The Republic of Armenia is a democratic sovereign state in western Asia with a population of approximately 3 million people. The Armenian Apostolic Church is the country’s primary religious establishment with 94% of the population as adherents. In 301CE, Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its national […]

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a contiguous transcontinental presidential republic in the Caucasus region, situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Historically divided across Russia and Persia, the current territory of Azerbaijan had a brief period of independence in 1918 before being incorporated into the Soviet Union […]

Bahrain has a population of 1.3 million, of which only half are citizens. Citizens belong mostly to Islam (99%), the remaining 1% are Christians, Hindus, Baha’is and Jews. There are no statistics regarding Shia and Sunni representation, however, it can be assumed that Shiites represent a majority. The other half […]

The Republic of Cyprus is a sovereign island State in southeastern Europe. Situated in the Mediterranean Sea, it is located close to Turkey (north), Syria and Lebanon (east), Israel (south east), Egypt (south) and Greece (west). The country gained independence from British Rule in August 1960, after the London-Zurich agreements […]

A former Soviet republic which declared its independence in 1991, Georgia is today a representative democratic semi-presidential republic, lying at the intersection of Europe and Asia. The northern regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have declared independence from Georgia, though there is little international recognition for their independence, and Georgia […]

Iraq holds immense historical and geopolitical significance. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Kuwait, it has been a focal point of events not only in the region but also on the global stage. Iraq is a member of the League of Arab States (LAS), as well as […]

Israel has a population of around 8.7 million people. Those identifying as Jews represent an estimated 75% of the population, while 17.8% identify as Muslims. Smaller religious minorities are Druze (1.6%), Christians (2%), Baha’is, Samaritans, Karaites and Jehovah’s Witnesses.1https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/israel-population Established as a homeland for the Jewish people in 1948, Israel’s […]

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a sovereign state with a constitutional monarchy in western Asia with a total population of approximately 11,148 million.1World Bank data 2021, https://data.worldbank.org/country/JO (Last checked 25,04,2023). More than 90% of citizens are Sunni Muslims and there are small communities of Christians – predominantly Greek Orthodox […]

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliamentary system. When taken in comparison with other countries in its region, Kuwait generally ranks well in terms of civil liberties, press freedom and judicial independence. Nevertheless, the past few years have seen a notable crack-down on freedom of expression in the […]

The Lebanese Republic has a population of 6.8 million people,1https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=LB. Lebanon is host to a large refugee population including 1.5 million Syrians, and 200,000 Palestinians.2https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/unhcr-lebanon-factsheet-january-2020#:~:text=More%20than%20eight%20years%20into,are%20present%20in%20the%20country. The country’s history has been marked by sectarian tensions between its numerous and diverse ethnic and religious groups which came to a head in the Lebanese […]

The Sultanate of Oman is an absolute monarchy with a population of 4.5 million people as of 2021,1https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=OM of which only 56-60% are citizens.2https://www.indexmundi.com/oman/demographics_profile.html; https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1123717/oman/omanis-constitute-5960-of-total-population 45% of citizens are Sunni Muslims and another 45% are Ibadi Muslims,3https://www.indexmundi.com/oman/religions.html; https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/oman/#people-and-society a branch distinct from both Shia and Sunni Islam. Approximately 5% of […]

Palestine has a tumultuous history and disputed territorial boundaries. The region holds a population of approximately 4 million, of which the vast majority are Sunni Muslim. There are small communities of Christians and Jews. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict religion and ethnicity are often closely linked. Constitution and government Freedom of […]

Qatar is an oil-rich nation on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It has been ruled by an absolute monarch (the Emir) since its independence in 1971.1”A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Qatar”, Office of the Historian, US […]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state governed by an absolute monarchy in tandem with a powerful religious elite. Laws, society, and politics are based on tribal traditions, religion, and the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia.1The Federal Government’s Second Report on the Global Status of Freedom of Religion (auswaertiges-amt.de) […]

The Syrian Arab Republic is a multi-ethnic nation (predominantly Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Chechens, and Turkomans), which was around 75% Sunni, 10% Shia, and the remainder mainly a mix of other Muslim, Christian and other religious groups.1https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/syria-population Many of these groups have been disrupted and displaced in conflict in recent years. […]

With its historical metropolis, Istanbul, being the only city in the world said to be straddling Asia and Europe, Turkey has long been pulled ideologically in divergent directions. Turkey counts a population of 82 million people, 99% of whom are nominally Muslim (predominantly Sunni, with a substantial minority of Alevi). […]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states formed in 1971. It is governed by a Supreme Council of Rulers made up of the seven emirs, who appoint the prime minister and the cabinet. Islam is the country’s official religion. The UAE is a member of the […]

Islam is the official state religion of Yemen and the Constitution states that Islamic law is the source of all legislation.1”Yemen: Constitution, Refworld, 10 February 2021, https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/3fc4c1e94.pdf Freedoms of religion, speech and the press are all severely restricted. Yemen has been devastated since March 2015 in a war between Houthi […]