Yemen: ‘Christians are seen as enemies on all fronts’

“The Christians in this area are folks that were formerly Muslim,” which means they are under constant threat.

The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)

A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”

Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”

“‘Christians Are Seen as Enemies’: Houthi Attacks Create More Suffering for Yemeni Christians,” by Gary Lane, CBN News, March 8, 2024:

Recent events in the Middle East are causing additional hardship and suffering for Christians in Yemen.

For years, the tiny group of believers there have withstood intense persecution from militant Muslims and their government. Now, the attacks on ships and other actions of Houthi rebels are making matters worse….

Yemen’s small but growing community of Christians is among those targeted by the Houthis.

“The Christians in this area are folks that were formerly Muslim –Muslim background believers that have converted to Christianity. Christians are obviously a despised, [sic] minority,” explained Open Doors U.S. CEO Ryan Brown.

Brown’s group lists Yemen as the world’s fifth worst persecutor of Christians on its 2024 World Watch list. 

He said years of war had left the people largely dependent upon outside aid. So, when shipping lanes are disrupted, food and other necessities are slow to reach Middle Eastern ports, driving up costs, and Christians – those refusing to wage jihad or engage in Islamic practices are marginalized.

“Christians are often last in line as it relates to being able to receive the care and attention there as war and as these things continue to escalate. That has a ripple effect and economic ripple effect. It can disrupt supply chains, and so, while Christians were already last line, that line becomes even further elongated,” explained Brown. “And so Christians are very much impacted by what’s going on currently.”

Once they leave Islam and are baptized, Yemeni Christians are considered apostates by Muslims. So, they keep their new faith secret to avoid severe persecution and possibly death at the hands of their clan or family members.

And if they are not killed for their faith, they are often blamed for their connections to the West.

“They become easy targets,” said Brown. “You know, there is Al-Qaeda presence in the South, Houthi presence in the North, and Christians are seen as enemies on all fronts there.”…