Professor Lo and an Imam (Reply by Professor Lo )

You are right on the state’s attempt to monopolize public space by appointing Friday khutabaa (preachers). This is a common phenomenon across Muslim countries that are supporting the US war against terrorism. Unfortunately, or fortunately (?), due to the limited legitimacy of these oppressive regimes, this particular policy is not popular among the Yemenis. And in reality, the state cannot afford the associated cost of appointing Khutabaa in each mosque. Therefore, the policy, according Judge El-Hittar, is selective, and mostly exists in urban areas.

By the way, Taimoor, I tend to say “unfortunately” because the mosque, as you have noticed in Yemen, is the only public space that is outside the state’s control. So if democracy is dialectically related to state’s control of public space, we should oppose these anti-democratic moves.
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