Yemen--Christian Persecution in Yemen

Middle East: Yemen Country Report Last Updated: January 2003 Code: Not Rated (Click here for a code description.)
	(Click here for a list of ICC articles on Yemen.) List of Articles Last Updated: October 25, 1999

Religious Atmosphere:

The overwhelming majority population of Yemen is Muslim. Of the Muslim groups, Zaydi Shiite Muslims and the Shafi’i Sunni Muslims, are the two largest. In addition, there are very small pockets of Christians, Jews, and Hindus.

• There are local extremists groups, but these groups have never demonstrated countrywide coordination or solidarity.

• Islam is the state religion.

• The government forbids conversions, requires permission for the construction of new places of worship and prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing.

• Non-Muslim residents regularly hold services in private homes etc. without incident.

 Recent Actions:

• December 30, 2002 - Three Southern Baptist missionaries working in the Baptist Hospital at Jibla were killed when an armed attacker opened fire on a staff meeting inside the hospital. William Koehn, Kathleen Gariety and Martha Myers were killed and Donald Caswell was injured during the attack. A 35-year-old militant, Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, was taken into custody.
     
• January 1, 2001 – An explosion outside of Christchurch in Aden destroyed walls surrounding the church compound and parts of the pastor’s residence. Twenty members of the Abyan Islamic Army have been arrested in connection with the bombing of the Anglican Church as well as several other bombings on the same day. Christchurch was also targeted in 1997 when a bomb was found before it could explode.
     
• August 30, 2000 – It was confirmed that Mr. Haji and family arrived safely in New Zealand.
     
• August 24, 2000 – Mohammed Omer Haji was finally reunited with his wife and son as the three boarded a 6am flight to Sana’a, en route to New Zealand via Eritrea.
     
• August 2, 2000 – Mohammed Omar Haji, his wife and infant son were accepted for emergency resettlement by New Zealand.
     
• July 19, 2000 – Mr. Haji failed to appear before Aden’s First Court in Tawahi. According to his lawyer, an out-of-court settlement was being sought. Mr. Haji was transferred to Aden’s Immigration Jail on July 17.
      
• July 12, 2000 – Mohammed Omar Haji’s sentencing was postponed until July 19.
     
• July 9, 2000 – Before his scheduled hearing Mr. Haji was brought before a prosecutor without the presence of legal council. He was there informed that he would probably be deported on charges of apostasy and illegal entry into Yemen.
     

• July 5, 2000 – Mohammed Omer Haji (see below) was sentenced to death unless he recants his Christian faith within 7 days.

• January 16, 2000 – Christian Somali refugee, Mohammed Omer Haji, was arrested in Aden. The police gave no official reason other than that Mr. Haji was a Christian. During the following weeks Mr. Haji was tortured and beaten. Mr. Haji claims that United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) officials advised him that he should recant his faith and become a Muslim or else they would not help him. UNHCR officials deny this accusation.
      
• July 1998 – Three nuns of the Sisters of Charity order were murdered in Hodeidah. A deranged individual was charged in the incident, which did not seem to be part of an organized campaign against Christians.
      

• February 17, 1997 – Lagassa Zumasi, an Ethiopian refugee who sought asylum in Yemen to escape the Ethiopian-Eritrean war, was arrested by Yemeni authorities. Zumasi was an evangelical Christian and had been helping several western Christian agencies, including the Anglican Church. Officially charged with spying for Ethiopia, Zumasi’s real crime was his humanitarian and evangelical work among other Ethiopian refugees. Mr. Zumasi was eventually expelled from the country.

• August 1995 - A hospital in Jib that is operated by the Baptist church was the target of mob violence. The church had received various threats and harassment's before this incident. The accusation was made by extremist's elements that the hospital would be used to spread Christianity.

Prisoners:

No known prisoners are being held for their Christian convictions at this time.

• Pray for the Christians of Yemen that they may continue to be protected from harm and that the Christian message may be heard and received by all.

• Please keep us informed of any replies or results you may receive! Contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org.

Official Contacts:

*We make every attempt to keep up with and reflect changes in the national government of Yemen and the current human rights situation. We appreciate your feedback if you find any discrepancies in this information. You can contact us by e-mail at: icc@persecution.org. Thanks.

POSTED:  January 3, 2003

ICC Articles on Yemen: