A teenage ‘influencer’ from war-torn areas of Yemen has become a TikTok sensation in Arab nations by supporting a divisive cause: Houthi rebels’ attacks on ships and boats in the Red Sea. Rashed Al-Haddad, 19, who lives in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, has been called “Tim-Huthi Chalamet” by netizens because he resembles “Wonka” star Timothee Chalamet.
“I received many offers to participate in fashion shows and advertisements, but I decided to take advantage of this fame for the Palestinian cause,” the so-called influencer was quoted as saying by AFP.
Rashed Al-Haddad has so far capitalized on the West Asian situation, increasing his social media reach with a viral video taken aboard Galaxy Leader, the Israel-linked cargo ship detained in November.
The Houthi rebels have disrupted global shipping routes by launching repeated strikes on merchant ships in the Red Sea, forcing firms to choose longer and more expensive routes around South Africa. These activities prompted the US to brand the Houthis a terrorist organization and an international coalition led by the US and the UK launched strikes in Yemen.
Yemeni’s popularity soars as global interest in the country grows
With growing international attention on Yemen, Rashed’s popularity and social media participation skyrocketed.
“When I started on TikTok, I posted videos of the ship (Galaxy Leader) that was seized by the Yemenis. When I posted the video clips, they reached millions of views within four days,” he told AFP in Sanaa, wearing a combat belt with a rifle slung across his lap.
TikTok permanently deleted his account due to his support for what most Western nations consider ‘terrorist’. He was also removed from Instagram and Facebook, both owned by Meta, for breaking hate speech policies.
“Three of my TikTok accounts were banned as well, but I have created new accounts, and thankfully, the number of followers is increasing,” Haddad added.
He expressed his delight at having interacted with numerous Westerners who followed his accounts across social media platforms.
“I’m not thinking of becoming famous because I’m handsome in order to do advertisements or to be an actor,” he said while shrugging off comparisons with Hollywood’s Chalamet.