The name Qizilbash, which is Turkish for “Red Heads,” is given to a wide variety of Shi’ite militant groups who helped found the Safavid Dynasty of Iran (1501-1722). Their name is derived from their distinct headwear, with twelve points indicating their adherence to the “Twelver” branch of Shi’ite Islam (the main Shi’ite group). The Qizilbash in Afghanistan are descendants of troops left behind by Nadir Shah during his ‘Indian campaign’ in 1738.

Politically Influential

They held important posts in government offices in the past, and today they engage in trade or are craftsmen. As Persian-speaking Shi’ite Muslims, they constitute an important and politically influential element of society in the nation of Afghanistan. Exact population figures are hard to come by because they have taken a dual religious identity (called taqiyya) due to persecution from Sunni Muslims. There are no known believers among the Qizilbash.

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Prayer Starters:

• Worship the Lord in song. Proclaim Jesus sovereignty to the ends of the earth using Psalm 72:5-8, 12-14 (Think of the poverty and violence of Afghanistan).
• Pray for open doors into the lives of the Qizilbash in order that believers might find opportunities to share Jesus with them.

Qizilbash

• Pray for workers from among the Afghani believers to minister to the Qizilbash.
• There are very few Gospel resources in their language. There is a complete Bible (also in audio format) since 2008 in Dari, but few people have it.
• Pray with compassion: He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd ... (Mark 6:34). The Afghans have been through a series of terrible wars.

Information from Frontiers

Who are the Shi’as (Shi’ites )?

The first three caliphs (successors) of Mohammed were chosen from the larger Muslim community. The fourth one was Ali, Mohammed’s nephew and son-in-law who had been married to Mohammed’s daughter Fatima many years before. Ali was able to maintain his position briefly before he was murdered in AD 661. The Shi’as believe that the rightful rulers of the Muslim community worldwide were actually Ali and his eleven descendants through Mohammed’s grandson Hussein who died as a martyr in Iraq in AD 680.

A majority of Shi’as believe that Hussein’s line of succession continued till his descendant Mohammed al-Mahdi, the twelfth “rightly guided Imam,” mysteriously disappeared beginning in AD 874 at the age of five. He was supposedly accessible to certain people till AD 941. After that the Shi’a hope for ruling the Muslim community was totally transferred to the unseen world from which a hidden spiritual guide – called the Hidden Imam (leader) or Mahdi (the one who guides), will eventually return.

Sunni–Shia strife has seen a major increase recently, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. The Sunni Taliban's clash with Shia Afghans which is strongly intertwined with Shia–Sunni strife in Pakistan. Across the region the divide between Sunni and Shia plays a big part in the future of countries choosing sides with Iran and Saudi Arabia. When the Arab Spring is over several countries will be forced to make choices and take sides. It's complicated.

Listen to the Podcast - DAY 29 - The Qizilbash of Afghanistan

Video: The Sunni - Shiite Conflict and the Middle East (16:20)

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This is a wounded land and it bears many scars

But there are other scars too. There are scars on the minds and hearts of Afghan people from years of warfare, compounded by years of drought. Not a family is untouched by tragedy, whether the loss of a son or father in battle, the loss of a mother or wife to bombing and shelling, or the loss of a child to starvation. Afghanistan used have a population which was more than 80% rural but large numbers of people have moved off the land in response to fear, starvation and ethnic hatred. A whole generation knows nothing but the ways of war or the life of a refugee in a camp by a distant (and sometimes foreign) city.

Children in Afghanistan

Almost half of the population is under the age of 14 years. Life expectancy is presently about 45 years. Infant mortality is one of the highest rates in the world with 147 deaths per 1,000 live births. Afghanistan has the lowest literacy rate, 15%, for women in the world.

Education in Afghanistan has been severely eroded by more than two decades of war and five years of Taliban rule, during which girls over 8 were barred from school and boys were mostly taught about Islam. There are an estimated 4.4 million primary school age children in Afghanistan. Even before the Taliban took power in 1996, schools in Kabul were rarely open because of the factional fighting that began when the pro-Moscow government collapsed in 1992 and many schools in the capital were destroyed.

What does the future hold for the people of Afghanistan? There is no question that these kinds of scars and problems will take longer to heal and solve than the obvious physical needs. In the long run it is only the grace of God that can bind up the wounds and heal the land.

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Pray for the Muslims in Afghanistan:

* That God's people will commit to long term involvement in the rebuilding of Afghanistan, not just until it fades from the media spotlight.

* That Afghans who have fled to the West will return to rebuild their land.

* That those who have come to know the Lord Jesus as their saviour in the West will be moved by His compassion for their own people and also return to help, despite the risks.

