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Freedom of religion in Kuwait
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Freedom of religion in Kuwait
The Constitution of Kuwait provides for religious freedom, including the freedom of belief and freedom of religious practice. According to the constitution, Islam is the state religion and Sharia is a source of legislation. In general, citizens were open and tolerant of other religious groups. Regional events contributed to increased sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia.
In 2023, Kuwait was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom; blasphemy is a punishable offence and non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing.
In 2019, 74.57% of the population were Muslim, 17.93% were Christian and 7.48% were 'other', mainly Hindus and Buddhists; there were also a small number of Ahmadi Muslims in Kuwait.
In 2014, there were 259 Christian Kuwaiti citizens residing in Kuwait. There is also a small number of Baháʼí Kuwaiti citizens. An estimated 150,000 noncitizen residents are Shia. While some areas have relatively high concentrations of either Sunnis or Shia, most areas are religiously well integrated.
There are an estimated 600,000 non-citizen Hindus. The non‑citizen Christian population is estimated to be more than 450,000. The government-recognized Christian churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the National Evangelical Church Kuwait, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Greek (Rūm) Orthodox Church, the Greek (Rūm) Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church. There are also many unrecognized Christian religious groups with smaller populations. There are an estimated 100,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Sikhs, and 400 Bahais, the majority of whom are non-citizens.
The constitution provides for "absolute freedom" of belief and for freedom of religious practice. The constitution states that Islam is the state religion.
The law requires jail terms for journalists convicted of defaming any religion and prohibits denigration of Islam and Judeo-Christian religious figures, including Muhammad and Jesus. The law prohibits publications that the government deems could create hatred, spread dissension among the public, or incite persons to commit crimes.
The government has Islamic religion studies in public schools for all students. Non-Muslim students are not required to attend these classes. High school Islamic education textbooks are based largely on the Sunni interpretation of Islam.
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Freedom of religion in Kuwait
The Constitution of Kuwait provides for religious freedom, including the freedom of belief and freedom of religious practice. According to the constitution, Islam is the state religion and Sharia is a source of legislation. In general, citizens were open and tolerant of other religious groups. Regional events contributed to increased sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia.
In 2023, Kuwait was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom; blasphemy is a punishable offence and non-Muslims are forbidden from proselytizing.
In 2019, 74.57% of the population were Muslim, 17.93% were Christian and 7.48% were 'other', mainly Hindus and Buddhists; there were also a small number of Ahmadi Muslims in Kuwait.
In 2014, there were 259 Christian Kuwaiti citizens residing in Kuwait. There is also a small number of Baháʼí Kuwaiti citizens. An estimated 150,000 noncitizen residents are Shia. While some areas have relatively high concentrations of either Sunnis or Shia, most areas are religiously well integrated.
There are an estimated 600,000 non-citizen Hindus. The non‑citizen Christian population is estimated to be more than 450,000. The government-recognized Christian churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the National Evangelical Church Kuwait, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Greek (Rūm) Orthodox Church, the Greek (Rūm) Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church. There are also many unrecognized Christian religious groups with smaller populations. There are an estimated 100,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Sikhs, and 400 Bahais, the majority of whom are non-citizens.
The constitution provides for "absolute freedom" of belief and for freedom of religious practice. The constitution states that Islam is the state religion.
The law requires jail terms for journalists convicted of defaming any religion and prohibits denigration of Islam and Judeo-Christian religious figures, including Muhammad and Jesus. The law prohibits publications that the government deems could create hatred, spread dissension among the public, or incite persons to commit crimes.
The government has Islamic religion studies in public schools for all students. Non-Muslim students are not required to attend these classes. High school Islamic education textbooks are based largely on the Sunni interpretation of Islam.