The UAE is a federation of seven states, on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, called emirates, ruled by tribal chiefs called Sheiks or Emirs. The largest and richest of the emirates is Abu Dhabi with significant oil and gas reserves. The present Emir is Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan from 13 May 2022. Islam is the prominent religion practiced in the country. Apart from being the largest religion, it is also the official religion in Dubai, UAE. Around 76% of the population in the country are Muslims. Christians represent around 13% of the country’s population. The population of Christianity in Dubai seems to be growing with increasing immigration to UAE. Both Catholics and Protestants have a significant presence. Christians in UAE belong to different denominations, from Baptists to Anglican and Coptic. There are roughly 40 Churches and there is a freedom to provide Christians land to build Churches in the country.

Nepal is famous for the world’s tallest mountain range.  Recovery from the devastating 2015 earthquake continues to be hampered by political infighting which has prevented the release of funds that were pledged. An extremely poor country, Nepal’s economy relies on international aid and tourism which suffered tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic. Human trafficking and corruption remain major problems. Nepal and India are the world’s only Hindu-majority nations. Despite this, Nepal is officially a secular nation and freedom of religion was enacted in 2006, but persecution has intensified. Five years ago, new laws were introduced to prevent religious conversion. Only a few Nepali Christians have been charged and convicted under these laws, and a hand full of expatriate workers expelled.