* That the radio ministry of FEBA and their programme suppliers will be particularly effective in this land where less than one in five can read.

* That the believers in Afghanistan, perhaps as many as 3,000, will find ways to share their hope with those who have none.

Background on Afghanistan (World Factbook)

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of the Communist regime.

The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998.

Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005. Karzai was re-elected in August 2009.

Economy of Afghanistan

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. Real GDP growth exceeded 8% in 2006. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $3 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns.

About Afghanistan

Population: 29,835,392 (July 2011 est.) World rank #40

Life Expectancy at Birth: 45.02 years. World rank #221

Ethnic Groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%

Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Literacy: 28.1% -- Male: 43.1%, Female: 12.6%

School life expectancy: 9 years -- Male: 11 years, Female: 7 years

Video: Child labour in Afghanistan

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Each Friday just after noon several hundred million Muslims find their way to mosques around the world. In some places, almost the entire male population goes to the mosque and hears a sermon given by a religious leader. Often the sermon is given by the prayer leader (the imam), but this is not always the case. Sermons can be on a multitude of topics. Typically the sermon will consist of moral and spiritual guidance for everyday life using references to the Qur’an, the traditions concerning Mohammed and examples from Islamic history.

In some countries Muslim preachers use their sermons to speak about how to not let the television and Internet dominate in the lives of children. Some references are sometimes made to international events, the Palestinians and others. Governments often give instructions to religious leaders in order to prevent using the pulpit for radical purposes.

About the minbar photo: In many major mosques the sermon is given from the top of the "minbar." From this elevated location the preacher can usually see the entire assembly. This is a beautifully crafted minbar in Damascus, Syria.

The Pashtun Peoples

Today, in the big cities of Peshawar and Quetta in Pakistan as well as hundreds of villages and towns in between those cities, thousands of largely illiterate Pashtun men will hear sermons, doubtless about the worst flooding Pakistan has ever known. Their Pashtun cousins will hear similar messages in Afghanistan. Many of them are shepherds and farmers. It is possible that many of them would respond positively to the parables of Jesus if they could hear them. Unfortunately many of them also participate in the drug trade just to earn enough to live.

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Prayer Starters

• Pray for the leaders of mosques who are giving sermons today. May their zeal for God become rooted in real knowledge of God (Romans 10:1-4). May God reveal himself in the lives of Islamic preachers (pray for the men who give sermons in your area as well).
• Pray for the Pashtun people. This people lives in great darkness and pain. Pray for divine intervention so that real salvation can come in Pashtun communities. May the mountain villages where Al Qaeda has sought refuge be transformed by the Messiah. He is the hope of the world. He is the true Saviour. He brings real peace (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Video: Window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity (2:44)

Afghan Star Trailer from Afghan Star on Vimeo.

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The soaring Pamir mountains dominate the landscape of greater Badashan / Badakshan, which spills over North Eastern Afghanistan, Eastern Tajikistan and Northern Pakistan. The peoples who live in these isolated mountain communities generally feel distinct from the majority of the populations in their nations. Badakshanis speak Eastern Persian mountain languages. They are often fairer skinned than others in their countries, with Caucasian features. However, the most distinctive aspect of Badakshani identity is their religion.

Badakshan is the one part of the world where the Muslim Ismaili sect makes up the majority of the population. The Agha Khan, their spiritual leader, has become like a god to them. To quote a Badakshani: “The Agha Khan is like a living Koran for us. He shows us the way and how to live. Our religion is not stuck in history. We have a modern Imam to show us how to live in the 21st Century. We see the light of Mohammed on him.” Most other Muslims consider the Ismailis to be heretics.

There are few believers in Badakshan and no known believing communities. However, many Badakshanis are coming to faith elsewhere. There are believers in Dushanbe - the capital of Tajikistan - and in Moscow, where many Tajik Badakshanis become migrant labourers. Pray for believers living in other places, that they might wisely proclaim Jesus in their communities.

Flag of Pakistan

Map of Pakistan

Prayer Starters:

• Meditate on Jeremiah 16:19-21 and use it in prayer.
• Pray for those who worship the Agha Khan as a god, and that they may come to a realisation that he is just a man.
• Spiritual blindness and the spirit of deception seem to be two major strongholds in Badakshan. Pray for these barriers to the Gospel to be removed.

Video: Sights and Sounds of Badakhshan

Special Section: Pray for the Uyghur Peoples of China

The following information came from Western China as we were preparing the “30 Days” for 2009. We have asked for prayer for the Uyghurs in the past. It seems urgent to pray now. Some Uyghurs live within 400 kilometers of Badakshan.

