AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The academic seminar titled “Assessing the Status of Shiites in Yemen,” part of the Status Assessment of Shiites Worldwide series, was held on Monday morning, February 2, 2026, at the conference hall of ABNA News Agency in Qom. The event was organized by the Office of Studies, Research, and Scholarship of the Scientific–Cultural Deputy of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, in cooperation with the Short-Term Training and Visiting Scholars Institute of Jamiat al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h).
During the session, Dr. Iman Mohammadi, author of the book “A Status Study of Shiites in Yemen,” presented his research findings, while Dr. Sayed Ali Mousavinejad, a faculty member at the University of Religions and Denominations, attended as the discussant and critic.
The seminar was academically moderated by Dr. Davoud Safa, Head of the Office of Studies and Research at the Scientific–Cultural Deputy of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
In the concluding segment, Dr. Safa emphasized the importance of addressing cognitive warfare and the issue framework related to youth and families in Yemen. He stated that research must move beyond static assessments toward continuous monitoring, evaluation, and foresight, and called for the use of modern tools such as GIS in analyzing demographic data.
Dr. Hosseini, a faculty member at Jamiat al-Mustafa, drawing on field experience, noted that tribal and sectarian biases in Yemen are highly pronounced and that exclusivist tendencies can be observed within certain Zaidi circles. He described unity-oriented approaches as a strategic priority and identified the potential fragmentation of Yemen after the de-escalation of the Gaza crisis as a future challenge for the country.
Dr. Kouh also stressed that status assessments should not remain purely descriptive. He argued that general geographic sections should be removed and replaced with geography directly related to tribes and religious affiliations in order to enhance the analytical and practical impact of such studies.
A representative of ABNA News Agency’s media department highlighted the need to define a “media annex” for this type of research, ensuring that academic outputs are conveyed to the public through visual reports and media interviews.
In the final conclusions, it was agreed that the author would revise the work in light of the discussant’s and scholars’ remarks, reassess sources, clearly separate hardware and software dimensions, and strengthen the strategic section. It was also proposed that future specialized seminars be held on the relations between Ansarullah and Salafi and Sufi currents.
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