The Houthis' excuse is uglier than their guilt

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I watched Yalda Hakim's excellent interview on Britain's Sky News with Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a prominent spokesman for the Houthi militia. I say excellent because Hakim, a distinguished journalist who does not need my recommendation, remained neutral, fair and professional, and in doing so, she left the door wide open for Al-Bukhaiti to hang himself and reveal the truth about the evil organization he represents. In Arabic, we have a proverb that says “an excuse is uglier than a sin,” and this applies to nothing more than it applies to what Al-Bukhaiti said in response to Hakim’s questions about the reason for the emergence of a group that falsely claims to be “Ansar.” "God" attacked a civilian airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as well as holy places and pilgrims.

The spokesman for this terrorist organization replied: “Why did Saudi Arabia not stop operations at these airports? Why did it risk the lives of civilians?”

This is the hypocritical truth of the Houthis. They use religion as a cover, but they do not mind attacking the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina, or pilgrims at a civilian airport, if it serves their political purposes. They are the bad guys, but they blame the victim, just like the rapist who says that if his victim had not been wearing revealing clothing, she would not have been a target.

When pressed further, he said it was Saudi Arabia's fault for starting a war 10 years ago. As you might expect from a puppet of the Iranian regime, he selectively chose not to mention that his clan had overthrown the legitimate government in Yemen, and that Saudi efforts were part of an international coalition to restore legitimacy in a country that he and his masters were exposing to hunger, poverty, and destruction.

He also chose not to mention that, until a few months ago, its leaders happily engaged with the kingdom when it suited them, and when they thought they would be part of the future government. However, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, when you sell your soul to the devil in Tehran, you will justify all your wrongdoings, and the civilian lives lost on your side and on the other, as a means to an end, even if that end serves someone else's interests.

As a Saudi citizen, I mourn for all the innocent lives lost in this conflict. Every life lost is one more life than it should be. But at the same time, I am happy that the whole world sees the truth about this satanic militia.

For this reason, I disagree with those who criticized Britain's Sky News and Hakim for giving a platform to Al-Bukhiti. As a newspaper editor, I am aware of the argument against the practice, and as a professional who began my career in London, I am aware of the restrictions that the BBC and others once imposed on giving a platform to the IRA.

However, when I read local social media posts, I can't help but notice that they are divided between those wondering where the international outrage is, and those saying Sky News should not have been speaking to the Houthis.

The truth is that we cannot have both. I, for example, applaud Hakeem for her attention to the horrific terrorist attack on a civilian airport, while other international news channels only covered the attack in passing.

It is not Hakim who should be held accountable for her professionalism, but rather the channels that did not cover this attack the way they would have covered it if a terrorist group had attacked JFK, LAX, or Heathrow airports.