In Northwest China there are only 100-200 believers among the Uyghur people (pronounced ‘ooy-goor’) who number about 11 million in population. The Uyghurs are largely preoccupied with a) making a living and b) the strife between their Muslim / Uyghur cultural heritage and the controlling Chinese Communist system. This area was a significant point on the Silk Road from Europe and the Middle East to China and now it seems to be one of the last regions to be reached by the Body of Christ. In the past fifteen years, thousands of Muslims all along the Silk Road in Central Asia have become believers in Jesus (along with millions of Han Chinese), however, there is still no resilient Uyghur church. There are many stories of unfair treatment, as well as house fellowships being broken up as soon as they get started. Three key men are now in jail; the little community of believers is floundering. Fear keeps them from moving beyond private belief to a sharing, deep life in Christ.
May God guide you to pray for the Uyghurs as only he can.

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The name "Aimaq" (the Mongolian word for tribe) refers to the tribal peoples living in the largely barren and mountainous region of western Afghanistan and northeastern Iran. The Aimaq are actually a group of up to 20 smaller tribes which have historically linked themselves together through alliances and marriage.

The most numerous tribes are the Taimani, Char Hazara, Jamshidi, Firozkuhi and Timuri (remember Revelation 7:9). Tribalism dominates so much that local customs and concepts of honour and shame are more important than Islamic or state law. Disputes tend to be settled by tribal rather than by government authorities.

As a result of various migrations and invasions, the ethnic make up of the Aimaq is one of the greatest admixture of people anywhere (the ethnic traits of Persians, Mongols, Turks, Greeks, Huns and Arabs are all present). The languages spoken by the Aimaq people could generally be described as Dari (Afghan eastern Farsi) which also contains Turkic and Mongolian words.

Semi-Nomadic

This semi-nomadic people spend the spring and summer in the mountains with their herds of sheep and goats. In fall and in winter they move to their villages where they weave carpets of traditional design, which differ according to each clan. They raise wheat, grapes, rice, barley, oats, melons, and vegetables, sometimes with primitive hoes and wooden plows. Agriculture is still considered only a secondary activity in their culture, and a man's wealth is determined by the size of his herds. Some Aimaq, like many other Afghans, have been significantly involved in the Afghan opium drug trade.

Aimaq women have exceptional freedoms when compared with others in rural Afghanistan. Women sit with men while talking, even if strangers are present. Often girls are not married until about age 18 and are free to reject a groom proposed by their father.

Sunni Muslim

The Aimaq are largely illiterate Sunni Muslims, yet the veneration of deceased Muslim holy men is significant. There are few if any known followers of Jesus among the Aimaq. Various Christian radio broadcasts have been done in Dari and Farsi, however, the extent to which these broadcasts are even received by the Aimaq in Afghanistan is not known.

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Prayer Starters

* Almost everything needs to be done to reach these people with the Gospel. Pray for qualified believers to take the message, various media tools and open doors (Luke 10:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Afghanistan’s Peoples

The great majority of Afghanistan’s 27 million people are Muslims. Most of them have little or no access to the Gospel. Of the 10 largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, only four have portions of the scriptures available in their native tongue. Very few ethnic groups have Christian broadcasts or the Jesus Film available in their language. Possibly 85% of Afghans have never heard the Gospel.

Video: Life after the Taliban [2:29]

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The most inaccessible of Afghan provinces, Nuristan forms the backbone of the Hindu Kush mountain range in north-east Afghanistan. 5,500m snow-capped mountain peaks are linked by deep valleys where stone, mud and wood houses compete for space on the mountain slopes. Nuristan (formerly Kafirstan) was the the setting of the book and film “The Man Who Would Be King.”

The difficulty with accessing the area and the long-time enmity with the neighbouring Pashtun tribes has continued the isolation of the Nuristani peoples and to date it remains almost completely undeveloped. There is no health care, very few functional schools and in many parts no vehicular access. Many villages are completely snowed in during the winter months.

Call for Help Unanswered

In 1865, two new Pashtun believers risked their lives to go up to this area to take the gospel of peace to the Nuristanis, who at the time represented a lone island of animism in the seemingly unbroken sea of Central Asian Islam. Their message was greeted with enthusiasm and the Nuristanis extended a further invitation to teachers of the good news to return and share more. Tragically, no one managed to return. 30 years later, possibly using information given by the British, the Amir of Kabul invaded Nuristan, converting the people to Islam at the point of a sword. The “land of the “kafirs” (unbelievers), as it was known, was renamed the “land of heavenly light”.

