View source for Slogan of the Houthi movement

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Houthi movement<br />(Ansar Allah)
| Image = File:Slogan of the Houthi Movement.svg
| Imagetext = {{Font color|#00c86f|God is the Greatest}}<br />{{Font color|#fd0000|Death to America}}<br />{{Font color|#fd0000|Death to Israel}}<br />{{Font color|#fd0000|A curse upon the Jews}}<br />{{Font color|#00c86f|Victory to Islam}}
| Use = Slogan, rallying symbol
| Symbol =
| Proportion = 75:53 (1.414) (varies by size)
| Adoption = {{circa|{{Start date and age|2003}}}}
| Design = Vertical white banner with a green border and five [[Arabic]] statements from top to bottom in the centre: green text for pro-[[Islam|Islamic]] statements and red text for [[Death to America|anti-American]], [[Calls for the destruction of Israel|anti-Israeli]], and [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] statements.
| Designer = [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]]
| Type =
}}
The [[political slogan|slogan]] of the [[Houthi movement]] ({{langx|ar|صرخة جماعة الحوثي}}) (officially called "Ansar Allah"), a [[Islamist Shi'ism|Shia Islamist]] political and military organization in [[Yemen]], reads "[[Allahu Akbar|God Is the Greatest]], [[Death to America]], [[Calls for the destruction of Israel|Death to Israel]], [[Antisemitism in Yemen|A curse upon the Jews]], [[An-Nasr|Victory to Islam]]" ({{langx|ar|الله أكبر, الموت لأمريكا, الموت لإسرائيل, اللعنة علی اليهود, النصر للإسلام|translit=Allāhu ʾakbar, al-mawt li-ʾAmrīkā, al-mawt li-ʾIsrāʾīl, al-laʿnah ʿalā 'l-Yahūd, an-naṣr li-l-ʾIslām}} ) on a vertical banner of [[Arabic]] text. It is often printed on a white background, with the written text in red and green colours derived from the [[flag of Iran]]; the pro-[[Islam]]ic statements are coloured green while the statements about the [[United States]], [[Israel]], and the [[Jews|Jews]] are coloured red.
== Colour shades ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
![[File:Slogan_of_the_Houthi_Movement.svg|42x42px]]
Colour shades
! style="background:#00c86f; width:200px" |<span style="color:white;">Green</span>
! style="background:#fd0000; width:200px" |<span style="color:white;">Red</span>
! style="background:#FFFFFF; width:200px" |<span style="color:black;">White</span>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |'''[[Hexadecimal]]'''
|<code>#00c86f</code>
|<code>#fd0000</code>
|<code>#FFFFFF</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |[[RGB color model|'''RGB''']]
|<code>0/200/111</code>
|<code>253/0/0</code>
|<code>255/255/255</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |[[HSL and HSV|'''HSV''']]
|<code>153/100/78</code>
|<code>0/100/99</code>
|<code>0/0/100</code>
|}
== Background ==
[[File:Flag of Yemen.svg|thumb|150px|The [[flag of Yemen]], a nationalist symbol, is often used by Houthis alongside their slogan banner]]Modeled on a [[Death to America|motto from revolutionary Iran]] (although first used in North Korea during the Korean War),<ref>{{Cite news |author=ShahidSaless, Shahir |date=30 March 2015 |title=Does Iran really control Yemen |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/iran-yemen-houthis-axis-of-resistance.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213230210/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/iran-yemen-houthis-axis-of-resistance.html |archive-date=13 February 2015 |newspaper=[[Al-Monitor]]}}</ref><ref name="North Korea">{{Cite news|title=North Korea's bold wave of propaganda art - in pictures|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2017/aug/20/north-koreas-propaganda-art-in-pictures|access-date=2024-01-12|website=www.theguardian.com|date=5 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Pyongyang">{{Cite news|title=North Korea Holds Mass Rally — Soldiers And Students Chant 'Death To US Imperialists'|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-holds-mass-rally--soldiers-and-students-chant-death-to-us-imperialists-2013-3|website=www.businessinsider.com|access-date=2024-01-12|date=29 March 2013 |language=en}}</ref> the slogan "Allah is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam" was originally not tied to the Houthi movement. Its exact origin is disputed. Some sources state that it was first chanted at the [[Saada|Imam al-Hadi school in Marran]] in January 2002, while others claim that [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]] used it after [[Killing of Muhammad al-Durrah|seeing footage of a young Palestinian dying in his father's arms]] during the [[Second Intifada]] in 2000.<ref name="simple"/> Hussein al-Houthi noted during a sermon in January 2002 that he had included Jews in the slogan “because [[International Jewish conspiracy| they are the ones who move this world]]".<ref>https://www.adl.org/resources/news/why-do-houthis-curse-jews</ref>
