Religious Freedom World Report

Prepared by the International Coalition for Religious Freedom

Qatar

Qatar is an independent sovereign Arab state and a member of the Union of Arab Emirates. Its religion is Islam and 95 percent of the population is Muslim. Islamic Shari'a Law is the fundamental source of its legislation. According to the law, all persons shall enjoy equal public rights and shall be subject to equal public duties without distinction on grounds of race, sex or religion.

Non-Muslims are prohibited from public worship and may not proselytize. The Government tolerates private gatherings of non-Muslims but closely monitors them for political content. Non-Muslim parents may raise their children in their own faiths. The Government allows Shi'a Muslims to practice their faith. However, the latter have tacitly agreed to refrain from such public rituals as self-flagellation.

Conversion from Islam to another religion is a capital offense, although, according to reports, no one is known to have been executed for it.

2003 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Qatar

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