Loving Muslims Through Prayer | www.30-days.net » These tags are specific to the 30-Days Muslim prayer focus booklet http://www.30-days.net/muslims 107 Muslim countries, people groups and cities we pray for Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:07:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Iraq Muslims - Insights into... http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-insights/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-insights/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:45:16 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-east/iraq-insights/ For 24 years most of the world largely associated Iraq with the dictator Saddam Hussein. Saddam's rule and the resulting world-wide opposition to him resulted in much suffering for the people of Iraq. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war). In August 1990 Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during January-February 1991.

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Many people have been impressed with the dignity of the Iraqi people who have risen to rebuild much of the damage that has occurred in their country. The Iraqis have shown themselves to be courageous and ingenious in their coping.

Oil in Iraq

The oil boom of the 1970s brought increased wealth Iraq and to Baghdad (capital and largest city of Iraq, pop. 5 million). Baghdad began to develop on a much more impressive scale, with the construction of middle-class residential areas. A network of super-highways was constructed, as well as a new airport. Date palms and olive trees are everywhere adding to the city's beauty. All such improvements, however, were brought to an abrupt halt by the wars of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s.

Many of the shops are full of goods, however they are without customers as few can afford to buy the necessities of life let alone the luxury merchandise on display. In the warm evenings throngs of people walk the streets looking into the stores as a leisure activity.

The People of Iraq

Iraq's population represents a wide spectrum of religious and ethnic groupings. Most Iraqis are Arabs and live along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, or on the fertile plain between the rivers. Bedouins roam vast deserts in the west and south. Kurds (20%) make up the second largest population group, and live mostly in the mountains along the Northeast border of the country. The Muslims comprising 95% of the population are divided into two branches: the Shiite Muslim (60%) which is controlled politically by the minority Sunni group (30%).

The approximately 3% Christians in Iraq also represent a wide range of denominations including the Ancient Chaldean church, the Assyrian and Syrian Orthodox Churches. The National Evangelical church is about 2.5% of the Christian population. There is a spiritual hunger, and there have been opportunities to distribute Christian books into the churches. The Holy Spirit is at work among Christian groups that are growing in faith. God is adding to their numbers.

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Flag of Iraq

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Map of Iraq

Prayer for the Muslims of Iraq:

* For revival to come among the ancient Eastern Churches, many of which have their roots in the early Church (God has not forgotten His people!).

* For men and women of faith to strengthen the suffering church of Iraq.

* For necessary goods (food and medicine) to become available. May the economic and employment situation improve.

* For freedom from fear and healing of wounds that only God can help with.

Background on Iraq (World Factbook)

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn.

Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime.

Elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held in December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraq's full-term government. Iraq held a national legislative election in March 2010, and after nine months of deadlock the CoR approved the new government in December 2010.

Economy of Iraq

Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Despite political uncertainty, Iraq is making some progress in building the institutions needed to implement economic policy and has negotiated a debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club and a Standby Arrangement with the IMF. Additionally, the Iraqi government is seeking to pass laws to strengthen the economy; this legislation includes a hydrocarbon law to encourage contracting with foreign investors and a revenue sharing law to equitably divide oil revenues within the nation. Controlling inflation, reducing corruption, and implementing structural reforms such as bank restructuring and developing the private sector, will be key to Iraq's economic prospects.

Statistics on Iraq

Population: 30,399,572 (July 2011 est.) World rank #39

Life Expectancy at Birth: 70.55 years. World rank #145

Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall of the Saddam HUSSEIN regime in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Literacy: 74.1% -- Male: 84.1%, Female: 64.2%

School life expectancy: 10 years

Iraqi Christians - Video

"This video is a tribute to the Christians that live in Iraq." Explains some history and facts about Christians living in a mostly Muslim country.

