what religion are palestinians

The majority of Palestinians are Muslim, including those living overseas. All residents in the Palestinian Territories are required to declare a religion on an identification card issued by the Israeli government. According to this record, 98% of Palestinians identify as Sunni Muslims. Christianity is the main minority religion, with roughly 52,000 Palestinian Christians believed to be living across the occupied territories as of 2013. It is believed the numbers of religiously unaffiliated Palestinians (i.e. or agnostic) in the West Bank and Gaza are very low. Many Palestinians’ personal, political and legal lives are guided by Sunni Islamic principles in the Palestinian Territories. Dominant legislation around marriage, divorce, child support and inheritance are based on Shari’a law. There is very little religious conversion from Islam or intermarriage between religions. Most Palestinians who are raised Muslim continue to identify with the religion into adulthood. Many Palestinian Muslims living in the may not practice Islam but continue to affiliate with it on a cultural and/or familial basis.