Nazareth

===Demographic history===
During the late Ottoman era, the religious majority of the city fluctuated. In 1838, there were 325 Christian families (half of whom were Greek Orthodox, the remainder belonged to various Catholic churches) and 120 Muslim families.<ref>Emmett 1995, p. 25.</ref> In 1856, the population was estimated to be 4,350, of which Muslims comprised 52%, while Christians from various denominations comprised 48%. In 1862, the population estimate was lower (3,120) and Christians formed a substantial majority of over 78%. The population grew to 5,660 in 1867 and Christians constituted roughly two-thirds and Muslims one-third of the inhabitants. These estimates during the late Ottoman era likely represented crude figures.<ref>Emmett 1995, pp. 26–27.</ref>

A population list from about 1887 showed that Nazareth had about 6,575 inhabitants; 1,620 Muslims, 2,485 Greek Catholics, 845 Catholics, 1,115 Latins, 220 Maronites and 290 Protestants.<ref>Schumacher, 1888, p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme19pale#page/n207/mode/1up 182]</ref>

For much of the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandatory]] period (1922–1948), Nazareth had a [[Arab Christian|Christian]] majority (mostly [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]]) and a Muslim minority.<ref name=Dumperp274/>

In 1918, Nazareth had an estimated population of 8,000, two-thirds Christian.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GjApOeWHtv4C&q=nazareth+british+mandate&pg=PA15|title=Green Crescent Over Nazareth|isbn=9780714652580|last1=Israeli|first1=Raphael|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press |access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=28 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528163539/https://books.google.com/books?id=GjApOeWHtv4C&q=nazareth+british+mandate&pg=PA15|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[1922 census of Palestine|1922 British census]], Nazareth's population was recorded as 7,424 residents, of which 66% were Christian, 33% were Muslim and roughly 1% were Jewish. In the [[1931 census of Palestine|1931 census]], the population grew to 8,756 and the ratio of Muslims increased to 37%. The largest Christian community were the [[Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem|Greek Orthodox]] denomination, followed by the [[Roman Catholic]]s and the [[Melkite]]s. Smaller communities of [[Anglican]]s, [[Maronites]], [[Syriac Catholic Church|Syriac Catholic]]s, [[Protestant]]s and [[Copt]]s also existed.<ref>Emmett 1995, p. 36.</ref>

In 1946, Nazareth had a population of 15,540, of whom roughly 60% were Christians and 40% were Muslims. The 1948 War led to an exodus of Palestinians and many expelled or fleeing Muslims from villages in the Galilee and the Haifa area found refuge in Nazareth. At one point, some 20,000 mostly Muslim internally displaced persons were present in the city. Following the war's conclusion, the internally displaced persons of [[Shefa-'Amr]], [[Dabburiya]], [[Ilut]] and [[Kafr Kanna]] returned to their homes. However, those Muslim and Christian internally displaced persons from the nearby destroyed villages of [[Ma'lul]], [[al-Mujaydil]], [[Saffuriya]], the Haifa-area village of [[Balad al-Sheikh]] and the major cities of [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], [[Haifa]], [[Tiberias]], [[Safad]] and [[Baysan]] remained as they were not able to return to their hometowns.<ref name="Emmett45">Emmett 1995, p. 45.</ref> During the war and in the following months, internally displaced persons from Saffuriya established the Safafra Quarter, named after their former village.<ref>Emmett 1995, p. 43.</ref> Around 20% of Nazareth's native inhabitants left Palestine during the war. In an Israeli army census in July 1948, Nazareth had a total population of 17,118, which consisted of 12,640 Nazarenes and 4,478 internally displaced persons. In 1951, the population was recorded as 20,300, 25% of whom were internally displaced persons. The internally displaced persons came from over two dozen villages, but most were from al-Mujaydil, Saffuriya, Tiberias, Haifa, Ma'lul and [[Indur]].<ref>Emmett 1995, p. 46.</ref>

Today, Nazareth still has a significant Christian population, made up of various denominations.<ref name=Dumperp274/> The Muslim population has grown due to a number of historical factors that include the city having served as administrative center under British rule, and the influx of [[internally displaced Palestinians|internally displaced Palestinian Arabs]] absorbed into the city from neighboring towns during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.<ref name=Dumperp274/>