-American messaging has increased political and financial support. The AnSar Allah movement may not have been able to unite all of Yemen under the Houthi tribe. Still, they may be able to champion an issue Yemen is already united behind. Supporting victory for Palestine and violence against Jews and Israel is a winning issue. The array of music videos identify themselves as warriors of this popular cause.