In 2007, the area is still in dire need. Food production is insufficient, life-expectancy is low and the maternal mortality rate is amongst the highest in the world. Eastern Nuristan, a hiding place for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, is subject to frequent attacks, both on locals and on foreigners seeking to work there. Other areas are divided by distrust, blood-feuding, unforgiveness, banditry and the fear of spirits. Seemingly, the god of war extensively worshipped in pre-Islamic times, still has great sway over the valleys. Nevertheless, these people were never forgotten by our God of love who has undoubtedly planned great things for the Nuristanis (Isaiah 9:2). He who has promised is faithful!

New Vision for Nuristan

For more than 20 years, a desire to reach out to Nuristan has been growing. There is a vision to see whole feuding communities transformed by the power of God’s message of grace, love and forgiveness. Practical development projects are in great need. Problems of accessibility have frequently impeded attempts of outsiders to visit the area but there is a sense that God’s time is coming for the Nuristanis. The challenge is great, but our God is much greater.

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Please pray for:

* Access for workers; the gospel of forgiveness to come and radically impact feuding communities

* Contacts with people of peace and honor who can open doors for the Good News (Mt. 10:11)

* More workers, especially medical personnel, willing to serve in a tough place

* Dreams and visions of Jesus to prepare the Nuristanis for his message

* Understanding, wisdom and protection for workers as they plan to take hope to the mountains

* Names of the major tribes among the Nuristani :

Vasi, Kata, SaNu, Ashku, GramsaNa, Tregami, Kalasha, Dungullo, Kom, Kshto-Dungulio, Mumo (One could site each tribe in prayer before the Lord).

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Balkh province in northern Afghanistan lies on the borders of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan. The 1.6 million population of the province are dominated by Uzbeks and Tadjiks although there are significant Hazara and Pashtun minorities. Mazari, which means "noble shrine," is the provincial capital with some 240,000 inhabitants.

In the centre of the city one can visit the famous Blue Mosque (Rawze-e-Sharif). It was built in the 14th century based on a dream that Ali bin Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, is actually buried here. However, the vast majority of Muslims believe that he is buried in Najaf in Iraq. The city has become an important pilgrimage site for the Shiite Afghans but also for many Sunni pilgrims, especially during Nauroz (a 40 day New Year celebration which starts according the Persian calendar on the 21 March).

The Massacre

Between May and July 1997 the Taliban unsuccessfully attempted to take Mazari, leading to approximately 2,500 Taliban soldiers being massacred. In retaliation to this incident, in August 1998, the Taliban returned prompting a six-day killing frenzy of Hazaras and other local people. Soon after, the city was occupied by the Taliban. Even now eye-witnesses are moved with emotion telling how the dead and dying lay for weeks in the streets and the stench of the death hung over the city. Today Mazari Sharif, as the forth-largest city in Afghanistan, is seeing the arrival of new streets, supermarkets and internet cafes. However there are only small numbers of Christians.

Balkh or Bactria Town

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Prayer Points:

* Pray that the pilgrims to the Blue Mosque who are seeking for freedom, healing and wisdom would meet Jesus personally.

* Pray for the people of Mazari Sharif, especially the Hazara, who continue to live with the consequences of trauma of the late 1990's. May they can find life in Christ who alone can bring inner peace and the ability to forgive.

* Pray for the few believers in the area to build healthy and life giving relationships to open doors for influence and witness. Pray especially that the city of Balkh (today Wazirabad) could have a Christian witness.

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Lawlessness abounds in Herat, Afghanistan

Herat is an ancient city. It was a cultural centre for learning and the arts and flourished before London existed. A 15th century mosque in the centre of the city was once described as the most beautiful example of colour in architecture ever devised and was considered as one of the great wonders of the age. Today this medieval mosque is scarred with rocket shells and bullets, and attempts are being made to restore the remaining 5 giant minarets.

Herat's strategic border location in western Afghanistan plays a key role in drugs and guns trafficking. Afghanistan is a major drug trafficking country and is the world's largest exporter of hashish, and the second major supplier of opium and heroin. Afghanistan has more guns per capita of population than any other country in the world. Despite a strict justice system (amputations for theft, etc) lawlessness abounds, particularly in tribal areas where extortion, kidnapping and murder are common. According to the UN, there are 86 minefields around Herat.

Christian History of Herat, Afghanistan

Flag of Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

Pray for the Muslims in Afghanistan:

* Pray that the city of Herat will once again return to its Christian heritage.

* Pray for the political and religious leaders of this strategic city (Psalm 10:17 & 18).

* Ask God for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring many to salvation through Christ Jesus.

* Pray for those involved in the drug and arms trafficking that they will come to realise their need of salvation (Psalm 7:9).

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