Saudi Arabia Reports Over 347,000 New Muslims in Five Years
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawa, and Guidance announced that it has established 423 foreign preachers and 457 Dawah societies across various regions of the kingdom to spread Islam and invite non-Muslims to embrace the faith, Saudi Gazette reported on Saturday.
The report does not provide any details about the nationalities or backgrounds of the people who converted to Islam.
However, it is likely that many of them are expatriates who live and work in Saudi Arabia for various reasons.
The report also shows a consistent trend of growth in conversions over the years. In 2019, there were 21,654 new Muslims in Saudi Arabia while in 2023, there were 163,319.
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According to Pew Research Centre, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, which can be explained by globalisation, immigration, among other reasons.
It is also noteworthy that more and more Westerners are embracing Islam.
A study by Cambridge University Press in 2023 revealed that among 1,034 Australian Muslims surveyed, 15.8 per cent identified themselves as converts in 2020.
Similarly, a Pew Research report in 2017 showed that 20 per cent of 1,001 Muslims surveyed in the United States were converts, and most of them (57 per cent) used to be Protestant or Orthodox Christian.
Source: Agencies
