Yemeni Christians, civilians suffering from war

Christians and other religious minorities are suffering in Yemen as much as those in other places in the Middle East. The predominantly Muslim country of 26 million people ranks 11th in the Open Doors 2016 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution because of their faith.

"There is no God, but God. Mohammed is the messenger of God; The Islamic State, God's curse on Christians," is the translation of the message scrawled on a Christian Yemeni's living room wall, reports the Human Rights Watch.

According to the group's Yemen & Kuwait Researcher Belkis Wille, the Christian man alias John was running a library in Taizz, and among his collection were Christian books. He was not worried about the various threats he received in recent years over his faith, but customs officials who confiscated his February 2015 shipment of Christian books have reportedly suggested burning them because "they were offensive to the community and religion." His lawyer was also told to be careful of people who might put into their heads to burn John's library if the shipments were to be allowed to get into the city. In April, he fled because of the escalating violence; and in September, masked men were seen entering his apartment and library, taking his Christian books into their vehicles, then burning them in a public marketplace.

The report also says that witnesses allege that the bombing of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Aden in December was done by Islamists, as well as the burning of the Church of St. Joseph in September. In March this year, unidentified men stormed into a church-run retirement home, killing 16 people including four nuns, and kidnapping a priest.

On Wednesday, a suicide bomber caused the death of six security personnel and two civilians and the injuries of 17 people, including the target, General Abdul-Rahman al-Halili, commander of Yemen's First Military Region. Reuters reports that no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the article by Human Rights Watch, Christians in Yemen, composed of native Yemenis and those who came to the country to find refuge, have felt and are feeling rather acutely the pressure and impact of war. There is an estimated 41,000 of them, although some might have already fled. Nonetheless, the Christians who are in the country along with other civilians -- some 80 percent of the population -- are in "a dire humanitarian crisis." According to Open Doors USA, the hunger crisis there is among the worst in the world.