In Remembrance of Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf

Aziz A. Alhadi
With this week, one year has passed since we began to mourn the loss of the ultimate citizen. Although a year has passed, the tragic death of Professor Abdul-Aziz Al-Saqqaf is no easier to understand now then it was a year ago when he lost his life to a senseless accident. Without question, the past year has been a very painful one for many, but perhaps in a selfish way , it has been especially so for those of us who learned from him through our work with him. We, in education, will likely always feel the loss. In this loss we lost a great champion of our cause, a great educator who spared no effort to promote this cause because he knew that without education there would be no action and without action, there would be no hope. His standing in this regards is evidenced by all his actions and through all his many contributions to society. All shared the central theme of promoting action through dialogue or education. Yes, education, because as the late William O. Douglas, an American Supreme Court Justice, said: "All education is a continuous dialogueÑquestions and answers that pursue every problem to the horizon." With the many causes he supported, Dr. Al-Saqqaf clearly lived this mission of promoting continuous dialogue toward "every problem" in all that he pursued. Through his work in promoting free press, sound legislation, fundamental human rights and basic education, his cause was far-reaching and encompassed everything from prison reform to international exchange through education.
With amazing grace and a dedication and persistence matched by none, he pursued and promoted this dialogue in all spheres, on many fronts and through many institutions. From such diverse institutions like the Yemen Times to Yemen's Senate and many more in between, his cause was heard. To reach further still, he even established organizations specific to the causeÑ evidence Forum 21, a NGO whose very name is dialogue. Dr. Al-Saqqaf was indeed very special. Always available on short-notice, he practiced everywhere: in the press, in government, in the circle of academia, in the community of donors, in his classroom and even (once) in detention. A year later, it is this man, this champion of education, action and dialogue for whom we mourn.
May God rest his soul in paradise and grant his family and friends peace and patience through his memory. And may God also grant the community of leaders, intellectuals and the soldiers, the wisdom, energy and the will to continue the pursuit of action through dialogue and education.

Samira Ali Daair
I have been craving for a long smoke, as we sit on this terraceÉwitness of the long struggle in these mountainsÉreliving together all the sagas of the village;
I watch your eyes sparkle- with the force of your love for life- even though they begin to look like time-worn jewelsÉ family heirlooms cast asideÉalas all that glitters is not gold!
I have seen you run up these mountainsÉchallenging the rigors of natureÉyour spirit like the blazing sun on a gloomy winter dayÉbreathing life into deadened soulsÉbefore the harvest.
I have seen you so proudÉso strongÉhiding your tears behind brave smilesÉwhen your Adonis fell before your eyesÉa helpless heap.
I watched your sad descent from the heights since- as with faltering steps and hunched shoulders, you were like a wounded birdÉwith clipped wings, you ceased to ride so high;
The village people called it old ageÉdoctors as usual blind with scienceÉsophisticated namesÉI knew you were dying of a broken heartÉstrange languageÉpeople who had no time to listenÉa world suddenly gone strange.
I often lived your sadness as I watched the perplexity in your eyes behind the hazy smoke as we sat many times on this terraceÉthe lines of history peeping from every crackÉyour tales of this and that and of what might have beenÉ a strange anachronism.
The silent communion of spirits needs no language, often defying sound barriersÉ Like Beethoven in deafness composing the 9th symphony;
You and I come from different worldsÉbut the moment I saw you standing in these mountainsÉ I knew we were kindred spirits within the Time MachineÉboth of us ever struggling against the tide and defying the gale!
How often we walked down these valleys as you held my hand like a fond mother leading an ignorant daughterÉto the secrets of the earth. You pointed out the wonders of this land - bearing its fruit with the pouring of sweet people forever waiting for the rainÉ
The land you cherished and I learned to love.
None around you could understand your wisdom as you often hid your sorrow behind a sharp tongue and flippant words. They never felt the throb of life in your big, warm heartÉthey only saw a broken old lady, struggling not to need any oneÉleaning on her cane as life's creature comforts are nobody's birthrightÉin the grinding toil of village life.
They could never understand your need to rise to the heights and touch the clouds.
I often saw you gazing yonderÉacross the valleys into the empty spaces beyondÉinto the mysteries of life and death. You would pat my head fondly as you saw the tear in my eyesÉand with an unearthly smile you would tell me, you wanted to go beyond and join him
So many times you fell, only to rise againÉlike a brave warrior returning from the frontlineÉand with a fresh twinkle in your eyesÉfighting for life with a tired spiritÉ Dear brave lady of the mountainsÉdaughter of Bilqees who like you weathered all the storms;
Alas time waits not for man as a neat list of undone choresÉfleeting moments of joy and sorrow like the flickering shadows of this kerosene lamp as I write where on the same terrace;
How can I ever walk alone on these mountainsÉnothing is the sameÉbut no I am not alone.
I see you sitting underneath the Acacia tree eating berries as you shade your eyes from the sun.
I hear your voice teasing the village girls whose laughter echoes near the old wellÉ
I hear your voice whistling through the wind and your lively face engraved on every stone as I watch your small lithe form walking up these mountains once more.
Your spirit shall live onÉto guide the steps of village womenÉto teach generations the secrets of lifeÉyour legacy of loveÉand that you can only take what you give to the land.

