The Institute for Middle East Understanding

Background Briefings
2.6 - Are all Palestinians Muslim?

christmas-nativity-church.jpg
Palestinian worshippers attend the Christmas midnight Mass in the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. (Mamoun Wazwaz, Maan Images)
No. About 93% of Palestinians are Muslim, of the Sunni (orthodox) sect, and about 6% are Christian. A very small number of Samaritans - adherents of an early form of Judaism - live around Nablus, in the West Bank.

Christian Palestinians have emigrated in disproportionate numbers from Palestine, particularly to the U.S., Central America, and Europe. Thus while most Palestinians are Muslims, many that you might meet in the West are Christian.

In the Occupied Territories, Palestinian Christians now constitute about 3% of the population.

A small number of Jews associated with the Neturei Karta movement oppose Zionism on religious grounds, and refer to themselves as "Palestinians."

Source: Samih K. Farsoun, "Culture and Customs of the Palestinians" (Greenwood Press).

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
This page was printed out from the website of the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) found at www.imeu.net. The IMEU provides journalists with quick access to information about Palestine and the Palestinians, as well as expert sources, both in the U.S. and the Middle East.