Yemen’s Bahá’ís keep faith amid conflict, crackdown
For 11 days in August, Ruhiyeh Thabet al-Sakkaf and Nafheh Sanai al-Sakkaf shared a jacket and a damp cell at Yemen’s National Security Bureau after armed officers stormed a multifaith youth event the sisters-in-law were leading and arrested 65 men, women, and children.
“They raided us how they would raid a terrorist cell, with masked gunmen shouting, ‘Quiet! Sit down! Nobody move!’” Ruhiyeh said.
Ruhiyeh and Nafheh are members of the Bahá’í faith, which emphasizes spiritual unity and service. Previous Yemeni regimes have been suspicious of the few thousand Bahá’ís who live in the overwhelmingly Muslim country.