By: Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi,
Managing Editor, Yemen Times
Yemen is a conservative country in which women are trying very hard to locate themselves in society. Before the revolution woman were among the most suppressed and marginalized groups in society. And in post-revolution Yemen, they have not gained a lot for most of them are still illiterate and suffer due to social and health problems. However, they were encouraged in some areas to join school and university as they can help lead the drive of development in society. In post unification Yemen, they were, though it is not enough, given a room to show their merits and voice their interests. The Empirical Research and Women Study Center(ERWSC) meant a lot for Yemeni women as it gave them scope to discuss their problems. In other words, the center was a good institution that was doing fine for the interests of Yemeni women. However, the jerks mobilized to demolish it and nip it in the bud and they succeeded. Why? Because the key Yemeni women did not group together to defend their rights. Their fault is that they personalize their differences and this results in the loss of their rights which, of course, affects the question of Yemeni women at large.
Of course, this is one aspect of the backsliding of the Yemeni women's movement in post- unification Yemen. The other one which is of greater impact is the murder crime of the college of medicine. I believe the crime incorporates a setback for educated Yemeni women. How? Let me tell you. As I said earlier Yemeni society is very conservative. It has begun slowly to accept values which they considered, and ,of course, some still behold this belief, odd and alien to the society's social fabric. Among such values is the education of women. This applies more to the tribal part of the society. Hussn's father of Hamdan's tribe has rebelled against the norms of the tribe and allowed his daughter to go to university. And Hussn was to be the first female doctor in Hamdan. Her father paid the price of his decision twice. First, he was laughed at by the tribesmen as he broke the social barriers and sent his daughter to university. However, he could tolerate that.
When Hussn disappeared, the tribesmen made fun of him and told him that education had perverted his daughter as they thought she eloped with somebody. That was very painful for Hussn's father and because of that sorrow he passed away. Now, Hussn is proved to have been raped and killed inside the lofty institution. This incident forms a staggering experience not only for the tribesmen but for the society as well. It is a nightmarish experience that shocked the Yemeni consciousness very strongly. Now people even the educated reconsider the education of women. Who could now convince the tribesmen of Hamdan to send their daughters to university?
The conservative social structure and tradition which fences the Yemeni mind with a lot of taboos is also responsible for this crime. The tribesman of Hamdan felt ashamed to report the missing of his daughter. If the Iraqi lady had not worked hard to get Adam arrested, he would have killed a lot more Yemeni women. Therefore, we have paid the price of our conservativeness and it is time we considered some outdated aspects of our social structure.
Finally, the college of medicine crime and its aftermath impact on education of women is a real setback for Yemeni women. It really needs our full concern and attention. Otherwise, it would drive Yemeni women back into history and demolish the achievements which they have made. All key women and educated people in general should join hands to study the problem and try to get a way out, will they?

