By: Rania Abdullah
Taiz – For decades, Yemenis lived under the oppressive rule of the Imamate in northern Yemen. They were subjected to injustice, ignorance, and slavery. Women were not exempt from this oppression; they faced the same hardships as men, and even worse
Despite the fact that the society was then in decay and devoid of will, there were many women who resisted and stood up to the Imam’s “Okfi” in different parts of Yemen.
Though their stories have been largely untold, the bravery of the Yemeni women who stood up to the Imam’s soldiers is preserved in the memories of those who lived through that era. These eyewitnesses to the humiliation and brutality of the Imam’s soldiers saw firsthand the courage and determination of these women.
fought for freedom before the revolution
Tuhfah Saeed was the first woman to lead a march in Yemen, refusing Imam Ahmed’s orders outright. This was the first nationwide rebellion led by a woman against the Imamate. The story began when Tuhfah refused to submit to the royalty payments that were imposed on the people, and to the seizure of her land. She resolved to embark on a peaceful march from her village in Sharab region north of Taiz, reaching the Imam’s palace (known as Ardhi) east of the city, covering a distance of 40 kilometers. She insisted on meeting Imam Ahmed, who responded to her demands to return her land and to stop the harm from his representative, on condition that he (Imam’s representative) remain in the region. After a while, the Imam’s representative returned to his intransigence and persecution of the people, which prompted Tuhfah to expel him from the village. When the matter reached the Imam, he sent for her, threatening her with a letter that carried a threat to stop harming his soldiers, or else it would be war. His famous message read:
“O Sharabiya, stop harming, or else the sound of the cannons would be heard in Al Jahmaliyah” expressing his threat and warning. Tuhfah was the first to anger the Imam.
Mohammed Saeed Al Sharabi, the grandson of Tuhfah, speaks to Al Mushahid, saying: “My grandmother Tuhfah lived her whole life with a strong will and a respected personality. She was proud of her positions against injustice in her village of Hubol, in Al Aseelah sub-district of Sharab Assalam district, until she passed away on December 29, 1994.”
Mohammed described his grandmother as a calm but courageous woman who was unwavering in her opposition to injustice. “What prompted my grandmother to fight the Imam’s soldiers was her lack of patience with injustice,” he says.
“She feared no one, not even the Imam himself. Even after the revolution and the establishment of the republic, she retained the same courage. She preferred to stay alone and work in her valleys and farms, supervising the workers, rather than attending women’s gatherings. She was respected and feared among her family and neighbors, and she was not afraid to speak the truth to anyone.”
Refusal to submit
Tuhfah is a celebrated figure who confronted the Imam’s soldiers. But she is far from alone. Many courageous women nationwide confronted the Imam’s soldiers, defying their tyranny. Yemeni women still recall the oppression Yemenis endured under the Imam’s yoke.
“During the Imamate, we did not live free. The fruits of our land and the fruits of our labor were not ours. The Imam would take a share of our crops and livestock. No one could stand up to him or even speak out, or else they would be imprisoned,” says Fatima Ali, 72.
“I remember one day when the Imam’s soldiers came to our house. They almost broke down the door because my mother refused to let them take the grain we had. When they tried to force their way in, she threw stones at them,” she recalls.
Fatima goes on to say that she learned from her mother to be proud and to never submit to injustice. Despite the circumstances they experienced under the Imam’s rule, she never gave up fighting for what she believed in. Her mother taught her to always stand up for what is right.
Women’s movement
In the absence of most men in some rural areas of the Al Hujariah countryside, due to their migration to Aden and then to other countries around the world, women worked to protect their lands. They resisted the brutality and oppression of the Imam’s soldiers, who would raid farms, enter homes, and steal livestock, hens, and other possessions. Women fought back and refused to accept this mistreatment from the “Imam’s soldiers,” according to Ms. Suad Al Absi, former president of the Yemeni Women’s Union.
describing her mother’s experience in fighting the Imam’s soldiers, Suad says: “My mother used to tell me that she and some of her fellow villagers refused to tolerate injustice and oppression, even from the Imam’s soldiers. They acted as a women’s front to resist the soldiers’ abuses, including their attempts to collect loyalties. When the soldiers came to their homes, the women would tell them to stay put and would offer them food. But if the soldiers tried to enter the homes without permission, the women would fight back.”
“When the Imam’s soldiers insisted on entering homes, my mother and the women of the area resisted the soldiers, fought with them, and took their Jambiya and weapons. After the intervention of the community members, they set conditions that no soldier should approach the homes, and they should take the loyalties through the leaders of the area. Whoever violates this condition and approaches any home will bear the consequences. Until the Imam’s soldiers feared approaching homes and went to the leaders of the area,” she adds.
Numerous accounts of women who resisted and confronted the Imam’s soldiers in various regions under his rule have been passed down, yet their identities remain unknown, and their stories have not been systematically documented or recorded in history.
Al Absi says: “The fight of Yemeni women has never stopped. We’ve seen women resist at every turn in history, but unfortunately, their stories have been largely untold. The only accounts we have are of a few famous figures, like Ms. Faza’a Al Hujariya or Nafhat Al Hujariya during the reign of Said Al Turki or the one known as Said Al Breik. She was the Sheikh of Al Hujariya, so she resisted and struggled. This is a small and documented part, in addition to Tuhfah Hubol, who confronted the Imam face-to-face and confronted him in a famous demonstration.”
“It saddens me that we have not found a clear picture of the documentation of the women’s resistance, such as a documentary film or books that collect the stories and struggles of women in confronting the Imam’s soldiers. In fact, history is devoid of documentation of the women’s struggle in northern Yemen until the September 26 Revolution and beyond,” she adds.
Shared stories
Political sociologist Dr. Yasser Al Selwi explains that Yemen lived in political isolation and backwardness during the Imamate period. As a result of this isolation, the Imam’s soldiers imposed their control over the regions. Resistance at that time was individual, and while some women’s resistance to the Imam’s soldiers became famous, it was limited to one region. Some families feared that the spread of their resistance would bring them more oppression and abuse. Additionally, the social and cultural conditions at the time did not allow or help to document the stories of women’s resistance. These stories were passed down from generation to generation, and remained preserved only in people’s memories, but they were not written down or documented, except for famous incidents.
“It was necessary after the Revolution to document the stories of the women who confronted the Imam’s soldiers from different Yemeni regions. These stories should have been given real attention by the relevant authorities, but the most important concern was the greatest event, the 26th September Revolution and the overthrow of the Imamate and the establishment of the Republic, so those stories were neglected,” he adds.
He stresses the importance of official bodies and concerned institutions documenting these stories through those who lived through that period, reviewing them by experts in sociology and history, and compiling them in books, as they are considered part of the social history of Yemeni people.
