Issa al-Laith

Issa al-Laith عيسى الليث
Born	Issa Hassan Muhammad Ali Al-Laith 1985 (age 39–40) Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia
Nationality	Yemeni
Occupation(s)	Vocalist and poet
Political party	Houthis
Children	4

Issa Al-Laith also spelt Issa Allaith, Issa Al-Layth (Arabic: عيسى الليث‎) is a Yemeni vocalist and poet affiliated with the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah).[1][2] Issa al-Laith is described as a popular zamil performer and poet for the Houthis,[2][3][4] and is regularly featured on various Houthi media networks.[5]

Biography

Issa al-Laith was born in 1985 in Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, to a Shiite Zaidi family from the Razih district of Saada Governorate, Yemen.[1] Issa grew up in Saada governorate, where he completed his Quranic and secular education.[1] He is a member of the Houthi movement and is married and the father of four children.[1]

As a vocalist and poet, the main theme of his poetry concerns the glorification of Houthi fighters and Palestine, as well as opposing the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen,[1] being described as a champion of the Houthi cause.[6] Many of his zawamil enjoy hundreds of thousands to millions of views on various social media platforms.[5] The zamil, rooted in cultural tradition, has been weaponised by the Houthis as a tool of propaganda and remains one of the most popular and rapidly growing platforms of Houthi propaganda,[7][8] sung by popular vocalists like Issa Al-Laith and disseminated through various social media platforms including YouTube, Twitter and Telegram.[9][10] The Spectator describes Houthi zawamil as its most successful part of their propaganda, stressing the movement's supposed piety, bravery and poverty in comparison with the corruption, wealth and hypocrisy of their adversaries, the Saudi-led coalition, and Arab states allied to Israel.[11]

In 2023, YouTube closed various channels affiliated with the Houthis, including the channel of Issa.[12]

References

1. "المنشد المخضرم عيسى الليث يتحدث لصحيفة الثورة ويكشف تفاصيل مثيرة بشأن دربه الجهادي". ansarollah.com. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
2. "Rebels turn to poetry in battle for Yemeni hearts". France 24. 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
3. Nereim, Vivian (2024-01-24). "Honed at Home in Yemen, Houthi Propaganda Is Going Global". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
4. Naji, Ammar (2022-02-27). "The Unspoken Agenda of Houthi Digital Poetry in Yemen's Current War Crisis". Arab Media & Society. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
5. Hamidaddin, Abdullah (2022-08-25). The Huthi Movement in Yemen: Ideology, Ambition and Security in the Arab Gulf. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-7556-4425-4.
6. Rogerson, Barnaby (2024-02-01). "How the Houthis wage war through poetry". The Spectator. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
7. "Lyrical Art & Politics in Yemen | Khuyut". www.khuyut.com. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
8. Dima (2024-02-12). ""A call for war": Yemen's Enduring Zawamil Legacy". The MENA Chronicle | Fanack. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
9. Hamidaddin, Abdullah (2022-08-25). The Huthi Movement in Yemen: Ideology, Ambition and Security in the Arab Gulf. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-7556-4425-4.
10. Naji, Ammar (2022-02-27). "The Unspoken Agenda of Houthi Digital Poetry in Yemen's Current War Crisis". Arab Media & Society. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
11. Rogerson, Barnaby. "How the Houthis wage war through poetry". The Spectator.
12. "The YouTube company shuts down Yemeni channels affiliated with the national media, citing "its own policies."". dearborn.org. Retrieved 2024-05-16.