By Sammi Aryani 

YemenOnline- July 04, 2008- An Islamic police force has raided and shut down many restaurants around Sana’a. On July 3, China Town restaurant was stormed by armed soldiers and bearded religious zealots. Eyewitnesses say that the restaurant owners and patrons were forced on the street while the soldiers destroyed alcohol bottles inside. The gates of the restaurant were shut and the establishment was closed down. Now, there is a sign spray painted on the wall, saying “closed by the authority of the District Attorney and the Hadda Police.” Our legal expert tells us that not only does the district attorney have no authority to shut down the restaurant, but that the Hadda police had no right to even search the place.

Beijing Cuisine, a popular Chinese Restaurant, was also stormed. “Fifteen soldiers with AK-47s and two bearded men came and searched every room… even the bathrooms” Michael Jee, manager of Beijing Cuisine. They came unannounced and with no search warrant or legal papers of any sort. The soldiers found nothing and left the restaurant with only a warning.

Through pressure from Abdul-Majeed al-Zindani and his close supporters, the government entertained the idea of a Vice and Virtues police force that would crack down on un-Islamic behavior. However, the government has yet to instate the police force, meaning that shutting down restaurants on religious grounds has no legal basis. Through the use of armed force, the police are acting above the law and circumventing the judicial processes to lawfully close a business.

Similar events have happened in Aden and Hudaida. The Vice and Virtues police were briefly in operation, but they were quickly taken out of practice by the government. These cities are known to have a more powerful fundamentalist influence. The fact that the Islamic police have now appeared in Sana’a shows the rise in conservative power, even though the Islamic police force is not yet legitimate.

The judiciary has not overturned the illegal closures and the government has yet to acknowledge any involvement.