01-Contents Page.indd - The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre

Issues of the Day
Houthi Rebellion
MIDDLE EAST/ YEMEN
houthi, abdul-malik
Houthi is the leading figure in an insurgency in the Sadah province in northern Yemen which has
been continuing from 2004 to the present day. The uprising has been called the Houthi Rebellion
due to Houthi’s leadership. The Zaidi community comprises around half of the population of
Yemen, and is concentrated in the north. In traditional Zaidi religious belief if there is no clear
leader for the Zaidi community a Caliph can emerge through armed struggle. Yemen was formerly
under the control of a Zaidi Caliph; the Zaidi Caliphate ended in 1962. Houthi’s brothers Yahia
Badreddin and Abdul-Karim are also leaders in the insurgency.
Poverty
ASIA/ PAKISTAN
zafar, roshaneh (p. 147) [new]
An economist by training, Roshaneh Zafar is a social entrepreneur and founder of the Kashf
Foundation, the third-largest microfinance institution in Pakistan, which specializes in offering
financial services to women and their families to facilitate their economic independence and selfreliance.
The Kashf Foundation has disbursed over $200 million and has a national network of 152
branches.
Hijab Rights
MIDDLE EAST/ KUWAIT
dashti, dr rola [new]
Dr Rola Dashti was one of four women to be elected to the Kuwaiti parliament in 2009 after
successfully lobbying for the rights of women to vote and run for parliamentary elections in 2005.
She is actively engaged in leadership positions with numerous organizations, as chairperson of the
Kuwait Economic Society, executive member of Young Arab Leaders (Kuwait), and founder of the
Women Participation Organization, among others. Following her election Dashti was noted as one
of two MPs who refuse to wear the hijab to parliamentary meetings, protesting a stipulation that
requires all MPs to strictly adhere to shari‘a law—a stipulation which is considered by some to be
an unconstitutional oppression of religious freedom. Dashti continues to be vocal as a democratic
and gender-equality activist.
Youth Unemployment
MIDDLE EAST/QATAR
younis, ahmed
Younis is the young former national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United
States (MPAC). His current job is to create strategic partnerships at Silatech, an organization that
recently started to push for greater youth employment in the Middle East and North Africa. These
regions in particular have some of the world’s highest youth unemployment rates.
Economic Development
ASIA/ PHILIPPINES
guiapal, aleem siddiqu [new]
Guiapal is the project director of the Young Moro Professional Network (YMPN). This organization
is made up of 200 Muslim scholars, students and professionals who are all using their unique skills
to alleviate the plight of marginalized Muslim communities.
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