Researcher Warns Christianity Growth in Yemen

Yemeni Researcher Dr. Abdul Qawi Al-Tab'ee warned of the growing organized Christian movement in Yemen, hinting the missionary work of foreign agencies focus on young youth to build its movement and spread Christianity in Yemen.

This news comes in shock to a country known to be free from Christians as only very few Christian Yemenis exist in Aden, which officials say that they are not of Yemeni root.

Meanwhile, the Islamic World League in its report warned of growing missionary work in Yemen and indicated that the missionary agencies have managed so far to turn over 120 Yemenis in Hadramout into Christianity. It also hinted these agencies are also active in Eritrean and Somali refugees' camps located in southern part of Yemen.

The league attributed the success of Christianity campaign in Yemen to the absence of attention by Muslims together with the spread of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, wars, racial and tribal discrimination.

It added that some people try to trade in Islam's name and to make money out of it, maintaining that extremism, violence, massacres, corruption and killing could have something to do in this matter.

According to media sources, missionary work in Yemen is made through international associations and organizations with interest in motherhood, childhood, handicaps, environment and tourism affairs together as well as private schools, language institutes and those organizations sending Yemeni students abroad.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor's reports indicate that over 4,800 private associations and organizations work nationwide.

Historically, All Christians were expelled from the Arabian peninsula, including Yemen, during the rule of the Caliph Umar in the 7th century.

In modern times, the American Presbyterians were the first to start work in Yemen in 1941.