Western China is home to at least five million Muslims, most of whom live around the edges of the vast Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Several times in recent years we have encouraged prayer for the largest ethnic group, the Uyghur people, which has a population of 11 million.
The list on the bottom of this page indicates several other ethnic groups living in Western China. It is estimated of the total number of believers among these ethnic groups is less than1,000 people. In recent years, the massive immigration of Han Chinese (the majority ethnic group in China) into the area has caused some frictions and resentment as the local peoples seek to protect their “homeland” from outsiders.
Flag of China
Map of China
There are possibly 850,000 Christians (about 75% in house churches) among the Han Chinese minority (about 7.5 million people). However, they are largely isolated culturally, linguistically, and religiously from the Muslim majority groups.
Prayer Ideas:
- Pray that the Han Chinese believers will be motivated to reach out to their Muslim neighbours from different cultures. The Chinese are only now beginning to think seriously about cross-cultural outreach (Isaiah 52:10).
- Pray for the various ethnic groups to come to know Jesus! Declare their names before the Lord, asking for His intervention (Psalm 2:8).
- Pray for Christian radio broadcasts and other media that is going out across Xinjiang province. Pray for open hearts to receive the Word of God.
- Pray for believers to boldly share with relatives, neighbours, and friends, and for house churches to multiply in cities and the country areas (Acts 16:13-15).
Pray for these Ethnic Groups of Western China
- Kazak : 1,706,000
- Kazak, Qinghai : 3,400
- Kyrgyz : 218,000
- Salar : 137,000
- Tajik, Sarikoli : 40,000
- Tatar : 7,500
- Uyghur : 10,779,000
- Uyghur, Lop Nur : 40,000
- Uyghur, Taklamakan : 300
- Uyghur, Yutian : 64,000
- Uzbek, Northern : 20,000
Listen to the Podcast – DAY 12 – The Taklamakan Desert, China
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please prat for Muslims in West CHina:
* for cross-cultural outreach by Han Chinese
* for proteciton and growth of the tiny number of ex-Muslim Christians in West china
* for development of more Christian resources in reach Muslim language in China
* for many to pray for the Muslims of West China
* for radio, tv, and intenret minsitries for Muslims in China
* for storng churches to be raised up among the muslim peoples of CHina!