Hinduism in the Middle East

Hindus in the Middle East

Total population
3,062,645 (1.6% of population)
Regions with significant populations
United Arab Emirates	855,738 (2022)
Saudi Arabia	451,347 (2020)
Kuwait	425,950 (2020)
Qatar	422,118 (2022)
Yemen	297,103 (2022)
Oman	279,488 (2022)
Bahrain	165,706 (2020)
Religions
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Buddhism in the Middle East, Sikhism, Christianity in the Middle East Hinduism by country Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Western Sahara Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Asia Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus East Timor Georgia Hong Kong India Indonesia Bali Java Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Southeast Asia Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales North America Belize Canada Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama United States Caribbean Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guadeloupe Haiti Jamaica Martinique Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Madrasi Community Oceania Australia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Caledonia New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Full list v t e

According to the Book of Idols by the medieval Arab scholar Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Hinduism was present in pre-Islamic Arabia. Ibn Al-Kalbi explains the origins of idol worshipping and the practice of circumambulation as rooted in India and Hinduism.^[1]

Hinduism has been present in the form of ancient Hinduism or Vedic religion in other parts of the Middle East and influenced the Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism in ancient Persia. ^[2] Krishna, one of the avatars of Vishnu and prominent Hindu deity, figures prominently in some of religions in the region.^[3]

While influencing ancient religions of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, the Hindu notion of reincarnation or transmigration of souls was incorporated in other smaller religions such as Yazidism as well as Druze.^[4] Many religions in the Middle East, notable among them is Yazidism, draw heavily from common Indo-Iranian traditions, closely connected to Hinduism.^[5] The Yarsani, followers of Yarsanism, believe that the Divine Essence has successive incarnations known as mazhariyyats (similar to the Hindu notion of avatars).^[6]

At present, there is an influential and wealthy Hindu community, mostly of Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan heritage in Arab states of the Persian Gulf.^[7] Many came due to the migration of Indians and Nepalese expatriates and employees to the area around the Persian Gulf.

The Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in the UAE constituting 30% of the country’s population. The Indian community members -- from managers, doctors and technicians to engineers, IT experts and chartered accountants or business tycoons -- have left an indelible mark on the Gulf nation’s social and economic life.^[8]

Hindu temples have been built in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Oman.^[9]

Hinduism by country in the Middle East

Country	Population (2020E)	% of Hindus	Hindu total
United Arab Emirates	9,869,000	10%[10][11]	986,900
Saudi Arabia	34,719,000	1.3%[12][13]	451,347
Kuwait	4,259,500	10%[14]	425,950
Qatar	2,113,000	15.9%[15][16]	335,967
Yemen	29,710,300	1%[17]	297,103
Oman	5,081,600	5.5%[18][19][20]	279,488
Bahrain	1,690,900	9.8%[21][22]	165,708
Turkey	84,339,067	0.1%[23][24]	84,340
Jordan	10,185,500	0.1%[25]	10,186
Lebanon	6,830,600	0.1%[26][27]	6,830
Total	197,438,267	1.6	3,062,645

Indian settlers came to live in Oman, creating settlements and practicing Hinduism. Arab sailors were using the southwest monsoon winds to trade with western Indian ports before the first century CE. An Arab army conquered Sindh in 711 and Arab traders settled in Kerala in the 6th century. In the opposite direction, medieval Gujaratis, Kutchis, and other Indians traded extensively with Arab and Somali ports, including Hormuz, Salalah, Socotra, Mogadishu, Merca, Barawa, Hobyo, Muscat and Aden. Arab merchants were the dominant carriers of Indian Ocean trade until the Portuguese forcibly supplanted them at the end of the 15th century. Indo-Arabian links were renewed under the British Empire, when many Indians serving in the army or civil service were stationed in Arab lands such as Sudan.^{[citation needed]} The current wave of Indian immigration to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf dates roughly to the 1960s. Hinduism is also one of the fastest growing religions in the Middle East, mainly due to immigration from the Indian Subcontinent.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, Belgian speleologists discovered a large number of inscriptions, drawings, and archaeological objects on the Socotra island in Yemen^[28][29] left by sailors who visited the island from the 1st century BC to 6th century AD. Most of the texts found were written in the Indian Brahmi script.^[30]

