18 - 24 October 2001
Issue No.556
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 18 - 24 October 2001 Issue No.556 |
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A sweet disguise?
Does a terrorism network lurk behind Yemen's seemingly innocent honey industry? Nasser Arrabyee, in Sana'a, says the proof just isn't there
When US President George W Bush unveiled his new "most wanted" list earlier this month, the name Mohamed Al-Hamati was among them. Al-Hamati, a Yemeni businessman, is the owner of Al-Hamati Sweets and Bakeries, which, along with three other Yemeni honey and sweets providers, is listed on the Bush administration's roster of organisations that sponsor terrorism.
The connection may seem unusual, but Yemeni authorities have begun investigating the country's honey trade following the three firms' inclusion on the United States' list. The Bush administration says it has reason to believe that the firms are connected to Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qa'ida terrorist group, either directly or through a global financial network.
Al-Nur Honey Press and Al-Shifa Honey Press, both in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, are among the firms blacklisted by the US. The English-language Yemen Observer, a weekly publication known to be aligned with Yemeni President Saleh, has reported that the government denies honey manufacturers and stores are under the thumb of Bin Laden or connected to Al-Qa'ida. The paper said that investigations are under way to uncover the truth behind the allegations.
Owners of the firms in question say that they have been in the market for years selling vegetable oils, honey and even perfumes. The Observer noted that the owners are known affiliates of the Islah Party, the largest Islamic opposition party, but they have never been suspected of being connected to terrorist organisations.
Yemeni honey is known to be a high- quality product, but merchants still import honey from many countries, including the US, Germany, Pakistan and some African countries. Authorities at Sana'a Airport have reportedly confiscated guns hidden inside honey containers arriving from the US.
The New York Times quoted American officials as saying they have evidence that Osama bin Laden is using a network of shops that sell honey to generate income and secretly move weapons, drugs and agents throughout Al-Qa'ida. But employees at the companies in question have denied the allegations, noting that their profits are hardly of a calibre capable of backing the world's most wanted man -- Bin Laden. "We don't have the kind of large profits that could be used by Osama Bin Laden," one employee said. "If Bin Laden wanted huge amounts of money, he would go and invest in the Gulf states, not [Yemen's] honey business."
Earlier in the month, the Yemeni central bank was ordered to distribute circulars to all financial institutions and banks throughout the country requesting reports on any dealings or accounts believed to be connected to terrorist groups. Official sources said this week that the bank accounts of many individuals and groups had been frozen following the delivery of the US list of suspects to Yemeni officials.
Some Western diplomats define Yemen as a safe haven for extremists, but officials have long struggled to make the country safe for something far more useful: investment and tourism. The attack last October on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden was a blow to this goal, but ultimately brought Yemen's leadership closer to the US. The attack, which killed 19 US sailors and injured 39 others, is believed to have been orchestrated by Bin Laden.
Since the 11 September attacks, authorities have arrested more than 20 persons suspected of having links to terrorist groups. Interior Minister Rashad Al- Aleemi said that Yemen is currently cooperating with the US more than ever before.
"Yes, we cooperated with the United States before 11 September, but it is now deeper, in the interest of the two friendly countries," Al-Aleemi said. But religious leaders are not keen on the new-found comradeship. More than 200 Yemeni religious scholars signed a petition denouncing cooperation with the United States or any assistance in the "aggressions" against Afghanistan, saying that the US war is one against God and Islam.
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