Yemen
50% of the country is under the age of 15, leaving Yemen under great pressure to create and find jobs for the coming generation. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and depends greatly on its oil resources for national income. Foreign corporations are reluctant to invest heavily in Yemen due to the unstable political situation and the targeting of foreign workers in kidnappings for large ransoms.
Find out more...United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The UAE is ruled by seven Emirs, the Supreme Council of Rulers, who are responsible for appointing a Prime Minister and cabinet. Political parties are not allowed. It was the only state in the world not to have elected bodies until December 2006. Legislation is based on Sharia law, and even foreigners may be subject to flogging if convicted on drugs charges, adultery or prostitution.
Find out more...Türkiye
Türkiye is a multicultural and multi-ethnic country currently facing much civil and political unrest amongst its ethnic minorities – such as the Kurds of south-eastern Türkiye, who have been campaigning for several years for greater autonomy and political representation. The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECR) has expressed concerns over the years of Turkish discrimination and persecution against the Kurdish minority.
Find out more...Tunisia
There are 10.62 million people living in Tunisia today, of whom 14% are unemployed and 3.8% live below the poverty line. There are problems with widespread child labour and exploitation around Tunisia.
Find out more...Tajikistan
RELIGION The population of isolated Tajikistan is more than 90 percent Muslim. Most Muslims are Sunni, but the country is also home to Shia Muslims and other groups including Bahai’s, Jews, and around 150,000 Christians. The largest Christian denomination is Russian Orthodox, with Catholics and Protestant groups also present. Religious freedom in Tajikistan has declined sharply since a restrictive religion […]
Find out more...Syria
Since 2011 more than half the pre-war population of Syria (22 million) have left their homes; 7.6 million are internally displaced within the country and 4.6 million are refugees. Most of the refugees are in the surrounding countries: Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Find out more...Sudan
Sudan has an estimated 34 million people living within its borders, of which 70% are Sunni Muslim, 5% Christian and 25% practising indigenous beliefs.
Find out more...South Sudan
RELIGION The population of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, is majority Christian, with many different denominations represented. There is also a significant Muslim minority, but there are no reliable statistics for this group. Many people in rural areas practise traditional African beliefs. The 2011 transitional constitution allows for freedom of religion and forbids religious discrimination. Members of different religions […]
Find out more...Saudi Arabia
Formerly one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on minimal agriculture and revenue from pilgrimages, Saudi Arabia is now the world’s largest producer of petroleum. With 20% of the world’s oil reserves, the fossil fuel accounts for approximately 90% of export earnings.
Find out more...Qatar
Qatar has been ruled by a monarchy since the 19th century, despite only declaring independence in 1913 from Britain. The country continues to be ruled by Emirs, with the right to rule being passed down the Al-Thani family.
Find out more...The Holy Land
‘The Holy Land’ has remained turbulent for over 60 years. Palestinians resent the loss of homes and land and aspire to have their own independent national status. Israelis, meanwhile, have felt threatened by those Arab states like Syria, which remain hostile to its existence, and fearful of violence by Palestinian militants.
Find out more...Oman
Oman is generally considered to be one of the most developed and modernized countries in the region. Recently, it has faced an increase in unemployment, now at 15%, as well as scrutiny from human rights organisations such as Amnesty International for its treatment of civilian protestor
Find out more...Morocco
Of a population of roughly 31 million, it is estimated that approximately 15% of the population continue to live in poverty.3 With a 0.1% estimate of affected peoples, Morocco has one of Africa’s lowest rates of HIV Aids. However, unemployment and illiteracy remain long-term challenges, with literacy at only 54% on average.
Find out more...Mauritania
RELIGION Almost all of Mauritania’s 4.1 million-strong population are Sunni Muslims, and Islam is officially the country’s sole religion. There are only tiny numbers of Christians and Jews, most of them foreigners. Only Muslims may be citizens, and converts from Islam lose their citizenship. Apostasy is legally punishable by death, but this sentence has never been carried out. Nobody may […]
Find out more...Libya
Of a population of six million, only 1% is Christian, with 98% practising Islam. After independence following World War II, Jews in Libya faced great persecution, resulting in the exodus of 31,000 Jews to Israel in the 1950s.
Find out more...Lebanon
Lebanon has always embraced its many religious communities. In the National Pact of 1943, which determined the multi-confessional nature of the Lebanese government, it was agreed that any President of Lebanon must be Maronite Christian, the Speaker of the Parliament a Shiite Muslim, with a Sunni Muslim Prime Minister and a Greek Orthodox Deputy Prime Minister.
Find out more...Kuwait
Kuwait is ruled by an Emir, currently Emir al-Sabah, as well as a Prime Minister who is elected by popular vote, a national assembly and a municipal council. The position of Emir, or Sheikh, is hereditary. It was the first of the Gulf States to adopt an elected parliament. Shari’a Law is the main source of legislation, to which all residents must adhere.
Find out more...Jordan
Jordan has a population of 6.5 million, as well as an average of 1 million Palestinian refugees and 500,000 Iraqi refugees. Most recently, the outbreak of civil war in Syria has brought over 500,000 Syrian refugees to Jordanian soil.
Find out more...Iraq
Iraq currently has a population of 29 million people, of which 75% are ethnically Arab, 20% Kurdish, and the remainder a mixture of Iraqi Turkmen or foreigners. Due to the isolated pockets of population, resulting from the geographical characteristics of Iraq, there is much regionalism and ethnic division.
Find out more...Iran
One of the most mountainous countries in the world, known internationally as Persia until 1935, modern day Iran has an average population of 66 million. One of the first areas to be occupied by Islamic armies in the 6th and 7th centuries, Iran maintains much of its religious history in its present-day culture, in the form of architecture, art and literature, which continue to draw inspiration from aspects of traditional Shiite Islam.
Find out more...Egypt
Sunni Muslims account for 90% of Egypt’s total population, with Christians making up 9% and the remainder consisting of religious minorities such as Baha’is, Shiite and Sufi Muslims.
Find out more...Bahrain
For a Gulf State, Bahrain is considered to have a great diversity of religions, owing partly to the large migrant population. 80% of the country is Muslim, 10% Christian and the remainder is a mixture of Hindus, Sikhs and other various South-East Asian religions.
Find out more...Azerbaijan
RELIGION The state reports that 96 percent of Azerbaijan’s population are Muslim and that two thirds of this community are Shia. Christians, Jews, and Baha’is together make up the remaining four percent. Although the constitution protects freedom of religious expression, some government practices restrict freedom of worship. Members of groups the government considers “non-traditional”, including some Protestant denominations, face difficulties […]
Find out more...Algeria
Christianity has its origins in Algeria as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries. In modern-day Algeria 99% of the population is Sunni Muslim, 1% is Christian or Jewish. Islam is the state religion, although the constitution provides for freedom of belief and practice of one’s religion.
Find out more...Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s population is an estimated 32 million, with almost 3 million refugees living in Pakistan and Iran. The country has one of the world’s lowest average life expectancies of 45 years. Crime and a seemingly perpetual state of warfare result in a turbulent and unpredictable way of life for many Afghans.
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