Yemen: A Place out of Time

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Andy Warhol

To look at Yemen, one might not know that we are living in the 21st century.  This country deals with issues that many in the West would consider unbelievable, simply because we do not have a modern day reference for them.  One of these issues is pirates.  Yemen is plagued by real life pirates who plunder their cargo and kidnap and kill their crews.  Another is a society that is entrenched in the drug trade of Qat.  While legal in Yemen, the drug is still addictive and destructive and has been compared to using ecstacy.  Even children participate in chewing Qat, as it is seen as a family activity.  But perhaps the most disturbing out of time practice that still occurs in Yemen is child brides.  This issue received world wide attention after an 8 year old girl boldly went by herself to a court room and demanded that a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30's.  She eventually won her divorce, but the man was never punished and was actually compensated for his lose.   According to a 2009 report by the country's Ministry of Social Affairs, a quarter of all females in Yemen marry before the age of 15.  Traditional families want younger brides because they are seen as being more obediant and are expected to have more children. Legislation to ban child brides has been stalled due to opposition from religious leaders.  In 2009 a law setting the minimum age of marriage at 17 was repealed and sent back to committee after some law makers called it 'un-Islamic'.  (Remember that Muhammad himself had a child bride that he consumated his relationship with when she was only 9).   If these facts show us anything, it is that change does not just happen.  People make things change.  A society cannot be reformed only by laws and regulations.  Instead it must be transformed by the changed hearts and minds of its people.  We know that Jesus Christ alone has the power to transform people from the inside out.  As we pray for Yemen this month and the small Christian community that is there, let us also not forget to remember this country that is full of suffering and pray for change.  May the Christian community be an example for their country as they live out lives full of faith, self-control, and love.

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Yemen

Basic Info: Yemen is located in the Middle East between Oman and Saudi Arabia, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea. The country has a strategic location on the Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's most active shipping lanes. However, the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are at high risk for piracy. Numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway. The crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom. In 2010, the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators reduced piracy by more than half. Yemen is slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming and it is mostly desert. The country has limited natural freshwater resources, inadequate supplies of potable water, and it has problems with overgrazing, soil erosion, and desertification. Arabic is the official language and the country is predominately Arab, but also has some Afro-Arab, South Asians, and Europeans. Of the 24,771,809 (July 2012 est.) population, 32% is urban. Only half of the population is literate, and of that half, only 30% are women.

Government: For years, the Northern and Southern parts of Yemen were separated. In 1918, North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire. It wasn’t until 1967, when the British withdrew from their protectorate area around the southern port of Aden, that South Yemen was formed. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. This philosophy caused hundreds of thousands of Yemenis to flee from the south to the north, which created hostility between the two states for 20 years. In 1990, the two countries formally united and became the Republic of Yemen. In 1994, there was a southern led movement to secede, but it was quickly put down. The movement was revitalized however in 2008 when a popular socioeconomic protest movement initiated the prior year took on political goals, including secession. The country has also struggled with fighting in the northwest between the government and Huthi rebels, a group seeking a return to traditional Zaydi Islam. The fighting began in 2004 and has since resulted in six rounds of fighting - the last ended in early 2010 with a ceasefire that continues to hold. Public rallies in Sana'a against President Salih - inspired by similar demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt - slowly built momentum starting in late January 2011 fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. By the following month, some protests had resulted in violence, and the demonstrations had spread to other major cities. By March the opposition had hardened its demands and was unifying behind calls for Salih's immediate ouster. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in late April 2011, in an attempt to mediate the crisis in Yemen, proposed an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Salih's refusal to sign an agreement led to heavy street fighting and his injury in an explosion in June 2011. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2014 in October 2011 calling on both sides to end the violence and complete a power transfer deal. In late November 2011, President Salih signed the GCC-brokered agreement to step down and to transfer some of his powers to Vice President Abd al-Rabuh Mansur Hadi. Following elections in February 2012, won by Hadi but he was the only candidate, Salih formally transferred his powers. The country has a mixture of Islamic law, English common law, and customary law.

Economy: Yemen is classified as a low income country. In 2003, 35% of the population was unemployed and 45.2% lived below the poverty level. Most people are employed in agriculture and herding, while services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force. Yemen has been highly dependent on its oil for revenue, but that resource is declining. Petroleum accounts for roughly 25% of GDP and 70% of government revenue. Yemen is trying to diversify its economy through an economic reform program initiated in 2006 that is designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. In October 2009, Yemen exported its first liquefied natural gas as part of this diversification effort. In January 2010, the international community established the Friends of Yemen group that aims to support Yemen's efforts toward economic and political reform, and in August 2010 the IMF approved a three-year $370 million program to further this effort. Despite these ambitious endeavors, Yemen continues to face difficult long term challenges, including declining water resources and a high population growth rate. Since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network. In 2007 there were 2 state run TV stations, 2 state run national radio stations and 5 local stations, but stations from Oman and Saudi Arabia can be accessed.

Religion: Muslim (Islam - official) including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia) 99.92%, small numbers of Jewish, Christian (.08%), and Hindu The Constitution of Yemen declares that Islam is the state religion and that Shariah is the source of all legislation. Despite being a small percentage of the population, it is estimated that there are several thousand Christians throughout the country. Most of them are expatriates (Westerners, South and East Asians, Arabs) or refugees (mainly Ethiopian). There are however a few converts from Islam. In Aden, there are some churches, but in the north of the country no church buildings are allowed. As long as expatriates do not evangelize, the government doesn’t intervene when they live out their faith, but Yemeni citizens are not allowed to convert from Islam. Converts from an Islamic background may face the death penalty if their new faith is discovered. Converts from Islam also encounter opposition from extremist groups, who threaten “apostates” with death if they do not revert to Islam. Proselytizing of Muslims is prohibited. The Zaydi order of Shi'a Islam represents approximately 25 percent t of the total population. Yemen's north is the center of Zaydism. Zaydism is known for putting less importance on the position of the Imam, than among the Twelver (Iran), perhaps because the Zaydis have enjoyed far more political and religious freedom than the other. In the rugged mountains of northern Yemen live some four hundred Zaydi tribes with a total of some five million members. For over one thousand years they have been the dominant community in the Yemen, often fighting against the Sunni Shafi'i tribes and the smaller Isma'ili and Twelver Shi'a communities. Zaidi beliefs are moderate compared to other Shia sects. The Zaidis do not believe in the infallibility of the Imams, nor that they receive divine guidance. Zaidis also do not believe that the Imamate must pass from father to son, but believe it can be held by any descendant of Ali.

Information compiled from CIAWorldFactBook “Yemen”; VOMC “Yemen” www.persecution.net, “Zaydi Islam” http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-zaydi.htm
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Dispatch : Sana'a (April 2010)


YEMEN. CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION FROM AUTHORITIES (Feb 2012)

A Nation On Drugs - Yemen (Jan 2008)

Yemen protests continue into 2012 (Jan 2012)

Growing divide emerges in Yemen's south (Feb 2012)

The Yemen Coastguard Fights Somalia Pirates (Dec 2008)

Yemen's 'untouchables' doubtful of change (April 2012)

Sharia-Child Marriage in Yemen (Sept 2011)

Yemen crisis worsens food shortages (April 2012)