Evangelical Christianity is quietly flourishing among migrant groups in the Gulf as churches provide low-paid workers facing horrific abuse with aid in times of crisis, according to pastors and parishioners across the region.
About 30 million migrant workers live in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates the muscle transforming oil-based economies into glittering 21st-century metropolises.
In some Gulf states, migrants make up most of the population, and about 80% are employed in construction, hospitality and domestic jobs.
The Guardian has interviewed pastors and parishioners of churches in all six Gulf countries and found that migrants, including those from Hindu and Catholic communities, are converting to Pentecostalism, one of the fastest-growing religions in the world with more than 600 million followers.
To cope materially and spiritually, many attend Pentecostal churches because they focus on people's needs in the here and now - namely health and wealth - as well as the ever after.
Pastor John, like everyone quoted in - this article, asked to use a pseudonym as Gulf governments are suspicious of Christian movements, and proselytising is often illegal. He said his church was helping migrants who faced exploitation, financial hardship, domestic servitude and sexual abuse.
"Rape is a very, very common problem across the entire domestic help industry," the pastor said. "And it's not just females - males come to us because they get raped as well." Pentecostal churches tend to bring in people from ethnic and national groups whose governments are reluctant to take up cases of human rights violations with wealthy Gulf states for fear they will damage generous aid and trade packages.
Instead, spirit-led churches like this have become de facto unions for migrant workers, often acting as their first point of call in a crisis.
"If you go to the embassy, they will talk to your employer and get the local police involved," the pastor said. "That's a very intimidating situation for your normal person. In my experience, most of the brethren that face those challenges are labourers and they are very, very vulnerable to abuse."
In cases of rape, the pastor said, the person would contact the church first, which would then coordinate with the embassy to arrange a way to escape.
"They have this special rescue team that communicates to get out of the building at a certain time and the car would be waiting for her," the pastor said. "In order for her to be able to trust this process, it needs to be arranged through someone who she actually knows - usually, that's a church." Due to secrecy around conversion in the G...
About 30 million migrant workers live in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates the muscle transforming oil-based economies into glittering 21st-century metropolises.
In some Gulf states, migrants make up most of the population, and about 80% are employed in construction, hospitality and domestic jobs.
The Guardian has interviewed pastors and parishioners of churches in all six Gulf countries and found that migrants, including those from Hindu and Catholic communities, are converting to Pentecostalism, one of the fastest-growing religions in the world with more than 600 million followers.
To cope materially and spiritually, many attend Pentecostal churches because they focus on people's needs in the here and now - namely health and wealth - as well as the ever after.
Pastor John, like everyone quoted in - this article, asked to use a pseudonym as Gulf governments are suspicious of Christian movements, and proselytising is often illegal. He said his church was helping migrants who faced exploitation, financial hardship, domestic servitude and sexual abuse.
"Rape is a very, very common problem across the entire domestic help industry," the pastor said. "And it's not just females - males come to us because they get raped as well." Pentecostal churches tend to bring in people from ethnic and national groups whose governments are reluctant to take up cases of human rights violations with wealthy Gulf states for fear they will damage generous aid and trade packages.
Instead, spirit-led churches like this have become de facto unions for migrant workers, often acting as their first point of call in a crisis.
"If you go to the embassy, they will talk to your employer and get the local police involved," the pastor said. "That's a very intimidating situation for your normal person. In my experience, most of the brethren that face those challenges are labourers and they are very, very vulnerable to abuse."
In cases of rape, the pastor said, the person would contact the church first, which would then coordinate with the embassy to arrange a way to escape.
"They have this special rescue team that communicates to get out of the building at a certain time and the car would be waiting for her," the pastor said. "In order for her to be able to trust this process, it needs to be arranged through someone who she actually knows - usually, that's a church." Due to secrecy around conversion in the G...
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The Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 05, 2022