The Desert Diva According to a report done in 2010 by the Pew Research Centre in the US, there were 18 countries where over 98% of their inhabitants were Muslim. These are Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Mauritania, Mayotte, Morocco, Niger, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Western Sahara and Yemen. You might note that the UAE and Oman don’t make this list – 76% and 87% respectively, though the ultra-conservative Saudi comes in further up the list at 97%. This can be explained by the large migrant workforce in the Middle East as many of the lower paid workers originate from countries such as India and the Philippines which have a small Muslim population.
Today’s mosque is in Al Ayn! Not the one in the UAE but high up in a mountainside village on Jebel Akhdar, Oman.
Wishing all our Muslim friends “Ramadan Kareem”. May this Holy Month be a blessed one for you and your families.
Read my complete “Ramadan Series” of blogs by clicking here.