Israel is the Jewish homeland. In addition to the Jewish majority, one fifth of the Israeli population are Muslims,while the population includes Christians, other religions and atheists. Israel is also the spiritual center of the Bahai faith and the Samaritan faith.
There are about 50 Muslim majority countries, and a higher number of Christian majority countries. So why is one Jewish majority country so problematic for some?
There are a number of countries that identify the majority religion in the country’s official name, for example, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Do critics of Israel who label it a racist endeavour since it is majority Jewish, apply the same standards to these countries that identify their religion in their name? Not that I’m aware of…
For those of who find it a problem that Israel is a Jewish State, the following states also recognize a religion as their state or official religion:
ROMAN CATHOLIC
Argentina
Bolivia
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Liechtenstein
Malta
Monaco
Some cantons of Switzerland (state religion):
Appenzell Innerrhoden (declared “religion of the people of Appenzell Innerrhoden”), Aargau, Basel-Country, Bern, Glarus, Graubünden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Thurgau, Uri
Vatican City (Theocracy)
OLD CATHOLIC
Jurisdictions which recognize an Old Catholic church as their state religion:
Some cantons of Switzerland (Christian Catholic Church): Aargau, Basel-Country, Bern
EASTERN ORTHODOX
Greece (Greek Orthodox Church)
Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
Finland (Finnish Orthodox Church)
Georgia (Georgian Orthodox Church)
PROTESTANT
Denmark (Church of Denmark)
Iceland (Church of Iceland)
Norway (Church of Norway)
Finland (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland)
Scotland (Church of Scotland) established by law
Scotland assorted Free Presbyterian churches, unestablished.
Jurisdictions which recognize a Reformed church as their state religion:
Some cantons of Switzerland (Swiss Reformed Church): Aargau, Basel-Country, Bern, Glarus, Graubünden, Schwyz, Thurgau, Uri, Zürich
Other christian
Zambia
Samoa
Solomon Islands
ANGLICAN
England (Church of England) established by law; plus, unestablished, the world-wide Anglican Communion
ISLAM
Afghanistan (State religion)
Algeria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Brunei
Egypt (State religion)
Iran (State religion)
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Libya
Malaysia
Maldives (State religion)
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan (State religion)
Qatar
Saudi Arabia (Religion of the Kingdom)
Somalia
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates (Religion of the Emirates)
Yemen
Sunni Islam
Algeria
Malaysia
Maldives (as state religion)
Pakistan (as national-sanctioned religion)
Saudi Arabia (as state-sanctioned religion)
Somalia (as State Religion
Iran (Theocracy)
BUDDHISM
Bhutan (Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism)
Cambodia (Theravada Buddhism)
Kalmykia, a republic within the Russian Federation (Tibetan Buddhism – sole Buddhist entity in Europe)[1]
Thailand (Theravada Buddhism)
Tibet Government in Exile (Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism)
Myanmar- written in the 1974 constitution
Sri Lanka
HINDUISM
India
JUDAISM
Israel
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