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YemenIn Yemen, Islam is the state religion and sharia is the source of all legislation. There is some religious freedom for foreigners, but evangelism is prohibited; several expatriate workers were deported in the past for Christian activities. Yemenis who leave Islam may face the death penalty as a result. Christians from a Muslim background do not only face persecution from the authorities but also from family and extremist Islamic groups who threaten "apostates" with death if they do not revert to Islam. Insecurity caused by terrorist movements makes Yemen very unstable; a situation which has even further deteriorated during the "Arab Spring" riots of 2011. Kidnappings of foreigners in Yemen have occurred regularly, usually ending by meeting kidnapper's demands for some community assistance, funds, or release of clan members from custody. Four of the nine foreign Christians kidnapped in June 2009 remain missing. In Aden there are four official churches (three Catholic and one Anglican) for the several thousands of expat Christians (most are Westerners, South and East Asians and Arabs) or refugees (mainly Ethiopian) living in the country. However in the north, no church buildings are allowed. Large numbers of expats have left as a result of the "Arab Spring" riots. The number of Muslim background believers is estimated at just a few hundred. When a Muslim becomes a Christian, he or she faces persecution from family and government. They are not allowed to have their own gatherings, so they meet in secret locations. Due to the chaotic and violent situation in the country, there was limited access to the country and less information was available (also expressed in the Variation Degree which increased from 3 last year to 5 this year. The number of points for Yemen decreased slightly, from 60 to 58.5 points.) Because of this, the country is ranked in 8th place this year (instead of 7 last year). The government has used excessive force to crack down on the protestors after 10 months of mass protest, caused by high levels of unemployment in the country and government corruption. President Saleh finally signed a political transition agreement on November 23, transferring power to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. In February 2012, presidential elections will be organized. However, as the International Crisis Group notes, "Ten months of popular protest spiked by periodic outbursts of violence have done little to clarify Yemen's political future." Yemeni politics are indeed extremely complex. The country is deeply divided between pro- and anti-Saleh forces and the south of the country is claiming its independence. In spite of President Saleh's resignation, the conflict risks getting bloodier, opposing Shiite Huthi rebels and Sunni Islamists. To make it even more complex, the country has a strong tribal system which is difficult to understand for outsiders. Besides that, small groups of al-Qaeda-linked groups struggle for more power in the country. Christians who are on either side of the political spectrum, in spite of their differences, are reported to have maintained unity in Christ. |