There were about 2,700 Hindus in Egypt in 2010.^[31] That number decreased to about 1535 in 2020.^[32]

Oman has an immigrant Hindu minority. The number of Hindus has declined in the 20th century although it is now stable. Hinduism first came to Muscat in 1507 from Kutch. The original Hindus spoke Kutchi. By the early 19th century there were at least 4,000 Hindus in Oman, all of the intermediate merchant caste. By 1900, their numbers had plummeted to 300. In 1895, the Hindu colony in Muscat came under attack by the Ibadhis. By the time of independence, only a few dozen Hindus remained in Oman. The historical Hindu Quarters of al-Waljat and al-Banyan are no longer occupied by Hindus. The most prominent immigrant Hindus, are Visoomal Damodar Gandhi (Aulad Kara), Khimji Ramdas, Dhanji Morarji, Ratansi Purushottam and Purushottam Toprani. The only Hindu crematorium is located in Sohar, northwest of Muscat.^[33]

Hindu temples once located in Ma'bad al Banyan and Bayt al Pir no longer exist after the area's redevelopment in the mid-1970s.^[33] The only active Hindu temples today are the Shiva temple complex in Muscat (locally known as Motishwar Mandir),^[34] and the Krishna temple located in Darsait.^[35]

Hindus make up 15.9% of Qatar. There are an estimated 422,118 Hindus in the country.^[36][37] Many Hindus are from South and Southeast Asia.^[38][39]

Saudi authorities interpret Hindu icons as idols, and idol worship is strongly condemned in Sunni Islam. This is likely the foundation for the stringent position of Saudi authorities when it comes to idol-worshipping religious practice.^[40]

South Asians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) constitute the largest ethnic group in the country.^[41] Over 2 million Indian migrants (mostly from the southern Indian states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Coastal Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) are estimated to be living in the UAE, constituting 28% of the total population of the Emirates as of 2017.^[42] A majority of Indians live in the three largest cities of the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. From the estimated 2 million migrants, 1 million are from Kerala and 450,000 from Tamil Nadu, thus constituting a majority of the Indian community in the UAE. The population of Indian migrants in the UAE had grown from 170,000 in 1975 to an estimated value of 750,000 in 1999. By 2009, this value had grown to an estimated value of 2 million. A majority of Indians in the UAE (approximately 50%—883,313 in 2011) are from the South Indian state of Kerala, followed by migrants from Tamil Nadu. The majority of Indian migrants to UAE are Muslim (50%), followed by Christian (25%) and Hindu (25%). Estimated Hindu population in UAE is between 6-10%.^[43]

In 1958, permission were given to build the Hindu Temple, Dubai in Bur Dubai in a complex that included Shiva Mandir, Krishna Mandir, and Gurudwara. In January 2024, a new Hindu Temple, Dubai opened in Jebel Ali and the existing Shiva Mandir and Gurudwara were moved to this new location. Krishan Mandir is still housed in the original complex in Bur Dubai.^[44]

Majority of Hindus living in UAE practice their religion within their homes.^[45] The new temple, BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, had its foundation stone laying ceremony in April, 2019.^[46][47] The inauguration ceremony of the temple took place on 14 February 2024.^[48]

There are about 200,000 Hindus in Yemen.^[49] Many of them are from India and Nepal.^[50]

• BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Sindhi Guru Darbar Temple in Dubai, UAE
• Motishwar Mandir in Muscat, Oman
• Hindu Temple, Dubai, UAE
• Shrinathji Temple, Bahrain

• Hinduism by country
• Hinduism in Israel
• Buddhism in the Middle East