There are also communities of ethnic Indian Hindus and Christians. The short and somewhat unnuanced answer is that Judaism came from the area today known as Israel. I would say that religion is the most powerful binding agent that humanity knows. The Brotherhood is however unpopular among the majority of Egyptians on account of its fundamentalist views, its clampdown on tourism and its desire to impose Sharia law on the nation. Only about a fifth of all Muslims originate from Arab countries. The case of Sahin 2004 was one that exemplified the tension between religious secularism, civil rights and the government's power in Turkey. Islam is the major religion in North Africa, West Africa the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent, and it is the religion of the state, enshrined in the constitution of several Middle Eastern countries. Religious Holidays of the Middle East. [72], "Rome 'crisis' talks on Middle East Christians", "Christians of the Holy Land - US & Canada - Al Jazeera", "Violent tide of Salafism threatens the Arab spring", "Egypt's Sisi meets world Evangelical churches delegation in Cairo - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online", "Egypt's Coptic Bishop Morcos: We need to build 4,000 churches in next 10 years", "New Egyptian Constitution Holds Promise for Copts", "With Arab revolts, region's Christians mull fate", "International Religious Freedom Report for 2012", http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-belt/pope-to-arab-christians-k_b_203943.html, "Middle East :: Bahrain — The World Factbook", "Middle East :: Kuwait — The World Factbook", "Middle East :: Lebanon — The World Factbook", "Middle East :: Oman — The World Factbook", "Middle East :: Qatar — The World Factbook", "Middle East :: United Arab Emirates — The World Factbook", "Syria's Alawites, a secretive and persecuted sect", "Turbulent history colors Syria's ruling Alawite Muslims' fight to keep power", "Syrians flee their homes amid fears of ethnic cleansing", "It's Time to Engage Iran, Russia on Syria", "Turkey's Alevis, a Muslim Minority, Fear a Policy of Denying Their Existence", "Excerpts from Baba Rexheb's The Mysticism of Islam & Bektashism – The Bektashi Order of Dervishes", "Alevitisme: De vijf zuilen? However, Ahmadis are considered by the majority of Musl… After visiting and researching the Middle East I have came to change my, scandalous and sensitive subject in today’s world, and there are many misunderstandings about its beliefs, values, and goals. Followers of Islam are called Muslims, the Arabic word for "one who submits." Hindu temples have been built in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Oman. Many countries have now developed their branches. [49] Alevis have some links with Twelver Shia Islam (such as importance of the Ahl al-Bayt, the day of Ashura, the Mourning of Muharram, commemorating Karbala), but do not follow taqlid towards a Marja' "source of emulation". In 2010 they numbered 1.1 million in Syria, 350,000 in Lebanon, 250-300,000 in Jordan, 150,000 in Israel and Palestine and smaller numbers in Iraq. Apart from being the largest religion in the Middle East, it is also one of the largest religions in the world. [2] The number of Middle Eastern Christians is dropping in some regions in the Middle East due to such factors as extensive emigration (usually to escape religious persecution), and the religious persecution itself. There are three major religious based out of the middle east, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Many of them are Hindu. More Armenian communities reside in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and to lesser degree in other Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Israel. [61] It was also one of the most powerful religions in the world for about 1000 years. [41][42] At the core of Alawite belief is a divine triad, comprising three aspects of the one God. Religions in the Middle East, credit: Offiziere.ch Sunni Muslims make up the majority, while Shias are the majority in Iran, Azerbaijan and Iraq, whilst also found in Yemen, Egypt, KSA, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Another current religious tension in Egypt is the role of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt. The first, and oldest, is Judaism, founded several thousand years ago in the Middle East; then there is Christianity, the most popular religion in the world, which was founded shortly after the death of Christ; finally, there is Islam, the second most popular religion in the world, founded by the prophet Muhammed in the 7th century ACE. They occasionally avoid an Arabic identity in favour of a pre-Arab Phoenician-Canaanite heritage. [76], Religion in Jordan is represented by 92% Muslim (Sunni), 6% Christian (mostly Greek Orthodox), and 2% other. Religion in Iraq is represented by 97% Islam (Shiite 60%–65%, Sunni 32%–37%), and 3% Christian or other. The 3 Main Religions: What do all 3 of these religions have in common?? In Christianity the sacred text is the Bible, For Islam it is the Qur'an, and for Judaism, The Sister Religions Why do these religions have such a rift between them, if their principles are similar? Christianity did not immediately win the hearts and minds of the people of Europe. The word 'pagan' is a Christian designation from the French