Editing Foreign relations of Qatar (section)

=== Cultural and religious activities ===
[[Qatar]] is an Islamic state with multi-religious minorities like most of the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf countries]] with waves of migration over the last 30 years. The official state religion is Wahhabi Sunni Islam. The community is made up of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] [[Muslims]], [[Christians]], [[Hindus]], and small groups of [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] and [[Baháʼí Faith|Baha'is]]. [[Muslims]] form 65.5% of the Qatari population, followed by [[Hindus]] at 15.4%, [[Christians]] at 14.2%, [[Buddhists]] at 3.3% and the rest 1.9% of the population follow other religions or are unaffiliated. Qatar is also home to numerous other religions mostly from the [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar |url=https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/religion-context/country-profiles/qatar |access-date=2023-06-12 |website=rpl.hds.harvard.edu |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530081000/https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/religion-context/country-profiles/qatar |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The country has also hosted numerous interfaith dialogue conferences.

The culture of Qatar is strongly influenced by traditional [[Arab culture|Bedouin culture]], with less acute influence deriving from [[India]], [[East Africa]] and elsewhere in the [[Persian Gulf]]. The peninsula's harsh climatic conditions compelled its inhabitants to turn to the sea for sustenance. Thus, there is a distinct emphasis placed on the sea in local culture. Literature and folklore themes are often related to sea-based activities. Oral arts such as poetry and singing were historically more prevalent than [[figurative art]] because of the restrictions placed by [[Aniconism in Islam|Islam on depictions of sentient beings]]; however, certain visual art disciplines such as calligraphy, architecture and textile arts were widely practiced. Figurative arts were gradually assimilated into the country's culture during the [[History of Qatar#Oil drilling|oil era]].