During a long televised speech on Saturday night, the Houthi chief demanded the draft law to be completed before the holy month of Ramadan.

:: Houthi militia leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi is attempting to speed up the adoption of a controversial law to impose mandatory donations, known as “khums” by Shiite Muslims, that will force Yemenis to give money to the militia’s armed ranks.

During a long televised speech on Saturday night, the Houthi chief demanded the draft law to be completed before the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims are advised to be more charitable and giving.

According to information obtained by Al Arabiya, the draft law will seemingly allow the militia to apply what they describe as the “khums,” but to their own advantage – based on their interpretations of Zakat (obligatory alms-giving in Islam) and using banks that are under their control.

He called on traders and wealthy citizens to “support the material aspect of the war and its necessities,” a sign that his group may intend to impose further levies on businesses.

The Houthi leader also stressed on the need to “focus on recruiting and mobilizing battle fronts,” where the group is suffering from a significant shortage of fighters, alongside