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Yemen still holds position seven, but the total number of points increased. Last June nine expatriate Christian health workers were kidnapped by armed men. After a few days, the bodies of three of them were found, mutilated in a horrible way. The fate of the remaining six aid workers remains unknown. During the reporting period, there was an increase in seizure of Christian materials.
The Yemeni Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but it also declares that Islam is the state religion and that sharia is the source of all legislation. The Yemeni government allows expatriates some freedom to live out their faith, but Yemeni citizens are not allowed to convert to Christianity (or other religions). Converts from an Islamic background may face the death penalty if their new faith is discovered. Proselytizing of Muslims is prohibited. Converts from Islam encounter opposition from the authorities and also extremist groups, who threaten ‘’apostates’’ with death if they do not revert to Islam.
(January 2010)