The Entrenchment of 'Non-Sectarian' Sunnism in Yemen

Abstract

One of the salient features of religious life in Yemen in the modern period has been the fading of historically rooted Yemeni forms of Islam. Zaydi scholars, for example, have been reduced to a minority group within the body of the ulama and have little say in the running of the country's affairs. The Shafici Sufis of the Hadramaut have faired even worse. The most visible form of Islam, and the one actively promoted by the state, claims to be above the sectarian identities of the Yemenis and ultimately adheres to the Salafi school. This requires explanation since Salafism is not usually associated with Yemen's religious and intellectual history.