Christianity in Qatar

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The Christianity is in Qatar practiced mainly by Indians, Arabs, Europeans, Americans and Filipinos.

No mission group works openly in Qatar . Converting from Islam to another religion is an offense, which in itself carries the death penalty. No one has been charged for this reason since independence, but arrests have been made for attempted proselytizing against Muslims. A committee of members of Christian communities was established to have direct contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on religious matters.

Denominations

Among the Christian denominations mentioned in the World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, Volume 1, page 617 are the Mar Thoma Church , the Arab Evangelical Church, the Christian Brethren and the Anglican Church . About 50,000 Catholics live in Qatar. Qatar is part of the Vicariate Apostolic Area of Northern Arabia . The Anglican population in Qatar consists of 7,000 to 10,000 people. The small Coptic minority in Qatar has a reputation among the Muslim population for being influential.

Church building

In 2006 the first construction of a church in 14 centuries began. It will contain a conference center. Our Lady of the Rosary Church opened on March 15, 2008 and is the first Christian church in Qatar. According to government regulations, it was not allowed to have a church tower, church bells or crosses visible from the outside. The complex of buildings, when fully completed, will be one of the largest Christian centers in the Gulf region. It consists of buildings for Catholics, Anglicans, Copts and Greek Orthodox Christians, as well as interdenominational buildings that, among other things, some Indian Christian faith groups would like to use. The church on the southern outskirts of the city of Doha can accommodate around 2,700 people. The building site was made available by Sheikh Hamad bin Chalifa Al Thani , the Emir of Qatar.

  • Our Lady of the Rosary, the first Christian church in Qatar to open on March 15, 2008, according to government specifications, without a steeple, church bells or crosses visible from the outside.

  • Cross in the interior of the church

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ News Middle East: Qatar opens first church, quietly by Shabina S. Khatri, Doha, on Al-Jazeera , June 20, 2008, accessed February 5, 2009