In a symposium organized by Female Journalists without Borders Organization themed “-Islamists and Democracy in Yemen”, guests fiercely attacked some extreme Islamic streams.

These papers pointed out that there is a new frightening tendency which faces the future of democracy and the Yemeni society, mainly of the extreme addresses by Islamic parties whom researcher Essam Al-Qaisi did not name.

Al-Qaisi's paper themed 'Islamists and Violent Culture under Democracy and the Recent Events' aroused a great deal of controversy especially among Writers Union members who hosted the symposium.

Former secretary general of Nasserite Party bdul Malik Al-Mikhlafi stressed the importance of taking time and place into consideration when talking about Islamic groups. He hinted that there is no aspect of similarity between the violence cases across the Arab world.

Al-Mikhlafi also stated that people should differentiate between Islamic parties and other streams adding "In Yemen, there are certain experiences of Islamic streams which are linked with political and social interests as the case with Al-Haq Party, Islah Party and Public Forces Union Party which are religious and political Yemeni parties."

He further hinted that some parties still see democracy as atheism especially some religious political figures in Yemen, maintaining that the religious address could turn sectarian, if it is not made within a national vision.

He went on to say that the problem with extreme parties that they do not recognize others and consider themselves to be the 'salvaged group'. He called on Islamic parties to adopt an enlightening address to face the extreme thinking, hinting this thinking helped assassinate Socialist leader Jarallah Omar and further sees the woman as 'Awrah' that should be covered.

He further considered the Joint Meeting Parties coalition to be a national accomplishment because it contained parties with different ideologies which are trying to ascend power, and this proves they started to acknowledge the existence of the other and to discuss common subjects like woman's issue.

Most papers directed their criticism to Islah Party whose representative did not attend the sessions. GPC member Ahmed Al-Soufi's paper indicated that democracy managed to penetrate into Islah; however, it managed not to change its own nature.

He considered the Islah's Shoura Council and their newspaper Al-Sahwa to be fortified forts and enquired into the number of times in which the paper has published a woman's photo over the last 18 years.

Researcher Riyadh Al-Sama'e presented a detailed record of 20 cases of Fatwas in which others were described by Islamists as atheists and hinted this accusation has been directed in different occasions against politicians, thinkers, intellectuals and journalists.

He maintained that these Fatwas are not issued for religious ends but rather for settling accounts.

Over the recent period, there has been a notice growth for Salfi stream in Yemen which opposes democracy, considering it to be atheism. Sources stated to the Yemen Post that Sulfis have now over 120 centers and over 400 mosques across the nation.