It is already one year since we lost the late Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Saqqaf. It is time for the forces of modernization to imagine what could have been achieved if Dr. Saqqaf was with us during this very difficult year. Only through such imagination we can comprehend the extent of our loss, and our homeland's loss of Dr. Saqqaf. Dr. Saqqaf was the vanguard of modernization forces which refuse to surrender or bow. He had a belief that he is entitled to a role in society and he always looked up to the role he thought Yemen should play.
Dr. Saqqaf was a stern fighter who did not know despair . He had a strong will and a brave pen. He was always on the move and had a rare set of qualifications. He wasn't interested in wealth just for wealth's sake as he was accused by some. Wealth in his belief is only a means towards great aims and achievements. He started private ventures ranging from chickens to rabbits . Each time he discovered that these ventures might yield money , but they didn't satisfy the aspiration of having a role in serving society. In Yemen Times Dr. Saqqaf found what he was after. He endeavored to make the best he could deliver. He spared no effort to innovate Yemen Times through tireless efforts into the most internationally recognized Yemeni newspaper. Dr. Saqqaf's ambitions weren't limited to that. He fought on numerous fronts in order to establish a [development] society for the country. He was mercilessly fought by the ignorant and hypocrites who envied him. His efforts on this aspect continue as a sweet smell among his community.
Dr Saqqaf fought for democracy, free elections, human rights and the establishment of modern society institutions. All of this was in addition to his duties as a lecturer at the Faculty of Commerce and Economics. Dr. Abdul Aziz endeavored to enforce his international contacts which he tried to use for the purpose of modernizing his homeland Wherever Dr. Saqqaf worked his unique qualifications and characteristics prevailed and inflamed the rest: especially the anti-modernization tracts and forces in our society.
This is a common phenomenon in non-developed societies. They kept following his unintended missteps while being all the time blind towards his achievements. Similar to all human beings who endeavor and try he had his missteps. Only when he died did they recognize what a man they and the homeland and forces of modernization in Yemen lost. May God bless Dr. Saqqaf.
Dr. Mohammed A. Almutawakkel,
Sana'a University

The great Yemeni journalist and writer, Abdullah Saad was among the closest friends of Dr. Saqqaf. A few days after Dr. Saqqaf's death, Abdullah Saad sat down to write an orbituary letter for him. However, his destiny was that he would die too a few days later. As an appreciation for him, we here publish the incomplete letter of Abdullah Saad, which he planned to complete afterwards, but simply didn't come back alive, may his soul rest in peace.
"In early 1998, while I was at his office at the Yemen Times newspaper I asked my friend Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Saqqaf in a friendly way about who might succeed him. He replied in a confident manner that he had sons and daughters each of whom he considered as competent as a Abdul Aziz by a thousand times. He added that he had built an establishment strong enough to carry on what he had begun. He told me about his children in Turkey, Italy and India.
I remembered this as I came to the Yemen Times to condole with his son Mr. Walid. I watched his face as he was receiving condolences upon the loss of a great human rights advocate and the founder of NGOs in Yemen, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Saqqaf, may his soul rest in peace.
I knew the late Dr. Al-Saqqaf in the beginning of the 1990s. Our friendship became stronger and deeper after the civil war of 1994. Since then, we used to meet together at least once a month. We participated in many seminars, meetings, fora, all were organized to back up the work of NGOs and to defend human rights and press freedom.
All those who knew him believe that he was a school demonstrating the best models of virtues and love for his country. He was full of energy that he was able to work for more than 17 hours a day which is very rare for ordinary people, it is rather a characteristic of great men.
During the civil war of 1994 and after that we discussed the idea of founding a party comprising no more than 100 members. "80 are enough," said Dr. Al-Saqqaf.
We discussed principles and conditions for establishing that party, with emphasis on surpassing past conflicts, non-commitment to any other ideology, working with available potentials without overlooking the future...etc. Unfortunately, the party project was not fulfilled. Whenever I met with Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Saqqaf, we talked again and again about that idea. He used to tell me that any person who worked sincerely and was not influenced by the parties, was as if belonging to our party. He mentioned some names. Today, after his death, people as well as parties believe that he was a multi-dimensional man who worked hard and sincerely for his people and country.
During a short period, Dr. Al-Saqqaf was able to prove himself a leading member of the intelligentsia in Yemen. He was as busy as a bee in his work in the NGOs, as a journalist and as the head of Rights and Freedoms Committee that was the most active committee at the Consultative Council. Dr. Abdul Aziz is the only Yemeni who visited most of the prisons in Yemen, got acquainted with prisoners conditions and helped free hundreds of them. He was able to do what parties could not do in this regard.
He presented the best example of opposition through his activities and through the Yemen Times. Although he had good relationships with officials, top of whom is the President, he did not hesitate in criticizing any negative issue. On the other hand he did not hesitate to praise great acts."

