“A Nation of Corneliuses” In spite of pervasive poverty and spiritual darkness, the people of Yemen are increasingly curious about Christ TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEBBIE MEROFF
of 22 million under the age of 14. Among wage-earners, 45 percent bring home less than $2 a day; another 16 percent earn only $1.Yemen also suffers exceptionally high infant and adult mortality rates and, according to a recent article in the Yemen Times, is home to 1.5 million disabled residents, a phenomenon largely due to intermarriage among close family members, a practice common in the Muslim world. At the top of Yemen’s social class system are the Sayyid people, who trace their descent to the grandson of Muhammad. At the bottom are the Abids of Ethiopian or Somali descent. These people are the poorest of the poor and can usually be found performing the most menial tasks, such as sweeping streets or cleaning latrines. The traditional saying “Clean your
Although Yemen enjoys 4,000 years of rich history, most people would have difficulty locating the country on a world map. The Queen of Sheba’s legendary land lies just below Saudi Arabia and occupies the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. For scenery it’s hard to beat: majestic mountains, a stunning coastline along the Red and Arabian seas, even desert sand dunes complete with camels. The architecture of the old cities is unique, with large, multi-storied houses made of thick stone or mud brick walls, intricately decorated with alabaster. In the markets you can still buy frankincense and myrrh. Gold is a little scarce these days, however.Yemen is the 14th poorest country in the world, with over half its population
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water—another quickly diminishing resource in Yemen. More pervasive than qat in its power over the Yemeni people is, of course, Islam.Yemen is Osama bin Laden’s ancestral homeland, and posters of Saddam Hussein still testify to the Iraqi leader’s popularity. Even though many cannot read the Quran and only repeat what they are taught in their local mosque, 99.9 percent of Yemenis consider themselves guardians of the faith. The message of Christ’s promise is slow to spread in this Islamic heartland. According to the missionaries working there, no more than 300 Yemenis follow Jesus (Operation World puts the Christian population at 0.05 percent, but this includes foreigners working in the country as well as Ethiopians, who might come from a nominal Christian background but are generally not active followers of Christ). Foreigners in the land are conspicuous, and their movements are monitored round the clock. Still, opportunities abound for involvement in business, educational, and mercy projects, including English teaching, vocational training of all sorts, and community health care. The cost of living is low, but the ordinary demands of Yemeni life—such as cooking from scratch, filtering water, and dealing with power shortages—take up a lot of time and energy. As one expatriate “tentmaker” observes, laughing, “It’s so Old Testament!” Another, who has lived all over the Arab world, profoundly observes, “It’s the darkest place—spiritually—I’ve ever seen.” And a new recruit admits, “Sometimes you get worn down.” (Note: names of those quoted are omitted to protect the work.) Yemen has had its share of bad publicity in recent years, with incidents like the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, which killed 17 sailors, and the shooting of three staff members at the Baptist hospital in Jibla in 2002. However, the government has tried hard to suppress extremism, and few expatriates say they feel physically threatened. Homesickness
plate if it is touched by a dog, but break it if it’s touched by an Abid” reflects society’s contempt for this community, whose members are isolated and systematically discriminated against. In fact, the word “abid” literally means “slaves.” Women are in a class of their own. Draped in black from head to toe whenever they leave their homes, females are kept strictly segregated and are generally considered deficient by nature. Girls are expected to marry young; the average lifespan of a female is 61 years, and during her life she will bear an average of seven children, though families of a dozen or more children are not uncommon. According to UNICEF, 77 percent of females are illiterate. “Every Yemeni woman I know would jump at the chance to be educated,” sighs an expatriate worker living in the capital, “but a lot see the futility of it. I have friends who are university graduates, but most of them sit at home unemployed or else get married.” Many girls assert that men don’t want to marry women who are well educated, preferring women who do not think for themselves. The power of even Yemeni men to think for themselves, however, is significantly eroded by their passion for qat. Qat (pronounced “kot”) is a mild narcotic with many of the effects of amphetamine. Each day from about noon to 4 p.m. shops close and life grinds to a halt as approximately 85 percent of men and 35 percent of women succumb to the communal ritual of chewing qat leaves. Because the drug suppresses hunger, users tend to divert their funds away from food. This often leads to anorexia and malnutrition, leaving users vulnerable to disease. Qat also has a devastating economic impact on the nation. Yemen suffers a shortage of arable land, yet an increasing amount of it is devoted to growing qat instead of fruits and vegetables. Its cultivation also takes an inordinate amount of
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is a more common foe—and loneliness. However, most long-term Christian workers say they are now experiencing unprecedented opportunities to share their faith. Says one team leaders in Sanaa, “In the last 10 years, new technology like internet cafés and mobile phones have changed viewpoints. People see more, know more. One taxi driver said he goes to the internet café every day and reads a portion of the injil [New Testament].” Here and there, news leaks through of newborn members of Christ’s kingdom: a man who listens to Christian radio and now has 30 to 40 people in his village reading Scripture; a woman led to Christ in prison; two Christian girls who were forced to marry but whose Muslim husbands later came to faith; a leper in an isolated village who dreamed of a man in white, called Jesus, who told him that if he prayed in the name of Jesus he would be healed—and he was. Many Yemenis are responding to radio programs and the Jesus film.“We have more Scripture going out now than ever,” affirms a worker in the capital. “There’s a hunger to know what all the religious books say, not just the Quran. Recently two Christians were asked to a university-level English literature class to share how they came to Christ. Over 70 students listened and asked questions after their presentation. And this week I got an email from a man representing mosque leaders, saying he wants to distribute 3,000 copies of the Bible!” Like their ancestor, the Queen of Sheba, growing numbers of people long to learn more about the God who gave the world Solomon...and Jesus. A British woman who has lived in Yemen for many years calls it “a nation of Corneliuses.” “They want to be right with God,” she said, “and are very sincere in seeking him.” She adds, “I want to emphasize how lovely these people are. I’ve been so touched by them; they support me and care for me in a
way I’ve never known in the West. After 9/11 one of my neighbors said, ‘I’ve told my guard to watch out for you. If you ever need any help, come to me!’ I’m treated with so much honor here. It’s very humbling.” She notes, “People say we’re on the edge of something major spiritually—perhaps within the next four to five years. Our mode of ministry has shifted. I pray for healing, dreams, and visions. I say to more that I meet, ‘Can I pray for you?’ because that kind of thing doesn’t exist in Islam. One girl responded, ‘Wow, where did you learn to pray like that? Can I write it down?’ My philosophy is that you’ll see people change when they see the power of God.” And for that to happen, both short- and long-term workers agree that modeling Jesus is key. “Presence evangelism,” they call it. “Pray that God will bring more people from multicultural societies to live here,” one worker said. “Yemenis need to see a wider representation of Christians. Asians have fewer bridges to cross than many Westerners. Older people are also more respected.” As a Dutch worker put it, “There is much darkness in this country. My natural reaction is to be angry at the injustices. But when I am able to die to myself...there will be room for God to work. The power of God is released through our humility. I still get angry—but the victories make it worth it. Despite our pride and grumbling, God is working! The spirit of Islam is already broken. God has dealt with it on the cross. But he is looking for people that he can live his life through.” ■ Debbie Meroff is an American writer and photographer based in London, England. Over the last 20 years she has reported on the Christian scene in 100 countries. She is the author of six books, including True Grit: Women Taking on the World, For God’s Sake (Authentic Media, 2004), and is a regular contributor to PRISM.
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