The Yemeni government is working on a long-term plan to eradicate religious extremism, the local daily Yemen Observer reported.
The plan aims to treat the reasons behind the two kinds of extremism – the Sunni and the Shi’ite – and replace them with moderation, Yemen’s Minister of Endowment and Religious Guidance Hamoud Al-Hitar told the paper.
The Yemeni army is currently in the midst of a prolonged armed conflict against a Shi’ite group in the northern region of ‘S’ada. The group, led by the Al-Houthi family, is challenging the authority of the regime and is calling for the creation of an Islamic autocracy.
"The strategy will deal with the extremists, whoever they are, and if there are people influenced by extremist ideas, the strategy will be an important factor in treating their mistaken ideas," Al-Hitar explained.
One of the focal points of the new plan will be the religious schools in the country, some of which are known to promote violence. Over the last two years, the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Guidance has been surveying the religious schools which operate without licenses and which promote violence in their curriculum. So far, however, none of these schools have been closed down.