 

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-insights/feed/ 10 Iran Muslims - insights into... http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iran-insights/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iran-insights/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 13:51:10 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-east/iran-insights/ God began the evangelization of the Iranians on the Day of Pentecost.

iran-persecution-30-days-netWe read in Acts 2:9 that the Spirit baptized believers in Jerusalem spoke about of the mighty deeds of God in the languages of the Parthians, Medes and Elamites. The descendants of these three ethnic groups still form a significant part of the Iranian population. Unfortunately, the early Gospel preaching never deeply penetrated Iranian society, and later Islam became the predominant religion. While the Islamic Revolution of 1979 has lost much of its appeal, most Iranians have very little opportunity to hear the Gospel.

People Groups of Iran

There are over 65 different people groups in Iran, a country that is 99 per cent Muslim. Less than a dozen ethnic groups in Iran have known believers among them.

The largest group is the Persians, numbering about 30 million. Eleven million people are from an Azeri background; they live mostly south and west of the Caspian Sea. Then there are the closely related Turkic Azeri, Turks of Khorasan and Turkmen of the north, as well as the 3 million Mazanderanis. The New Testament has recently been translated into Azeri.

2/3 under 30 Years Old in Iran

Other significant people groups include the Kurds in the northwest (5 million) and the Baluch in the southeast (623,000). There are few known believers among them. There are also the partly nomadic tribes who live in the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran: the Luri (5 million), Bakhtiari (1.15 million) and Qashqa'i (960,000). Many are illiterate and speak unwritten languages.

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Flag of Iran

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Map of Iran

Another important element of Iranian society is that two-thirds of Iran's 70 million people today are under 30 years of age, and half are under 20 years.

For more information about Iran, see the following websites: www.persianwo.org/, www.farsinet.com and www.shalizar.net.

Pray for the Muslims in Iran:

* Pray for a Christian fellowship to be established in all the ethnic groups of Iran.

* Pray for people to meet Christ in each of the 28 provinces of Iran, from the Kurds in northwest Iran to the Baluch in the southeast.

* Pray for the partly nomadic tribes (Luri, Bakhtiari and Qashqa'i). Pray for the effectiveness of recently developed radio broadcasts in their dialects.

* Pray that God would raise up Christian leaders in every major town and city of Iran.

* Pray that the Gospel message might penetrate into the remote villages of rural Iran.

* Pray for indigenous worship styles to be birthed and worship leaders to be raised up within the emerging churches.

* Pray especially for the youth of Iran to know God and be used by Him to take the Gospel of Christ to their nation. Pray for the younger generation to find their place and role in society.

* Bibles are in short supply within Iran. Pray for innovative and effective ways of distributing God's Word. Pray for the impact of literature already distributed and that banning of Christian literature ministries might be ended.

* Pray for the authorities of Iran, including political leaders, local authorities, policemen, and imams, that they might come to know Christ and have wisdom to rule their land with righteousness and justice.

* Pray that Christian Internet sites dedicated to Iran will draw Iranians to Jesus Christ.

Background on Iran (World Factbook)

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between.

Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction floundered as conservative politicians prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and made electoral gains against reformers. Elections in 2009 caused protests and riots. Additional protests in March 2011 failed to elicit significant participation largely because of the robust security response, although discontent still smolders.

Economy of Iran

Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass nearly $60 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. Private sector activity is typically small-scale workshops, farming, and services. Iran continues to suffer from double-digit unemployment and inflation - inflation climbed to a 28% annual rate in 2008. Underemployment among Iran's educated youth has convinced many to seek jobs overseas, resulting in a significant "brain drain."

