Published in german on ref.ch on 11.11.2026

Around four million. That is a realistic estimate of the number of Christians living on the Arabian Peninsula and around the Persian Gulf. Surprising?

In fact, Christianity has been present in and around the Arabian Peninsula since the early 2^nd century. The wars between Rome and the Parthians on the Euphrates frontier led to the very first Syriac Christian communities spreading rapidly, including around the Arabian Peninsula, in Ethiopia, but also in what is now Iran, and even further afield. The significance of this Syriac tradition is largely underestimated. Many Arabic words, such as ‘Qur’an’, are of Syriac origin.

The situation of Christians in the region today could not be more different from that of two thousand years ago, which was very much characterised by missionary activity.

During our trip to Oman with the Near east School of Theology (NEST), we learnt that nine so-called ‘Protestant’ communities held services every Friday in a single church: Reformed, Congregationalists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, Anglicans… The largest communities are the Indian and Asian Pentecostal or Evangelical groups, far outnumbering the historic Reformed and Anglican parishes. Inter-Protestant and interdenominational ecumenical collaboration is limited, confined to the logistical management of the large campus made available. Yet traditional events such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity or the World Day of Prayer are not observed, even though personal relations between the leaders are excellent. Why is this?

The only body for inter-Protestant and interdenominational consultation for the entire region is the Gulf Churches Fellowship, whose Council meets once a year, coincidentally during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It comprises thirty (!) denominations, grouped into five confessional families: Catholic: Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Greek Catholic, Latin, Maronite, Syrian, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Ukrainian Greek Catholic; Oriental Orthodox: Armenian, Ethiopian, Syro-Malankara, Syro-Orthodox; Byzantine Orthodox: Greek, Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem, Russian; Episcopalian: Anglican, Church of North India, Church of South India, Mar Thomas Church; Protestant: Protestant Church in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), National Protestant Church in Bahrain, National Protestant Church in Kuwait, IDCC (an independent Indian group recognised in Qatar), Protestant Church of Oman (PCO), Union Church (UAE).

The problem quickly becomes clear: over 95 per cent of these are churches for international expatriates or, more broadly, for migrant workers employed by local residents. Let us recall the reports prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar about the people building those stadiums under appalling living and working conditions. The members of these churches are also female domestic workers. All of them are subject to the ‘kafala’ or ‘sponsorship’ system practised in the Gulf and in Lebanon. This type of contract ties the rights of any migrant to a citizen or a company in the country that employs them. In effect, these people have no rights. The churches that welcome them are authorised to manage buildings, issue visas and deal with family matters in ways other than under Sharia law. Bahrain recognises 12 churches, Kuwait 15, Oman 13, Qatar 10, the UAE 20 and Yemen 6.

In 2015, the number of Christians living in the six Gulf states was conservatively estimated at over 3.4 million, representing 6.5 per cent of the population residing in this region. The percentage of Christians in each country varies, ranging from 4.3 per cent in Saudi Arabia to 13 per cent in Bahrain. These ‘official’ figures, apart from being ten years old, are very likely to underestimate the actual numbers. Nearly 70 per cent come from the Indian subcontinent, 13 per cent from South-East Asia, 7.5 per cent from Africa, 3 per cent from the Middle East and the same proportion from Europe.

The main issues of concern to this regional association are unregistered churches, migration-related matters, how to read the Bible, and relations with the government and with Muslims.

In 2018, the association published the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which was addressed to both its members and the authorities. It is worth quoting some extracts from it:

a) We call on all Christians to be faithful in their worship of the one true God and to be obedient in fulfilling their duties as residents by loving God and loving their neighbors.
b) We therefore call on the Church in the GCF to be ecumenically proactive in seeking positive encounters with the Islamic community through educational collaboration and acts of community service.
c) We call on the Church to work with governments in meeting the needs of workers. This is a Scriptural imperative which is also reflected in the values held by faithful Muslims.
…
Christians cannot ignore and be indifferent to the plight of those who are in need within our own communities. We call on Churches to speak for them, educate them and provide practical care.
d) We encourage Christians to engage creatively with relevant authorities on shared communal interests and concerns….

Regarding the challenges facing the Churches, the declaration sets out its requests to local governments:

– Enable all Christians to be faithful in their worship… by ensuring provision of sufficient land for church building… and by providing the legal framework and practical mechanisms necessary to the functioning of churches, including availability of Bibles and other worship materials.

– Provide a collaborative platform in which the needs of guest workers will be heard and addressed. We look to develop relationships of trust that will enable us to work for justice together under the sponsorship system, and to provide hope to those who are in crippled by debt and burdened by worries.

– Facilitate positive encounters between members of our faith communities which will promote the climate of “knowing each other”, recognising that intolerance is the fruit of ignorance…”

To underpin their demands, the Gulf Churches draw on the 2018 Marrakesh Declaration, endorsed by 57 countries as part of the ‘Rabat Process: Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development’, which calls for and works towards respect for human rights and the fight against human trafficking and forced migration. Although the Gulf states are not signatories, the Gulf churches are calling for the declaration to serve as inspiration for reforming the unjust kafala system. No country has any interest in taking the first step. The association works in conjunction with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in Beirut, but its influence remains very limited. Only a supra-regional political mechanism could amend this tradition, which emerged during the post-1945 oil boom to regulate immigration.