Yemen
(2000)
The Constitution declares that Islam is the state
religion and also provides for freedom of religion, and the Government
generally respects this right in practice. Followers of other religions are
free to worship according to their beliefs; however, the Government forbids
conversions and prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing. The Constitution
states that Shari'a (Islamic law) is the source of all legislation.
There was no change in the status of respect of
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
There are very small numbers of religious minorities,
and relations among religious groups generally are amicable.
The U. S. Government discusses religious freedom issues
with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of
promoting human rights.
Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution declares that Islam is the state
religion and also provides for freedom of religion, and the Government
generally respects this right in practice. Followers of other religions are
free to worship according to their beliefs and to wear religiously
distinctive ornaments or dress; however, the Government forbids
conversions, requires permission for the construction of new places of
worship, and prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing. The Constitution
states that Shari'a is the source of all legislation.
Religious Demography
Virtually all citizens are Muslims, either of the Zaydi
order of Shi'a Islam or the Shafa'i order of Sunni Islam, representing
approximately 35 percent and 65 percent of the total population,
respectively. There are also a few thousand Ismailis, mostly in the north.
Almost all Christians are temporary foreign residents,
except for a few families living in Aden that trace their origins to India.
There are a few Hindus in Aden who also trace their origins to India. There
are several churches and Hindu places of worship in Aden, but no non-Muslim
public places of worship exist in the former North Yemen, largely because
northern Yemen does not have a history of a large, resident foreign
community as in the south. However, Christian church services are held
regularly without harassment in private homes or facilities such as
schools, and these facilities appear adequate to accommodate the small
numbers involved.
Christian missionaries operate in Yemen and most are
dedicated to the provision of medical services; others are employed in
teaching and social services. Invited by the Government, the Sisters of
Charity run homes for the poor and disabled in Sana'a, Taiz, Hodeida, and
Aden. The Government has asked the Vatican to open additional Sisters of
Charity facilities. The Government issues residence visas to priests so
that they may provide for the community's religious needs. There is also a
German Christian charitable mission in Hodeida and a Dutch Christian
medical mission in Saada. An American Baptist congregation has run a
hospital in Jibla for over 30 years. The Anglican Church also runs a
charitable clinic. An American nongovernmental organization (NGO), run by
the Seventh-Day Adventists, works in the governorate of Hodeida.
Nearly all of the country's once sizable Jewish
population has emigrated. There are no legal restrictions on the few
hundred Jews who remain, although there are traditional restrictions on
places of residence and choice of employment (see Section II).
Approximately 500 Jews are scattered in a handful of villages between
Sana'a and Saada in northern Yemen.
Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Under Islam the conversion of a Muslim to another
religion is considered apostasy, a crime punishable by death. There were no
reports of cases in which the crime has been charged or prosecuted by
government authorities. In January 2000, the director of the Aden office of
the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) received a report that a
Somali refugee, who allegedly had converted from Islam to Christianity
after his arrival in Yemen, had been arrested for apostasy. The UNHCR's
investigation found that the refugee had been detained previously by police
in Aden and at the UNHCR's Al-Jahin camp. The refugee is registered with
the UNHCR under a Christian name but maintains an address in Sana'a under a
Muslim name. He is married to a Muslim woman and has an Islamic marriage
certificate. The UNHCR believed that authorities detained the refugee on
criminal rather than religious grounds. At the end of the period covered by
this report, the refugee was out of police custody and living in Aden while
the UNHCR explored resettlement possibilities.
There are unconfirmed reports that some police, without
the authorization or knowledge of their superiors, on occasion have
harassed and detained persons suspected of apostasy in order to compel them
to renounce their conversions.
The Government does not allow the building of new
non-Muslim public places of worship without permission; however, in 1998
the country established diplomatic relations with the Vatican and agreed to
the construction and operation of a "Christian center" in Sana'a.
The Papal Nuncio, resident in Kuwait, presented his credentials to the
Yemeni Government in March 2000. Yemen's ambassador to Italy was accredited
to the Vatican in July 1999. President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid an official
visit to the Vatican at the time of his state visit to Italy in April.
Public schools provide instruction in Islam but not in
other religions. However, almost all non-Muslims are foreigners who attend
private schools.
In February the Government revised its travel
regulations to allow Yemeni-origin Jews on third-country passports to
travel to Yemen, as well as Yemeni-origin Israelis with laissez-passer
travel documents. The first such visitors arrived in March.
Private Islamic organizations may maintain ties to
pan-Islamic organizations and operate schools, but the Government monitors
their activities.
Following unification of North and South Yemen in 1990,
owners of property previously expropriated by the Communist government of
the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, including religious
organizations, were invited to seek restitution of their property. However,
implementation of the process, including for religious institutions, has
been extremely limited, and very few properties have been returned to any
previous owner.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Governmental Abuses of Religious Freedom
Official government policy does not prohibit or provide
punishment for the possession of non-Islamic religious literature. However,
there are unconfirmed reports that foreigners, on occasion, have been
harassed by police for possessing such literature. In addition, some
members of the security forces occasionally censor the mail of Christian
clergy who minister to the foreign community, ostensibly to prevent
proselytizing.
There were no reports of religious detainees or
prisoners.
Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
The country is overwhelmingly Muslim. There are very
small numbers of religious minorities, and relations among religious groups
generally are amicable. There were no reported incidents of violence or
discrimination between the adherents of the two main orders, Zaydi and
Shafa'i Islam. Religiously motivated violence is neither incited nor
tolerated by the Islamic clergy, except for a small politically motivated
clerical minority, often with ties to foreign extremist elements.
The tiny number of religious minorities generally live
in harmony with their Muslim neighbors. Apart from a small but undetermined
number of Christians and Hindus of South Asian origin in Aden, Jews are the
only indigenous religious minority. Their numbers have diminished
significantly--from several tens of thousands to a few hundred--due to
voluntary emigration over the last 50 years. Although the law makes no
distinction, Jews traditionally are restricted to living in one section of
a city or village and often are confined to a limited choice of employment,
usually farming or handicrafts (primarily silver working). They are
respected for their craftsmanship and their silver work is highly prized.
Jews may, and do, own land. Traditionally the tribal leaders of the regions
in which the Jews have resided are responsible for protecting the Jews in
their areas. A failure to provide this protection is considered a serious
personal dishonor.
Christian clergy who minister to the foreign community
are employed in teaching, social services, and health care.
In July 1998, a gunman killed three nuns belonging to
the Sisters of Charity order in Hodeidah. The Government took swift action
and immediately arrested the individual. The Government determined that he
was deranged and committed him to a psychiatric institution.
A hospital in Jibla operated by the Baptist Church
experienced occasional threats and harassment from local extremists who
feared that the hospital might be used to spread Christianity. There have
been no reports of threats by extremists in several years, and the hospital
enjoys widespread community support.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Embassy maintains an active dialog on human
rights issues with the Government, NGO's, and others, and discusses
religious freedom issues in the overall context of the promotion of human
rights. Embassy officers, including the Ambassador, meet periodically with
representatives of the Jewish and Christian communities.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |