Buddhism in the Middle East

Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Mahayana Buddhism is the predominant religion of workers from East Asia and Vietnam, although Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto are also represented among these people. In Dubai (the United Arab Emirates) and Qatar, the workers from Sri Lanka were allowed to celebrate Vesak (the most important holiday in Buddhism) in those Islamic countries. ==Saudi Arabia==

It is estimated that there are 13.49 million foreign residents living and working in Saudi Arabia. In addition to 400,000 Sri Lankans, there are a few thousand Buddhist workers from East Asia, the majority of whom are Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai. A number of Tibetan-Nepalese immigrants may also be among the foreign population of Saudi Arabia. According to a 2020 report by the Association of Religion Data Archives, Buddhists make up about 0.33% of the Saudi population with comprehensive data on foreigners being unavailable. ==Qatar==

As of 2020, Israel had approximately 20,000 Buddhists, constituting about 0.30% of the population. Israel also has several Buddhist centers across its country, mainly in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and other regions, including the capital, Jerusalem. == Kuwait ==

There are approximately 100,000 Buddhists living in Kuwait constituting around 5% of the total population. Currently, there are no known Buddhist organizations or temples found in Kuwait. == UAE ==

The Buddhist population in the United Arab Emirates consists primarily of expatriates from South Asia and Southeast asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery branch in Dubai, established in 2009, is the UAE’s only Buddhist temple which serves the Buddhist population. There were about 2.40% Buddhists in the UAE. == See also ==