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Buddhism in the Middle East

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Buddhism has been present in the Middle East and influenced some Middle Eastern religions such as Manichaeism.[1] Buddhism, per some estimates by early medieval Muslim scholars such as Al-Biruni, was present from Eastern ancient Persia up to the frontier of Syria before the advent of Islam.[2]

Al-Biruni has the following detailed account to offer: “Another circumstance which increased the already existing antagonism between Hindus and foreigners is that the so-called Shamaniyya [commonly understood as Buddhists], though they cordially hate the Brahmans, still are nearer akin to them than to others. In former times, Khorasan [understood as Eastern Persia], Fars [Ancient province of Fars in Persia], Iraq, Mosul, the country up to the frontier of Syria, was Buddhist”. [3]

There still remains a tiny community of Middle Eastern followers of Buddhism, though unrecognized by the state governments in the region, including in Lebanon and Iran.[4]

Site of the larger statue after it was destroyed by the Taliban.
Site of the smaller statue in 2005. It was destroyed by the Taliban.

It is estimated that in the Middle East, over 900,000 people profess Buddhism as their religion. Buddhist adherents make up just over 0.3% of the Middle East total population. Many of these Buddhists are workers who have migrated from other parts of Asia to the Middle East since the late 1990s, many of them come from countries that have large Buddhist populations, such as South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Japan, and Nepal.

Demographics

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Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from Thailand and Sri Lanka. Mahayana Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from East Asia and Vietnam, although Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto are also represented among these people. In Dubai (the United Arab Emirates)[5] and Qatar,[6] the workers from Sri Lanka were allowed to celebrate Vesak (the most important holiday in Buddhism) in those Islamic countries.

Saudi Arabia

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Main article: Buddhism in Saudi Arabia

It is estimated that there are 13.49 million foreign residents living and working in Saudi Arabia.[7]

In addition to 400,000 Sri Lankans, there are a few thousand Buddhist workers from East Asia, the majority of whom are Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai. A number of Tibetan-Nepalese immigrants may also be among the foreign population of Saudi Arabia. According to a 2020 report by the Association of Religion Data Archives, Buddhists make up about 0.33% of the Saudi population with comprehensive data on foreigners being unavailable.[8]

Qatar

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This section is an excerpt from Religion in Qatar § Buddhism.[edit]
In 2020, Buddhism was represented by between 1.8-3.8% of the population of Qatar,[9][10] mainly comprising migrant workers from South-East Asia and East Asia especially from China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Israel

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As of 2020, Israel had approximately 20,000 Buddhists, constituting about 0.30% of the population.[11][12] Israel also has several Buddhist centers across its country, mainly in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and other regions, including the capital, Jerusalem.

Kuwait

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There are approximately 100,000 Buddhists[13] living in Kuwait constituting around 5% of the total population. Currently, there are no known Buddhist organizations or temples found in Kuwait.[14]

UAE

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The Buddhist population in the United Arab Emirates consists primarily of expatriates from South Asia and Southeast asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. According to World Population Review, their population is around 2.1 lakhs constituting 2.4% of the total population in UAE.[15] The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery branch in Dubai, established in 2009, is the UAE’s only Buddhist temple which serves the Buddhist population.[16]

Population by country

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Buddhist percentages in the Middle East

    Saudi Arabia (45.9%)
    United Arab Emirates (24.6%)
    Kuwait (11.1%)
    Turkey (7.9%)
    Qatar (5%)
    Oman (3.6%)
    Bahrain (0.8%)
    Israel (0.7%)
    Lebanon (0.4%)
Buddhism by country in the Middle East
Country Population (2022) % of Buddhists Buddhist total
  United Arab Emirates 9,441,129 2.40%[17] 210,000
  Qatar 2,695,122 3.80%[18] 90,000
  Kuwait 4,268,873 5.40%[19] 180,000
  Saudi Arabia 36,408,820 .40%[20] 130,000
  Bahrain 1,472,233 3.10%[21] 50,000
  Oman 3,204,897 .70%[22] 20,000
  Israel 9,038,309 .30%[23] 20,000
  Lebanon 5,489,739 .20%[24] 10,000
  Turkey 85,341,241 .09%[25] 40,000
Total 157,360,363 1.82% 750,000

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tokyürek, Hacer (2019-10-17). "Eski Uygurca Metinlere Göre Budizmin Manihaizme Etkisi". Journal of Turkish Studies (in Turkish). 7 (4–II): 2889–2906. doi:10.7827/TurkishStudies.4105.2889-2906&rft.date=2019-10-17&rft_id=info:doi/10.7827/TurkishStudies.4105&rft.aulast=Tokyürek&rft.aufirst=Hacer&rft_id=https://turkishstudies.net/?mod=makale_tr_ozet&makale_id=16000&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Buddhism in the Middle East" class="Z3988">
  2. ^ Akasoy, Anna (2019-03-06). "Islam and Buddhism: The Arabian Prequel?". Entangled Religions. 8: 1–32. doi:10.13154/er.v8.2019.1-32. ISSN 2363-6696.1-32&rft.date=2019-03-06&rft_id=info:doi/10.13154/er.v8.2019.1-32&rft.issn=2363-6696&rft.aulast=Akasoy&rft.aufirst=Anna&rft_id=https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/7395&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Buddhism in the Middle East" class="Z3988">
  3. ^ Akasoy, Anna (2019-03-06). "Islam and Buddhism: The Arabian Prequel?". Entangled Religions. 8: 1–32. doi:10.13154/er.v8.2019.1-32. ISSN 2363-6696.1-32&rft.date=2019-03-06&rft_id=info:doi/10.13154/er.v8.2019.1-32&rft.issn=2363-6696&rft.aulast=Akasoy&rft.aufirst=Anna&rft_id=https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/7395&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Buddhism in the Middle East" class="Z3988">
  4. ^ "2013 Report on International Religious Freedom - Lebanon". Refworld. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  5. ^ "Lankans in Dubai to celebrate 'Vesak'", Emirates 24/7, 2011-05-05, archived from the original on 2021-06-11, retrieved 2013-07-22
  6. ^ "Sri Lankans celebrate Vesak in Qatar", The Peninsula, 2009-05-09, archived from the original on 2021-02-27, retrieved 2013-07-22
  7. ^ "Saudi Arabia (KSA) Population Statistics [2022 Updated] | GMI". Official GMI Blog. 2022-04-20. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  8. ^ "National / Regional Profiles, Included Nations/Regions: Saudi Arabia [x], Western Asia [x], The World [x]". Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  9. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  10. ^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-28
  11. ^ "National Profiles | World Religion". The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA). Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  12. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2024". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  13. ^ "Kuwait". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  14. ^ "Kuwait". 2023-11-02. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2024". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  16. ^ "The UAE's Only Buddhist Temple Serves a Growing Population of Buddhists". Buddhistdoor Global. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  17. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report: United Arab Emirates". Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  18. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  19. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  20. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  21. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  22. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  23. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  24. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  25. ^ "Buddhist Countries 2022". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
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