Among the Christians of Yemen, there are some who are both well-educated and wealthy.  They are the sheikhs and the tribal chiefs who have access to zones where the UNO and other organisations are unable to act. They  both evangelise and help the poor in their tribes.

Today the life of the Christians in Yemen is difficult;  the Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation regularly intimidate the citizens. Fortunately, this threat is not enough to stop the work of the Lord in this country.

“Although Yemen is considered a closed, deeply Islamic place, there are signs of spiritual renewal in the Middle-East, said the project manager of the AEM (Aide aux Églises dans le Monde- a Christian movement in Switzerland to help the Christian Churches of the world). On the other hand, there is a conservative and strong Islamic tradition”- he added.

As a manager, he worked for a long time as an agent supporting development in the Middle-East. “The Yemeni nation is charming. Geographically it could be called the Switzerland of Arabia.  At the same time, it reminds one of the pure picturesque Orient as seen in the ‘Arabian Nights’, he continued.

According to the AEM, Yemen is the most Christian Arabian country (the most Christians of the Arabian peninsula live in Yemen), ahead of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. “These Christians are brave and active”- said the project manager of the AEM.

Formerly, Yemen was a Christian country. Unfortunately, the West cared little about the Yemen Christians and didn’t help them in their difficult moments. Since March of 2015, a Saudi Arabian Sunnite coalition has been bombarding Yemen. According to the president of the International Community of the Geneva Cross, Peter Maurer, “the hospitals and the schools are destroyed. After five months of war, the situation is worse than it was in Syria after five years of war, and today, 85% of the population of Yemen suffers from famine (about 23 million people)”.

Although the Saudi coalition speaks about the fight against terrorism, in reality they persecute everybody who is not Sunnite. Even so, the Christian Church has grown in Yemen in these last months. Every day there are new Christians, who profess their faith. “You have to be careful or you will be hunted. One of my best friends was killed with a Kalashnikov. He was a leader in the Catholic church of the country”- said a Yemeni man.

The project manager of the AÉM is in daily contact with the Christians of Yemen. “There is strong persecution, but the underground churches are in a constant growth”- he said.

The AÉM supports the Christians of the country. There are about 18,000 people who get their daily bread from NGOs.  They are backed by sheikhs and tribal chiefs who became Christians and who still live in Yemen, risking their lives every day.

Translator: Ildikó Ungvári

Source: JournalChrétien