Yemen (MNN) — The Islamic militant group Ansar Allah has a chokehold on Yemen in more ways than one. Also known as the Houthis, Ansar Allah controls approximately one-third of Yemen and exerts significant pressure on international shipping routes.
Within Yemen, persecution of Christians also occurs, whether or not the rest of the world hears about it. Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “We don’t always hear about these things because the information is not easy to leave the country.”
Yet a February 9 news report from Human Rights Watch says more than 20 Christians have been arbitrarily detained by Houthi authorities in recent months. Enforced disappearances can look like this, says Brobbel: “Their relatives don’t know where they are. They can’t communicate with anybody. The officials who arrest won’t even give any indication that they have these Christians.”
(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)
Brobbel says the detentions point to broader issues in Yemen — issues that merit advocacy and which other governments should be aware of. “Religious freedom is virtually non-existent in the region,” he says. “There’s been violence and tortures. There have been martyrdoms of pastors in the past. Christians are forced to hide.”
Yemen once had 41,000 believers, according to the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But today, there are estimated to be only a few thousand. Brobbel says years of civil war, not just persecution, have also contributed to the drop.
“A lot of Christians and religious minorities have left, but you’re always having those that stay,” he says. “Despite all these things that we’ve talked about, there is an underground church that is expanding despite the dangers that they’re facing on a daily basis.”
Pray for strength for Christians in Yemen to share the gospel in the midst of hostile and, in many cases, unknown circumstances.
“Pray that they would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Pray that they would be effective in reaching their enemies for Christ,” says Brobbel. “You know, with opposition comes opportunity.”
Then ask yourself, what are you doing to share the gospel in your own nation and community? Ask God to help you see and take the opportunities all around you.
Learn how you can help Voice of the Martyrs Canada serve persecuted Christians at www.vomcanada.com.
Header photo is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.
