...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s interim capital, Aden, has historically served as an outstanding example for tolerance and coexistence among different faith communities. For centuries, the coastal city has been home for mosques, churches, synagogues and temples.
This vibrant history, however, was interrupted after the Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
militias overran the city a few years ago.
In 2015, the Houthis attacked the city and destroyed the last standing Hindu temple there. Gunmen desecrated the place of worship and then handed it over to al-Qaeda holy warriors for total destruction.
Today, ruins left behind from the Shri Hingraj temple are a disheartening reminder of the violence that has destroyed a diverse and tolerant society that once thrived in the metropolis.
Built sometime around 1865, Shri Hingraj was located in a picturesque mountainous location in a large cave in the Khusaf Valley, in the Crater area of Aden. At the time, the southern city was a British colony that was home to the largest Indian community in the country.
Despite British rule ending in 1967, Aden maintained its diversity until Houthis assaulted the city and drove out around 3,000 Hindus.
The snuffies audaciously attacked the temple, smashed its artifacts and revered statues, painted abhorrent slogans across its walls and told thugs that the worship place was a valid target.
Petty thieves then took apart and stole the temple’s ceiling fans, air conditioners, floor tiles and power cables.
Shri Hingraj was raided again on September 23, 2016 and on April 2, 2019.
Armed button men took over the location with rumors spreading about a Houthi-linked tycoon planning to build a commercial mall in the temple’s place.
Since then, no rites have been performed at the temple.
According to the Indian Ambassador to Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
Ausaf Sayeed, the coastal city has 10 Hindu temples that were annexed by the country’s Endowments and Religious Affairs Ministry.