Religion in the Middle East

Three major religious groups, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, originated in the Middle East. Smaller minority religions, such as the Bahá'í Faith, Druze, Yazidism, Mandaeism, Gnosticism, Yarsanism, Samaritanism, Shabakism, Ishikism, Ali-Illahism, and Zoroastrianism, are also present in the Middle East. Islam is the prevalent religion in most of the region.

The Bahá'í Faith has noteworthy representation in Iran, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Israel and Turkey. Its international headquarters are located on the northern slope of Mount Carmel at Haifa, Israel. Founded in Iran in 1863, the Bahá'í Faith is one of the youngest world major religions. According to most encyclopedias, in the early 21st century there are an estimated 6 to 8 million Bahá'ís across the globe.

Christianity originated in the region in the 1st century AD, and was one of the major religions of the region until the Muslim conquests of the mid-to-late 7th century AD. Christianity in the Middle East is characterized with its diverse beliefs and traditions compared to other parts of the old world.

Christians now make up 5% of the population, down from 20% in the early 20th century. The number of Middle Eastern Christians is dropping due to such factors as low birth rates compared with Muslims, extensive emigration and ethnic and religious persecution. In addition, political turmoil has been and continues to be a major contributor pressing indigenous Near Eastern Christians of various ethnicities towards seeking security and stability outside their homelands. Christian Palestinians face the same oppression as their Muslim compatriots. 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. It is estimated that at the present rate, the Middle East's 12 million Christians will likely drop to 6 million by the year 2020.

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