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Mormon Middle East
Mormons and Muslims (& also Mormons and Jews) do currently co-exist in the Middle East, albeit on a very small and sensitive scale. Mormon congregations in The Middle East are located in Israel, (ie. Jerusalem with BYU Jerusalem) the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and various other countries with expatriate members. Mormon military members also make up very tiny congregations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Mormon Church strictly adheres to its policy of not proselytizing in The Middle East where the majority of people are Muslim. (It is also respectful of the Jew’s wishes as Mormons in Israel/Jerusalem are very careful not to do any preaching even though the relationship between Jews and Mormons is often reported as contentious.) Many Mormons in the Middle East are expatriates working abroad and face severe restrictions on meetings, proselytizing and other gatherings. Often Mormon Church services in the Middle East are held in houses, villas or rented apartments, schools or other buildings. Mormon Chapels in the Middle East are either in process or not far off though of course there is BYU Jerusalem in Israel. Mormons also adapt to the culture of the Middle East by holding LDS Church services on Friday, the Muslim holy day, instead of on Sunday. Though Mormons and Muslims have some serious theological differences they also have much in common doctrinally and there are many very interesting parallels between these two global faiths. (Ie. One similarity between Muslims and Mormons are the stories of the Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet Joseph Smith. One Mormon scholar, Daniel C. Peterson has added much to this field.) Furthermore, though Muslims and Mormons have worked cooperatively both in North America and abroad on many different occasions and for a variety of reasons, The Mormon Church is very sensitive to the Middle Eastern countries that have a demographic makeup that is primarily Muslim. (Again the same applies to Mormons in Israel.) There are currently neither Mormon missions nor Mormon Temples in the Middle East and membership is very small and transient as expatriates studying and working abroad come and go.
Though the Mormon Church currently has no membership nor activity within the country of Iran, there are a growing number of Iranian converts throughout the world. Maryam is one example of someone who was born and raised in Iran but eventually found the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having found the Gospel of Jesus Christ she [...]
We are glad you found the new home of “From the Dust” and hope you enjoy the new site. Mormon Middle East will be an exciting category to cover and we hope you can help us make this the best resource on the internet for Mormons in the Middle East.
I’ve written previously about how the war in Iraq has adversely affected Christian adherents in Iraq with one article stating that the number of Iraqi Christians has dropped from 800,000 to 400,000 since the 2003 invasion. (As usual I write this piece with politics put aside.) So of course it was disheartening to see an article on [...]
Mormon Congregations in Kuwait and the Middle East
The Kuwait Branch of The Bahrain Manama Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is yet another example of the (very) small but growing presence of Mormons in the Middle East. Most members in the Middle East are expatriate members working abroad or Mormons serving in the [...]
Mormon Church in Iran – A brief history and Iranian Mormon Converts
Though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently has no current presence in the Islamic Republic of Iran there is some history of Mormons in Iran. With so much happening right now in Iran I thought it would be beneficial to look [...]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has various small congregations scattered throughout the Middle East but is far from having a large presence there. Recently there was a great article entitled “Mormon in Dubai” that talks about Mormon church members living in Dubai and some of their experiences of going to church in [...]
Are there Mormons serving in the military in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Yes, members of the Mormon church are spread across more than 150 countries and number roughly 13 million. Some of these members are military men and women serving their respective countries in wars across the world. Politics and opinions aside regarding the current wars in [...]
With Pope Benedict XVI touring the Middle East there are numerous interesting articles about Christians in the Middle East. Here are a few examples:
One article talks about Christians in Gaza and more generally the Middle East as a whole and the challenges they face in being a distinct minority. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to read [...]
In a follow-up of yesterday’s post “New Stake President in the Middle East” there is another article detailing the progress of the Manama Bahrain Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Middle East. Highlights include:
Church meetings are held on Friday due to the fact that Friday (and not Sunday) is [...]
I saw a fascinating article over at LDS Church News (and Mormon Times) talking about the Church in the Middle East. A few of the highlights:
The stake is the “Manama Bahrain Stake” and consists of 16 units
The units are spread out in the area including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain
It was the first official [...]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is extremely active in its efforts to donate aid throughout the world through various charities and humanitarian issues that are both on-going (measles in Africa) and unique (natural disasters). This expansive reach has touched lives of people throughout the world regardless of religious affiliation as all people on [...]
I am currently reading Abraham Divided: An LDS Perspective on the Middle East by Daniel C. Peterson. I encourage you to read the book as he is an expert on these things and writes much better than I. I hope my paraphrasing of his work does him justice. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the [...]
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