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Index / Religions
  Yemen /
Religions
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The figures here are rough estimates, as very little background matieral exists.
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Yemen is a country with deep Muslim traditions, but is often most mentioned for its relatively large Zaydi Shi'i group, even if this represents a minority in the country as a total.
The population are Yemeni Arabs, and Yemen is one of the most homogeneous countries in the Middle East.
Yemen's north is the centre of Zaydism, the second largest group inside Shi'i Islam. Zaydism is known for putting less importance on the position of the Imam, than among the Twelver (Iran), perhaps because the Zaydis have enjoyed far more political and religious freedom than the other. The Zaydis have professed military and violent activities in this century (examples of this is the stubborn fight against the British colonialists in Aden and the occupation of the great mosque in Mecca in 1979).
The Sunnis in the south belongs to a mainstream Sunni Muslim group (but belong to the small Shafi'i school of law). It is not reported about serious problems between the Shi'is and the Sunnis of Yemen.
The Christians and Hindus are living along the southern coast, and are "leftovers" from the time when Yemen was an important stopover on the trade between Europe and the East.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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