May his Soul Rest in Peace

On Saturday 3.6.2000 a ceremony was held in commemoration of the first anniversary of the late Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf. He was an unforgettable personality. Founding the Yemen Times, he was a sponsor of human rights and freedom of the press. He was the first professional journalist in Yemen.
I'll never forget the time he came to Aden when he was the chairman of the Freedoms Committee at the Consultative Council. He used to make visits to prisons in the Republic to see prisoners' conditions and to study prisoners' cases. He phoned me one day to go together to Al-Mansoora prison. On the following day we went together to Al-Mansoora prison and there he examined cases of many prisoners and then paid "Orsh" an amount of money one has to pay in case he seriously injured someone. He was able to release tens of poor prisoners who were unable to pay. It is really hard to express my feeling when I saw those poor prisoners expressing their gratitude towards Dr. Al-Saqqaf. Releasing prisoners and studying prison conditions was only one example of the accomplishments of Dr. Al-Saqqaf when he joined the Consultative Council. His campaign against violating human rights was strengthened by his strong articles that distinguished Yemen Times from other newspapers. He used to stress the idea that democracy and respecting human rights go hand in hand. His strong relations with many Arab, regional and international organizations supporting democracy and human rights had an impact on making his efforts a success. He was also instrumental in making Sana'a host more than one regional and international conference.
The interview made with him by Al-Jazeera channel a few years ago made everybody proud of him. Many countries at the time had no idea about Yemen and if they had, it was a distorted picture. However, he came to give a clear image of Yemen and the democratic course it had adopted.
He was very instrumental in making many countries start supporting Yemen and appreciating its democratic transition. His newspaper Yemen Times used to be his weapon against corruption and corrupt officials. It was also the bridge linking Yemen to the world.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf was a person who used to find himself when he was with people feeling what they feel and trying to relieve them of their suffering. But he is now no more. He left us for good.
However, as he was a great politician and journalist he was also a great father. His sons proved to be as great as he was. Mr. Walid, chief editor of Yemen Times, shows that Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf has not died in vain and that his newspaper continues with its mission with the same pace is a strong proof of that. Therefore, Yemen Times, the soul of Dr. Al-Saqqaf, has to follow the same policy planned out by him so as to give him his due right.
Mohammed Abdulkader Al-Atar
Correspondent of French Press Agency,
Aden

Living in the hearts of patriotic people, Abdul Aziz worked for a better tomorrow for his society, enhancing the values of democracy and human rights in Yemen. He was a pioneer in this field. He devoted his life to supporting democracy and issues of human rights. Throughout his lifetime, he did his best to develop the awareness of people so that the supreme values of democracy and human rights might take root.
He is the martyr of Yemen's press and democracy. He was a man ahead of his time. Founding Yemen Times, he launched a daring war against corruption and the corrupt who exploit potentials of the country for their own interest. Disclosing human rights violations, he stood trial many times. However, he used to possess an unwavering determination and nothing daunted him.
However, without any prior notice, he left us for good. But his ideas and values are still alive in the hearts and conscience of the people. It is he who created a motive and determination in the intellectuals of our society to struggle and fight for democracy, for freedom of expression, for social equity, "for comforting the afflicted and afflict the comfort". Therefore, he will never die as long as these people live. He was loved and admired by all. Even the corrupt who hated him, admired him. All the people whom he stood by and supported in hard times will never forget him. He was a generation by himself. He was a very courageous kind of person, full of enthusiasm and ambitions. It is impossible to find one like him or to replace him.
A year has passed since he left us. However, we still and will remember him. His newspaper, Yemen Times, is a great homage to him. We all have confidence in his son Mr. Walid to follow the steps of his father and continue to sponsor human rights and democracy no matter what obstacles he may face. We are sure that the newspaper will have the same objectives of the late Dr, Abdul Aziz Al-Saqqaf, to raise the awareness of people to democracy and human rights. Yemen Times is and will be the ambassador of Yemen to the outside world and the voice of the voiceless so as to achieve democracy and social equity. It will also be the bridge between Yemen and other countries. We all do support and pin high hopes on it.
Mohamed Noman