Religious and ethnic minorities in Yemen have generally enjoyed reasonable levels of protection by the state. The population is predominantly Arab; but Afro-Arabs, South Asians and Europeans are also present. The majority are Muslim, including Shafi (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), though there are small numbers of Christians, Hindus and Jews.

Yemen's most noted minority is a few tiny communities of Jews, who remained after the majority of the population emigrated to Israel. These communities, comprising little more than 300 members, have generally been well integrated with the population, have enjoyed government protection and been viewed positively by the public and in the media. However, they have also been a target for extremists. In 2008, the Jews in Amran Governorate, in the north, endured a series of threats from a group of their Muslim neighbours, culminating in the murders of two community members.

The government has offered to relocate the Jews to Sana'a, ostensibly for their protection. However, in 2007 a group of Jews from Saada was targeted by an extremist imam associated with the Al Houthi rebels. They were moved to Sana'a and as a result they lost their property in Saada. The Jews of Amran fear the same will happen to them.

The Al Houthi rebels themselves are members of the Zaidi Shia minority. They wish to return to Zaidi clerical rule, and have been involved in a four-year conflict with the government. USCIRF suggests that that conflict has died down in 2008, after an agreement was reached in July. However, news sources reported bloody clashes in 2008, and USCIRF itself speculates that in 2008 the Yemeni government kidnapped Zaydi leader Mohammad Ahmad Miftah.

USCIRF also expressed concern over the arrest in 2008 of nine Christian converts and a number of Bahai's, who were arrested for proselytizing Muslims. Converting from Islam to another religion is a crime in Yemen, as is encouraging conversion, and both are potentially punishable by death.

Also of concern is the situation of the Mohamashin, or 'Akhdam', a quasi-racial and ethnic minority said to be a remnant of the caste system that existed under the Yemeni Imamate. The Akhdam are thought to make up around 2-5 per cent of the Yemeni population. A 2008 article in the New York Times describes a group facing severe social, economic and political discrimination. Access to education remains limited for the Mohamashin, but the story also highlights how, after years of economic discrimination, many among the group no longer seek education, seeing no opportunities to better themselves in Yemeni society.

A little-known linguistic minority of about 45,000 people exists on the Yemeni island of Socotra. Arabic is the official language on Socotra and is taught in schools. The indigenous population, however, speaks Socotri, an unwritten language of pre-Islamic origins. Reports suggest that many teaching staff at Socotri schools are Saudi Arabian Wahhabi teachers, who have no understanding of the local language or customs. Local families are concerned that children attending school are losing their distinct identity and language.

Similarly, children who often have to stay away from home during the school term are not involved in the local communities and are losing local environmental knowledge. One project to try to combat this loss of local knowledge and culture is funded by the Darwin Initiative, which is supported by the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The project aims to ensure that future generations of Socotrans are able to sustainably manage the island's unique flora, fauna and heritage. However, the project has to be taught in Arabic, and has to be developed in line with the Yemeni Ministry of Education's national curriculum.

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