Shia Islam in Yemen

Shia Islam in Yemen is practiced by a substantial minority of the population, with the vast majority of Shia Muslims in Yemen being Zaydi, while a minority are Twelver and Isma'ili. Sunni Muslims make up 65% percent of Yemen, while 35% of the country are Shia Muslims. These Shia Muslims are predominantly concentrated in the northwestern regions of the country, including the capital and major cities that are some of the most densely populated areas of Yemen.

Historically, the Zaydi Muslims ruled Yemen for a thousand years until 1962. During this time, they fiercely defended their independence, resisting foreign powers such as the Umayyads, Egypt, and the Ottomans, who aimed to control Lower Yemen and expand their rule northward. The Zaydi branch of Islam, known as the Fivers, is a sect almost exclusively prevalent in Yemen, making it a distinctive feature of the religion in Yemen.

Population
Religion in Yemen primarily consists of two major Islamic branches. According to the CIA's World Factbook, approximately 65% of the population practices Sunni Islam, while around 35% adhere to Shia Islam. The vast majority of the Shia population are Zaydi, with minorities of Twelver and Isma'ili Shias. Collectively, Yemeni Shias account for over two-quarters of the country's 25 million people.

Zaydi Muslims are predominantly located in the north and northwest regions of Yemen, while Shafi'is, a Sunni sect, are prevalent in the south and southeast. In addition to the Islamic population, Yemen is home to a small number of Christians, estimated to be around 3,000, as well as approximately 400 Jews.

History
According to historical narrations, Islamic identities in Yemen have been categorized into two main Islamic orientations: Shia Zaydism and Sunni Shafi‘i. Also, small groups of Shia Ismailis and some Jewish communities are seen in the country. The population density of Zaydis historically is placed in the north of Yemen, in Sa’dah, Amran, al-Jawf, Hajjah and Dhamar provinces, as well as Shafiism, is the dominant school of jurisprudence in lower Yemen the eastern part of the country and the Tihamah. However, it can not be said that Zaydies and shafei populations live in Separated regions. For instance, the Sa’dah region, is known as the residents of Zaydism but in some areas, notably al-Hishwah, al-Zahir, Shida and Ghamr, Sunnis make up a considerable part of the population.

The Zaydis belong to a sect of Shia Islam that their generation reaches to eponym Zayd ibn Ali, the great-grandson of Ali Shia first Imam and Zayd ibn Ali rebelled against Umayyad government in 740 CE after death of Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala. As the life of first Zaydi Imam in Yemen, Yahya b. al-Husayn (d.911), he made efforts to establish his rule over the tribes in the north of Yemen.

Houthi movement
According to Charles Schmitz, a professor at Towson University, the Houthis' origins harken back to Al-Shabab al-Muminin (the Believing Youth), a group active in the early 1990s. The Believing Youth concentrated on raising awareness about the Zaydi branch of Shia Islam, which had ruled Yemen for centuries. However after the North Yemen Civil War in the 1960s, they were suppressed by the Yemeni government. Out of them became Yemen's Shia minority, containing 25% of the country's Muslims.

Similar to Sunni Muslims in matters of religious law and rulings, the Houthi believe in the concept of an Imamate as being essential to their religion, making them distinct from Sunni Muslims.

The Houthi movement, which belongs to Yemen's Zaydi Muslim community and that fought a series of rebellions against Ali Abdullah Saleh during the last decade, took control of its northern heartland around Saada province and its nearby areas.