About Iran

Population: 77,891,220 (July 2011 est.) World rank #18

Life Expectancy at Birth: 70.06 years. World rank #146

Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%

Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Literacy: 77% -- Male: 83.5%, Female: 70.4%

School life expectancy: 13 years

Testimonies from Iran - GodTube Video

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iran-insights/feed/ 18 Muslim Kurds in Canada http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/america-north/canada-kurds/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/america-north/canada-kurds/#comments Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:01:32 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/america-north/canada-kurds/ kurds-canada-30-days-net
Kurds have been coming to the United States and Canada from Turkey, Iraq and Iran for decades. Thousands of Kurds fled Iraq during and subsequent to Saddam Hussein's mass killings of Kurds through chemical and conventional warfare. Those who have gone to North America as refugees are survivors. Some of them were Kurdish freedom fighters who were tortured under Saddam Hussein's regime. Perhaps six thousand Kurds now live in Southern Ontario, Canada. Hamilton, Ontario, a city of half a million people, is home to about 2,000 Kurds. Most of the Kurds in Hamilton come from Northern Iraq and speak a Kurdish dialect called Sorani. All of them are weary of the violence, persecution and killing still continuing in Iraq today.

Identity Crisis

Over 90% of the Kurds in Hamilton are from a Muslim background (although some are communist or atheist and a few are Zoroastrian). Today, many of the Kurds in Canada have shed their identity as Muslims. A few have even become anti-Muslim. Although still believers in God, they tend to be suspicious of any religion.

Pizza Anyone?

In Hamilton, Kurds have specialised in the pizza business. They operate and work long hours in small pizza shops that are open seven days a week. The Kurdish refugees and immigrants love the freedom they have found in Canada to be Kurdish, to gather freely and to speak their language. However many are drying up spiritually and becoming materialistic. Kurdish children in Canada are growing up between two worlds. With English as their most familiar language, they're more comfortable in Canada than back "home" in Kurdistan. In Hamilton the Kurdish community runs a Kurdish language school for their own children in order to maintain their cultural and language roots.

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Flag of Canada

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Map of Canada

Reaching Out

In recent years some local Christians have made efforts to proclaim Christ among Ontario's Kurds. These believers desire to establish a movement of Kurdish house churches. They really want to help Kurds discover Christ and to live their new found faith in a fully Kurdish manner. In 2006, two Kurdish brothers professed faith in Christ. The family of these brothers is open to the Gospel, but not ready to make a commitment. Unfortunately this seems to be a repeated pattern.

Prayer Requests:

* Pray that Canadian believers can show their Kurdish friends how to follow Christ. May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified as Kurds, find the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

* Pray that God will send dreams and visions in order that the Kurdish community will see their spiritual need and God's provision through Jesus.

* Pray that Kurds will want to understand more of God's story through the Bible and Christian films.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/america-north/canada-kurds/feed/ 45 Pray for The Zaza Muslim peoples in Turkey http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/turkey-zaza/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/turkey-zaza/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:18:30 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-east/turkey-zaza/ duben-turkey"Are you a Turk?" - "Yes."
"Are you a Kurd?" - "Yes, of course!"
"Are you a Zaza?" - "Yes, that's for sure!"

The answer becomes more and more emphatic as we approach the core of the matter.

The truth is, the Zaza, or Dimili, are neither Turks nor Kurds. They live in the Eastern part of Turkey, in East-Anatolia, with their own language, history, and culture, but have never been recognized as a separate people group. They are a people with an oral culture, without a written language. Their stories are passed on orally from generation to generation, and because of this, they suffer considerable disadvantages inside the political state of Turkey.

The Assimilation

Since its existence, the Turkish republic has tried to assimilate its different people groups. Research of any group's own history and culture has been systematically banned, therefore the Zaza are an unknown people, even though they number approximately 3 to 5 million all over the world (of which 250,000 live in Germany). Possibly half of this people group has either emigrated into the Western world or moved to the larger cities of Turkey.

The Divided Zaza

The Zaza are not a homogenous group but are divided into two groups by religious orientation. The Northern Zaza are followers of the Alevi branch of Shiite Islam, which many Sunnis do not consider to be truly Islamic. The Southern Zaza, like their neighboring Kurds, belongs to the Sunni branch of Islam.

