Religion in the Middle East for all other religions and beliefs in the world. Islam is the most widely followed religion in the Middle East. About 20% of the world's Muslims live in the Middle East. Islam is monotheistic believing in Allah and follows the teaching of the written sacred text, the Qur'an. Islam is believed to be an extension of Judaism and Christianity with the belief that Muhammad is the final prophet of God, in a long chain of prophets, from Adam on down to John the Baptist, Jesus, and finally Muhammad. The majority of the Muslims are Sunni, followed by Shi'a. Smaller sects
Freedom of religion in the Maldives Non-Muslim foreigners are prohibited from worshiping publicly, or from encouraging local citizens to participate in any other religion. Only certified Muslim scholars can give fatawa. , freedom of religion remained severely restricted, with some individual societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice. According to many officials and interlocutors, most citizens regarded Islam as one of their society's most distinctive characteristics and believed that it promotes harmony and national identity. Anyone who denies Islam, are regarded as rebels and they are subject to the capital punishment. The country has an area of distributed across 1,200 coral atolls and