The slogan eventually became a sign of public protest against the dictatorship of Yemeni President [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]]. It was first widely used during a visit by Saleh to [[Saada]] in January 2003. At the time, the President intended to make a speech during the Friday prayers, but was drowned out by locals who chanted the slogan to protest against his policies. The Yemeni government responded with a crackdown, and 600 people were arrested for having used the slogan. This only worsened the situation, and the slogan spread in northern Yemen.<ref name="simple">{{cite journal |author=Winter |first=Lucas |date=2011 |title=Conflict in Yemen: Simple People, Complicated Circumstances |url=https://www.academia.edu/2084257 |journal=[[Middle East Policy]] |volume=XVIII |issue=1 |pages=102–120 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4967.2011.00476.x}}</ref>
The Houthi movement officially adopted the slogan in the wake of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq]], which was widely condemned in the Arab world.<ref>{{cite web |author=Riedel |first=Bruce |date=18 December 2017 |title=Who are the Houthis, and why are we at war with them? |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/12/18/who-are-the-houthis-and-why-are-we-at-war-with-them/ |accessdate=20 April 2019 |work=[[Brookings Institution]]}}</ref> This brought the movement on a collision course with the government, as the government maintained its official pro-American politics despite public opposition. The slogan was outlawed. The Houthis refused to discard it, arguing that the [[constitution of Yemen]] protected free speech. By 2004, crackdowns against both the slogan as well as the Houthi movement intensified. Many Houthis were imprisoned and even tortured for having used it. The conflict between the Houthis and the government eventually resulted in the outbreak of a violent [[Houthi insurgency in Yemen|insurgency in the northern part of the country]].<ref name="simple"/>
Despite the religious overtones of their slogan, the Houthis self-identify as Yemeni nationalist group opposed to the oppression of all Yemenis, including Sunni Muslims, by foreigners.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2015-03-25/houthi-who |title=Houthi Who? A History of Unlikely Alliances in an Uncertain Yemen |author=Asher Orkaby |magazine=Foreign Affairs |date=25 March 2015 |accessdate=20 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/who-are-yemens-houthis |title= Who are Yemen's Houthis? |author=Cameron Glenn |work=Wilson Center |date=29 May 2018 |accessdate=20 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Rai |first=Manish |date=13 April 2018 |title=Iran Developing Houthis as its Long-Term Asset |url=https://intpolicydigest.org/2018/04/13/iran-developing-houthis-as-its-long-term-asset/ |accessdate=20 April 2019 |work=International Policy Digest}}</ref> Though the slogan is the most prominent symbol of the Houthi movement, often displayed on placards and flags, the Houthis also display the regular [[flag of Yemen]] as a rallying symbol.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ridgwell |first=Henry |date=4 September 2015 |title=Yemen Fighting Intensifies as Fears Grow of Sectarian Conflict |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-fighting-intensifies-fears-grow-sectarian-conflict/2948938.html |accessdate=20 April 2019 |work=[[Voice of America]]}}</ref>
