Arab, Iraqi in Yemen

Introduction / History

After a series of wars and civil wars starting in the 1980s, Iraqi Arabs fled everywhere, even to crisis-ridden countries like Yemen. In Yemen there is little clean water, not enough food or medicine, and no stability. In 2016, humanitarian aid agencies estimated that 80 per cent of Yemen's population requires some form of humanitarian assistance. This is the situation faced by Iraqis who have fled one crisis-ridden nation to go to another. Yemen cannot take care of itself let along refugees from Iraq.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Overwhelmed UN agencies do not screen Iraqis for refugee status nor process them for resettlement. Iraqi refugees in Yemen are often shuffled into other countries, and sometimes back to Yemen. Since Yemen is experiencing strife between Sunni and Shia Muslims for political power, a situation that Iraqis have faced, there is a good chance that many Iraqis are involved with that civil war. Such a situation prevents people from getting an education or participating in constructive work. Most of the Iraqi Arabs who now live in other Arab countries are from the middle class. They have a better education than most people, which gives them an advantage in the job market. With an ongoing civil war, the job market is greatly hampered.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Iraqi Arabs in Yemen are most likely to be either Sunni or Shia Muslims. Both Sunnis and Shias agree that Allah is the one true God and that Mohammad was his messenger. They both practice the Five Pillars of Islam, but there are some major differences. The Shias believe that Mohammad's successor should be someone in his bloodline, namely Ali. The Sunnis believed a pious individual who would follow the Prophet's teachings was the right choice. Because some of their leaders have faced violent, martyr's death, Shias understand that a righteous man can be killed by the unrighteous. For this reason, Christ's death on a Roman cross isn't as foreign to them as it is to Sunnis. Only about 15 percent of the world's Muslims are Shia; most of the rest are Sunni.

What Are Their Needs?

Iraqi Arabs need the chance to get their lives back in a peaceful land where they can do productive work and raise their families.

Prayer Points

Pray that God will reveal himself to Iraqi Arabs in Yemen through dreams, visions, the JESUS Film, and through his Word. Pray for the Lord to direct Iraqi Arabs in his ways and help them to put their identity in Christ. Pray for Iraqi Arabs in Yemen to know God as their provider and lean on him. Pray for a movement to Christ that cannot be stopped. Pray for Iraqi Arab communities to become open to the influence of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Text Source:   Joshua Project