meaning a 'rustic,' one who came from the rural … What is the main religion of the Middle East. About 20% of the world's Muslims live in the Middle East. -- Dalai Lama Beneath these cultural differences are theories based on the different religious belief systems in the variety of cultures. In Cyprus, Christianity is the religion of the majority. Judaism originated close to four thousand years ago in the region of Canaan. Mandaeans are an ethnoreligious community, which doesn't allow conversion. Founded in Iran in 1863,[55] the Baháʼí Faith is one of the youngest world major religions. IU Southeast Instructor: Clint Franklin. The Middle East supports three major religions; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Islam is the third and most recent of the religions that began in the Middle East. Middle Eastern culture is different from American culture and some people are not culturally aware so they do not understand Middle Eastern culture, therefore, people judge off of what they know. the two largest religions in the world: Christianity and Islam, plus Judaism) originated in the Middle East. Islam is the most widely followed religion in the Middle East. There are key aspects that are the reasons for these disputes. The smaller, religiously unaffiliated population is forecast to grow 56%, from about 2 million to more than 3 million. Twelver Shia have their largest populations in the Middle East in Iran (90–95%)[37][38] Iraq (55–65%) and Bahrain (60-70%). Today, Alawites represent 11 percent of the Syrian population and are a significant minority in Turkey and northern Lebanon. [13] The number of Armenians in Turkey is disputed having a wide range of estimations. [20] However, Ahmadis are considered by the majority of Muslims as heretical.[21]. The process of Christianization was a slow one and, even toward the end of the Middle Ages, many people still practiced 'folk magic' and held to the beliefs of their ancestors even while observing Christian rites and rituals. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are the 3 major religions that originated in the Middle East. Melkite Christians who are Catholic Christians of the Greek Rite compose almost 600,000. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the final prophet of God in a long chain of prophets, from Adam on down to John the Baptist, Jesus, and finally Muhammad. In the Middle East, support for suicide bombing is highest in the Palestinian territories, where 46% of Muslims say that it is often or sometimes justified in order to defend Islam. However, they are generally considered to be Ghulat by most other sects of Shia Islam. Three major religious groups (i.e. Select … The primary religions of the region are Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Many conflicts between the two communities have occurred. [75] This is a mix of republicanism and religion where that would use religion to rule for elective and democratic institutions; it was to be a blend of liberalism and religious injunctions (abs). [77] Some would like the confessionalist government to be abolished. [3] Recent spread of Jihadist and Salafist ideology, foreign to the tolerant values of the local communities in Greater Syria and Egypt has also played a role in unsettling Christians' decades-long peaceful existence.[4]. who is responsible for making regular reviews of existing cardholders and their monthly; Cost of development can include which of the following? Due to the significant Israeli/Palestinian conflict, tensions are high in the religious community. The belief in only one god. One of the three major religions is, How Witchcraft Operates to Maintain a Sense of Order, The Question of Origin According to Hinduism, How Ecology Is Being Affected by Climate Change, I Want to Attend the St. Johns Biotechnology Program. Currently, the largest community of Syriac Christians in the Middle East resides in Syria, numbering 877,000–1,139,000. One of them is … The Armenians in the Middle East number around 350,000-400,000[12] and are mostly concentrated in Iran, Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, although well-established communities exist in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries of the area. Tweet. There are between 10-25 million Alevi and they are found primarily in Turkey among ethnic Turks and Kurds,[51] and make up between 10-25% of Turkey's population, the largest branches of Islam there after the majority Sunni. All three of the religions have similar qualities, and, Many have heard the term “the three major religions”, but how many know what is meant by this? First, the first religion found in this region, Judaism. [22] The Battle of Siffin was a significant schism between the two sects. The previous laws disallowing the Hijab, religious headscarf, in schools and public places has been a huge source of contention. The 3 main religions in the Middle East ( Christianity ) STUDY. There are currently several million Christian foreign workers in the Gulf area, mostly from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. [61] Now, however, it is considered one of the smallest religions with only 190,000 followers worldwide. Another name, Ansari (Arabic: انصارية‎ Anṣāriyyah), is believed to be a mistransliteration of Nusayri. 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