[9] However, Pew-Templeton estimates the number of Christians to be as high as 40,000, though most do not publicly identify as such, due to fears of religious persecution.
[10] Islam in Yemen dates back to about 630AD, when it was introduced by Ali who finalized the conquest of it when Muhammad was still alive.
[18] According to the Jewish tradition and according to archaeological findings, Jews lived in Yemen at least since the seventh century BCE.
[19] The Jews in Yemen hold a strong position that around 370 C.E., the ruling political authority, Himyarite Kingdom, adopted Judaism.
[19] Since 629, Yemen was under the authority of Islam and the Jews became subject to the Muslim rules of Dhimmi (أهل الذمة), and were obliged to pay the protection tax paid by non-Muslims (jizya) الجزية.
[19] At the end of the fifteenth century, the country was not much stable due because of the Portuguese navy activities on the south coast of Yemen.
European sources show that the Yemeni Jews helped the Portuguese army with the hope of changing their hard circumstances under the Tahiri dynasty.
[19] This process of transferring the Yemeni Jewish people to the state of Israel in what is called Operation Magic Carpet started in 1949 and lasted until 1951.
This journey from Yemen to the state of Israel was difficult; hundreds of migrants lost their lives while travelling, and many arrived in very poor health.
By 2007, the entire Jewish population was around 500 people, they lived in the capital city Sanaa in a compound protected by the Yemeni government.
[23] Since January 2007, the historic Saada Governorate community of 45 Jews have lived in Sana'a, under the protection and care of the government, after abandoning their homes in the face of threats from al-Houthi rebels.
[24] In 2012 Aharon Zindani, a Jewish leader, was stabbed to death; his wife and children emigrated and took his body with them to bury it in Israel.
[27] It seems that the Jewish life that has managed to survive for so long is coming to an end especially with the ongoing political situation in the country.
Invited by the Government, the Sisters of Charity run homes for the poor and persons with disabilities in Sana'a, Taiz, Hodeida, and Aden.
[37] In spite of the lack of freedom of religion in Yemen, a 2015 global census estimates some 400 Christians from a Muslim background, though not all of them are necessarily Yemeni citizens.
Public schools are required to teach Sunni and Shia students the same curriculum, but this is not enforceable in Houthi-controlled areas, Zaydi principles are taught.
[26] Because the government is concerned that unlicensed religious schools deviate from formal educational requirements and promote militant ideology, it has closed more than 4,500 institutions of this type, and deported foreign students studying there.