Displaying items by tag: Gulf states

‘I am sure that in the Arabian peninsula there are easily ten million Christians’, says Bill Schwartz, OBE, Anglican Archdeacon in the Gulf and Chaplain of Qatar. Most notable is how the region’s religious mix has shifted in a totally unprecedented way, as foreign workers have flooded in to benefit from the explosion of jobs. Today, at least 50% of migrants and expatriates ‘have some kind of Christian tradition’. In Qatar, where foreign workers outnumber locals by ten to one, there are now more Catholics than Muslims. New church buildings are being built, including one in Abu Dhabi to accommodate 5,000 people at a time. There is opportunity for Christian witness in societies that have been culturally isolated for thousands of years. Schwartz says, ‘I have more opportunities to talk about faith in the Gulf than I ever do in the US, because religion is so important here.’

Bahrain has a tradition of religious coexistence, and is an example of respect for others in a deeply troubled region. People are not required to pass through metal detectors before entering churches, and ‘Jew’ isn't a dirty word. Bahrain was the first Arab nation to assign a Jew as its UN ambassador (2008 - 2013). At a time when Coptic Christians face growing threats in their native Egypt, in Bahrain hundreds of Coptic expatriates travel every weekend from Saudi Arabia to worship freely. While ancient Catholic churches lie in rubble in Iraq and Syria, Bahrain is constructing the largest Catholic church in the Arab world. Christian pastors can find hope in a Muslim country. Although only 2.5% of the population are evangelical Christians, we can pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to help them reach the seven Bahraini people groups who have not yet heard of Jesus.

Qatar has vowed it will not surrender its foreign policy in an escalating row with other Arab states over its alleged connections to extremism, which it denies. Its foreign minister has said he favours diplomacy to resolve the crisis, and that there is no military solution. Meanwhile, Qatar's Al Jazeera network said it was suffering a cyber-attack; it has been in the crosshairs in the current dispute, and other Gulf countries blocked it in May. There were also reports of hacking attempts on Qatar’s state-run TV station. Saudi Arabia and other states cut travel and diplomatic links with the country on 5 June. The emir of Kuwait is trying to mediate the row, carrying out shuttle diplomacy between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.