Yemeni Arab in United Kingdom


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula are the original Arabs. Tribes of nomads from the Arabian Desert developed Arab culture. From there, they expanded into what we now know as the Arab World, where Arabic is the key language.


Yemenis started migrating north during the pre-Islamic era. Many Arab families with common names (e.g., Haddad, Haddadeen, which means Smith or metalworker) that have long family trees in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan trace their ancestry to that early migration from Yemen. For example, the family name, Haddadeen, originated in Sana'a.


There are many Arabic dialects spoken in Yemen. Today, there is a sharp division between Yemeni from the northern tribes and the southern ones. Those from the north descended from Mesopotamians, who entered their land 1,000 years before Christ. They claim Ismail from the Book of Genesis, and their patriarch. Those from the south believe they descended from Qahtan, also known as Joktan, in the Bible.


The north and the south were separate nations in the 70s and 80s; one backed by communists and the other by the West. They merged for a couple of years, but now they are fighting once again. Iran backs one side using Shia Islam as their banner, while the other supports a Sunni Muslim head of state. Yemenis would love to have the fighting stop, but the situation is out of their control.


The war is driving people out of Yemen, and there is a large Yemeni diaspora, especially in nearby countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, and Kenya.


There is also a diaspora in Western nations like the UK and the US. Yemeni Arabs have been in the UK since the 1860s. They served in the British navy in World Wars I and II. They also worked in shipyards during these conflicts. Most were from rural parts of Yemen, and they had to learn both a new language and British ways. A large number of Yemenis arrived in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Yemeni Community Centre in the UK offers a festival, fashion show and folk dancing. Their community also teaches Arabic and helps support newly arriving Yemenis in need of education, medicine, and help. These Yemeni expatriates also send money back home to Yemen.


There are Yemenis who have been in the UK for generations. These Yemenis can be lawyers, shopkeepers, dock workers, or anything else. It was difficult when they first arrived, but now they are doing well. Some have inter-married with the British.


Others have arrived more recently. The new arrivals need help in overcoming the traumas of war and getting re-established in their new homeland. Most of them live in various urban centers in the UK. They prefer to live near other Yemenis. The fierce controversies in Yemen spill over to the Yemeni diaspora in the UK. There are those who sympathize with either side of the Yemeni civil war.


Though they vary in terms of tribal loyalty, one thing Yemeni Arabs all agree on is devotion to the Islamic religious system and therefore almost none of them have put their trust in Jesus Christ, no matter where they live.
What Are Their Beliefs?

The Yemeni Arabs have had a close association with Islam since it began in the 600s. Today, nearly all the Yemeni Arabs are Muslim, no matter where they live. Two-thirds of Yemenis adhere to some form of Sunni Islam, and about one-third are Shia Muslims. Though they vary in terms of tribal loyalty, one thing Yemeni Arabs all agree on is devotion to the Islamic religious system. Almost none of them have put their trust in Jesus Christ, no matter where they live.


What Are Their Needs?

Yemeni Arabs in diaspora need peace in their homeland. All of them have family members whose lives are in jeopardy because of the fighting. There will be no end to the fighting until there is humble repentance, and the acknowledgement that they must submit to the sin-free Savior. They need the intervention of Jesus Christ.


Prayer Points

Pray for a lasting and just peace in Yemen that will allow the Yemeni diaspora to return home.


Pray for an end to foreign military intervention and blockades in Yemen.


Pray for the Lord to use the instability in Yemen to help Muslim Yemenis to understand they need a Savior.


Pray for the small number of Yemeni believers to boldly proclaim the gospel to their families, friends and neighbors.


Pray for small, extended-family based home fellowships to multiply in the UK.


Pray for more workers to enter the harvest via foreign assistance organizations.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Yemeni in United Kingdom.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Yemeni
People Name in Country Arab, Yemeni
Natural Name Yemeni Arab
Pronunciation YEH-meh-nee AE-rub
Alternate Names Djibouti Arab; Taizz Adeni; Tihama Yemeni Arab; Yemeni Arab
Population this Country 34,000
Population all Countries 8,798,000
Total Countries 16
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 15198
ROP3 Code 109729
ROP25 Code 300426
ROP25 Name Arab, Yemeni
Country United Kingdom
Region Europe, Western
Continent Europe
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Country United Kingdom
Region Europe, Western
Continent Europe
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.10 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.90 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni (34,000 speakers)
Language Code acq   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni (34,000 speakers)
Language Code acq   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni

Primary Language:  Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2011)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Arabic Bible Online Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Arabic, Taizzi-Adeni Spoken Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Text / Printed Matter Tools for faith conversations Campus Crusade for Christ
Photo Source Rod Waddington - Flickr  Creative Commons 
Map Source Bethany World Prayer Center  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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