Yemeni Christians Facing Targeted Attacks by Islamic Forces Yet Growing Steadily
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014. In 2015, the conflict escalated as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and allied nations intervened militarily to support the Yemeni government, led by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), are a Shia minority group that strictly adheres to Sharia law and commands loyalty from various clans and tribes. They currently control most of northwestern Yemen. Christians in this region face severe persecution and danger, while those living in the south, where Sunni Islamic militant groups like Al-Qaeda are active, are also at significant risk.
It is estimated that Yemen’s Christian population is less than 1% of the total, numbering around 40,000 people. Most belong to the Ethiopian and Russian Orthodox Churches, while the remainder are Catholic or Protestant.
Many Yemeni Christians are converts from Islam who live out their faith in secrecy, meeting in small groups at homes or outdoors. If their faith is discovered, they face extensive persecution, including social ostracism, loss of employment, physical and psychological abuse, imprisonment, rape, forced marriage, and even death. They are also excluded from humanitarian aid and medical support, leaving them in desperate conditions amid the prolonged sectarian war and lack of government protection. This has made them vulnerable targets for attacks by Islamic militants.
According to Open Doors in 2022, Yemen ranks as the fifth most dangerous country for Christians, with violence against them increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite severe hardships and persecution, people are slowly but steadily converting to Christianity through exposure to online platforms and Christian media.
Pastor Ebrahim: “Soon We Will Be With Jesus”
Pastor Ebrahim leads an unregistered church in Yemen. One day when the church gathered for worship, a group of armed men stormed the building, pointing weapons at the pastor and the congregation. The leader of the group threatened to kill Pastor Ebrahim, aiming a gun at his head. After praying, the pastor encouraged his congregation by saying, “Do not be shaken. Soon we will be with Jesus.” A sense of peace filled the room, and one of the attackers called off the assault. The armed men eventually left, taking the church’s equipment and Bibles.
A Voice of Martyrs (VOM) frontline worker said, “Pastor Ebrahim was delighted that there were so many Bibles piled up somewhere in Yemen that anyone who wanted to know about Jesus could get one.”
Yemenis who came to faith through various media outlets have recently contacted VOM workers. One woman contacted a minister after watching a Christian TV program. Unbeknownst to her, her husband was watching the same show and contacted the minister as well. They both committed their lives to Christ, not knowing that the other had become a Christian. The minister encouraged them to share their faith with each other, and they were overjoyed to see the Lord working in them simultaneously. Another couple had questions about Christ after listening to a Christian radio program. They contacted VOM to resolve their questions, and both came to faith in Christ. These Christians, who live in an isolated area of Yemen, have no regular access to fellowship with other Christians.
》Prayer Points
1. For nine years, Yemen has been engulfed in civil war, resulting in countless casualties and millions of refugees. The entire population is now facing extreme famine and disease, enduring one of the most severe crises in recent history. Yemen has suffered from war, invasions, colonization, division, and civil conflict, leaving its people without peace. However, let us proclaim in faith that God has never forgotten or abandoned them. Let us bless the converts who, even in the face of persecution, hear the gospel and come to faith with the courage to risk their lives. Pray that through them, many more Yemenis will be saved.
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. 9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.(Hosea 11:8-9,NIV)
2. Let us give thanks to God for raising up faithful witnesses like Pastor Ebrahim, who, even with a gun pointed at his head, stood firm in the hope of heaven. To the global Christian community, it may appear that Yemen has lost all hope of salvation. Yet, even in the worst conditions—marked by war, famine, and persecution designed to prevent conversions—God has been raising up His saved people. Even though missionaries and converts cannot evangelize directly, let us pray that God will work through TV, radio, online broadcasts, digital Bible files, films about Jesus, as well as through dreams and visions, to reveal the gospel and bring about miracles of salvation.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.(Romans 8:35-37,NIV)
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