Is the Middle East Drifting Away From Religion?
There are religious institutions in the Middle East, which are very important to locals. These organizations also play an important role in running some states. However, data from several studies suggest that religious importance is declining more rapidly in some middle eastern countries than ever before.
Lebanon
Based on data from interviews with more than 25,000 people, The Arab Barometer reports that Lebanon's rate of religious practices has declined by 43 percent at the individual level in the last ten years, adding that only one-fourth of the country's population claims to be "religious" even though no native citizen can be officially secular in Lebanon, but the Arab Barometer study suggests that religious practices on the personal scale are declining.