Conflict in Taiz and Quran Preservation

And never think

Allah is unaware of what

the wrongdoers do.

In a city whose name is associated with memorizing the Quran and teaching it,

the fighting continues in Taiz, the governorate

where Quran memorization centers and schools teaching the Book of God are widespread.

In the eyes of the city’s residents, the confrontation is not limited to battlefields,

it also extends to what they see as defending their identity

and religious beliefs, amid efforts by the Houthi militia

to seize control of the city and impose its ideological and sectarian discourse

on society, turning mosques and Quran schools into

platforms for promoting its leader’s discourse, as it previously did in

areas it controls within the governorate.

Accounts from Taiz residents say that the practices of the Houthi militia

have heightened their fears of its ideological project, prompting many

of them to hold fast to their beliefs and defend their city against

what they describe as an attempt to impose sectarian ideology

and glorify militia leaders. In a striking account,

residents reported that a Houthi militia supervisor at a checkpoint

Al-Aqroud, south of Taiz, used to question

travelers being interrogated about their memorization of the Holy Quran.

Some of those proven to have memorized it were

abducted, according to testimonies. One citizen recounts

that he escaped abduction because he had not memorized the Holy Quran.

As Taiz was preparing

to celebrate new classes of Quran memorizers,

military clashes escalated around the city, where

the militia amassed large numbers of its fighters

in an attempt to pressure the city and continue its

military operations. As the battles intensified, many

Quran memorizers headed to the battlefronts, joining in

the defense of the city and its residents, seeing their presence

on the ground as an extension of their responsibilities

toward their community and beliefs. They carried the Quran

in their hearts and went to the front lines,

some fulfilled their vow,

and some still await,

and they have not changed in the least.