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Article: Yemeni caste trapped in a dark age; Akhdam face discrimination, are restricted to shantytowns.(WORLD)(BRIEFING: MIDDLE EAST)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- December 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Washington Times LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Peter Willems and Myrna Amine, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
SAN'A, Yemen - "If we could lighten our black skin, we would be able to get jobs and support ourselves," said Saleh Ali, 20. "We can't do anything other than take the broom and clean the streets." Mr. Ali is a member of the large Yemeni underclass known as Akhdam.
The Akhdam, literally "servants" in Arabic, is the lowest rung in the Yemeni caste system and by far the poorest. Marginalized and shunned by mainstream society, its members live in small shantytowns, mostly in big cities, including the capital, San'a.
In the shantytown near Bab Al-Yemen - the famous gate to Old ...