Muhammad al-Badr
1926 - 1978
Ruler and 111th Zaydi imam of Yemen, 1962.
Muhammad al-Badr (also called Imam al-Badr) was the son of Imam Ahmad ibn Yahya Hamid al-Din, who ruled Yemen following his election to the ima-mate on 13 March 1948. In October 1961, Muhammad al-Badr was designated by his father as successor despite earlier disagreements. He became the ruler and the 111th imam after his father's death on 9 September 1962. Imam al-Badr was the last Zaydi imam of the Rassid dynasty to hold the title. This dynasty of Shiʿite Muslims was established in northern Yemen (Sanʿa) in the final decade of the ninth century. The Zaydi imams traced their origin to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the prophet Muhammad's cousin and fourth caliph. They base their absolute rule on their claim of descent from the Prophet and on the allegiance given them by individual tribes - who, at least in Yemen, were the mainstay of the imamate.
Imam al-Badr was educated in Egypt and in the 1950s presented himself as interested in nationalism and liberal reform. He admired Gamal Abdel Nasser during his presidency of Egypt; he also supported the nonalignment movement and advocated a neutral role for Yemen in world affairs. In the 1950s, al-Badr traveled to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and tried to establish friendly relations with the communist world. In Yemen, he consolidated tribal support for himself and supported the South Yemen (Aden) political struggle for independence from Britain.
Upon assuming power, Imam al-Badr proclaimed social and economic reform in Yemen. He announced the establishment of a forty-member advisory council, of which half would be elected, and he appointed himself prime minister. Egyptian, Soviet, and Chinese leaders believed he was implementing a policy of socialism and sent him their best wishes.
Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with al-Badr emerged immediately among the military and within the tribes seeking revenge for the execution of some of their leaders by al-Badr's father, Imam Ahmad. Within a week, a group of army officers formed the Free Officers movement and sought Egypt's support for a coup. Egypt encouraged them to move against al-Badr quickly, since he had not yet consolidated his power; the British were preoccupied with the problems of federating South Yemen, and the Saudi ruling family had its internal problems. Within a month, a republic was declared by General Abdullah al-Sallal.
On 27 September 1962, Radio Sanʿa announced that a coup was in progress; it also announced, erroneously, that al-Badr had been killed. The Yemen Civil War was under way; Imam al-Badr was overthrown and Egyptian forces entered Yemen in large numbers to support the new regime. Saudi Arabia, where Imam al-Badr had fled, and Jordan supported the royal forces. The civil war continued until 1970.
In 1968, however, a split developed within the royalist ranks that resulted in al-Badr relinquishing the imamate in favor of the new Imamate Council, headed by Muhammad ibn Husayn. Al-Badr died in 1978.
Bibliography
Burrowes, Robert D. The Yemen Arab Republic: The Politics ofDevelopment, 1962 - 1986. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1987.
Nyrop, Richard F. The Yemens: Country Studies, 2d edition. Washington, DC: American University, Foreign Area Studies; distributed by U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986.
Wenner, Manfred. The Yemen Arab Republic: Development andChange in an Ancient Land. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1991.
— EMILE A. NAKHLEH