Some Houthi supporters state that their ire for the U.S. and Israel is directed toward the respective countries' governments. Ali al-Bukhayti, the spokesperson and official media face of the Houthis, rejected the literal interpretation of the slogan by stating in an interview: "We do not really want death to anyone. The slogan is simply against the interference of those governments [[Israel–United States relations|[i.e., U.S. and Israel]]]."<ref name=":3">{{cite news|title=Photo Essay: Rise of the Houthis|url=http://www.newsweek.com/photo-essay-rise-houthis-305511|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=9 February 2015|accessdate=27 March 2015}}</ref> In the Arabic Houthi-affiliated TV and radio stations they use religious connotations associated with jihad against Israel and the US.<ref name="alaraby">{{cite news |last=Taqi |first=Abdulelah |date=12 April 2015 |title=Houthi propaganda: following in Hizbullah's footsteps |url=https://www.newarab.com/opinion/houthi-propaganda-following-hizballahs-footsteps |accessdate=15 October 2016 |work=[[The New Arab]] |publisher= |ref=houthis_slogan}}</ref>
After the Houthi's October 2023 [[Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war|declaration of war against Israel]], a tricolor flag of three equal horizontal stripes, black, white, and green from top to bottom, overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the hoist has been observed in different instances, alongside the slogan and flag of Yemen.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 November 2023 |title=Yemen's Houthi rebels seize cargo ship in Red Sea |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/19/yemens-houthi-rebels-seize-cargo-ship-in-red-sea-israel-blames-iran |access-date=28 December 2023 |website=[[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |date=19 October 2023 |title=Yemenis put aside their woes to unite for Gaza and Palestine |url=https://www.newarab.com/features/yemenis-put-aside-their-woes-unite-gaza-and-palestine |website=[[The New Arab]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Balawi |first1=Mohammad Makram |date=21 December 2023 |title=The Houthis are turning the tables on everyone |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231221-the-houthis-are-turning-the-tables-on-everyone/ |website=[[Middle East Monitor]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=12 December 2023 |title=Houthi missile hits Norwegian tanker in Red Sea; ship reportedly en route to Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/apparent-houthi-missile-fired-from-yemen-slams-into-norwegian-tanker/ |website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=20 November 2023 |title=Israeli ships 'legitimate target,' Huthis warn after seizure |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1358054/israeli-ships-legitimate-target-yemens-huthis-warn-after-seizure.html |website=[[L'Orient Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=31 October 2023 |title=Yemen's Houthis declare joining Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/yemen-houthis-declare-joining-israel-hamas-war-2456377-2023-10-31 |website=[[India Today]]}}</ref> Historically this flag have been associated with [[Arab Revolt]] as a pan-nationalistic symbol to unite the Arab nations, later it was associated with [[All-Palestine Government]] and [[Army of the Holy War]].
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Huthi-Logo.JPG|A building in [[Dhamar, Yemen]], bearing the Houthi slogan banner
File:Houthis protest against airstrikes 1.png|Protesters in [[Sanaa|Sanaa, Yemen]], with placards of the Houthi slogan
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[Flag of Yemen]]
*[[Emblem of Yemen]]
*[[Flag of Palestine]]
*[[Antisemitism in the Arab world#Yemen|Antisemitism in Yemen]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Asia topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Asia]]}}
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[[Category:Anti-American sentiment in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment in Asia]]
[[Category:Antisemitism in Yemen]]
[[Category:Arabic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Chants]]
[[Category:Curses]]
[[Category:Flag controversies]]
[[Category:Flags including Arabic script|Houthis]]
[[Category:Flags of Asia|Yemen]]
[[Category:Flags of organizations]]
[[Category:Flags with green, red and white]]
[[Category:Houthi movement|Flag]]
[[Category:Islam and antisemitism]]
[[Category:National symbols of Yemen]]
[[Category:Political catchphrases]]
[[Category:Slogans]]