This religious division is mirrored also by their ethnic-cultural differences. Each group speaks a different dialect, with the differences in vocabulary and grammar (comparable to the difference between German and Dutch) being so significant that they have difficulty understanding each other. For the Northern Zaza, the Jesus film has already been made available; work is being done on the version for the Southern Zaza. This type of film ministry is especially important for oral cultures because many people do not know how to read and write in their own language.

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Flag of Turkey


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Map of Turkey

Christianity amongst the Zaza

Some immigrant families have become believers in Jesus Christ while in other countries, but there are few reports of similar developments in Turkey, their country of origin. It is thought that there is just a hand-full of Zaza believers in Turkey. Hearing the words of Jesus in their own language will certainly have a tremendous impact, making translation work very important.

Prayer guide for the Zaza in Turkey:

* May God help this people to discover the identity that He has planned for them in Christ.

* Pray for culturally appropriate means of proclaiming the Gospel among this people.

* Pray for a wide acceptance of the translated Jesus film among the people from the northern group and the completion of the film translation for the southern group.

* Pray for the growth and strengthening of the few existing Christians and the establishment of new congregations.

* Pray for the existing work of Bible translation in the southern dialect.

External link:

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/turkey-zaza/feed/ 7 Muslims in Sulaimaniya city, Iraq http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-sulaimaniya/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-sulaimaniya/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:02:04 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-east/iraq-sulaimaniya/ iraqi-children-30-days-netSulaimaniya is one of the newer cities in northern Iraq. It was founded in 1785 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha and is named after Sultan Suleiman (the Islamic name for Solomon) the Magnificent), who lIraked the Ottoman Empire to the height of its power. Sulaimaniya is situated near the Iranian border, with a population of approximately 800,000 inhabitants.

The Sorani-speaking Kurds

The city is the cultural center of the Sorani-speaking Kurds and is known for being young and progressive. The first school for Kurdish girls was founded here in 1915. The first Kurdish diploma in history was supposedly issued in Sulaimaniya, and the first four Kurdish newspapers in Iraq were published in Sulaimaniya. The university, founded in 1968, is the oldest institution of higher education in northern Iraq. Currently there are about 8,000 students, over half of which are women.

Dark Periods in History

The city has experienced many dark periods in its history. During World War I, the population was reduced from 20,000 to 2,500. When Sheikh Mahmud, who had been instituted by the British as Governor of Sulaimaniya, declared himself King of Kurdistan, the city was repeatedly bombarded by the British air force. In 1985, when Sadam Hussein was in power, more than 200 surrounding villages were reduced to rubble.

Politically

Politically, the city has been dominated for a long time by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) under Celal Talabani, the president of the Iraqi transitional government. Although Kurdish northern Iraq was considered to be particularly safe, a suicide assassin killed nine Kurdish soldiers in Sulaimaniya in October 2005. About the same time, the bird flu virus H5N1 was detected in dead geese in the surroundings of Erbil.

Religion in Sulaimaniya

Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, although the Kurdish form of Islam contains many mystical, ascetic elements and meditation techniques (Sufism). The region of Sulaimaniya is heavily influenced by the Islamic brotherhoods/orders of Qadiriya and Naqshbandi. The Qadiriya order is one of the most widespread of the Sufi orders in the Islamic world; the Naqshbandi order is a popular Dervish order and was founded in the 14th century in Boukhara.

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Flag of Iraq

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Map of Iraq

The Christian Quarters in Sulaimaniya

The Christian quarters traditionally lie in the eastern part of the city, along with one of three churches. The oldest church was built in 1862. Most indigenous Christians belong to the Chaldean Church, an ancient oriental church linked with the Church of Rome. Evangelical missions in Kurdistan began around 1830. Only a few isolated Kurds from an Islamic background have found faith in Jesus Christ. Many are held back by fear of being excluded from the Islamic community.

Prayer guide for Sulaimaniya, Iraq:

* That God would preserve the relative safety of Iraqi Kurdistan.

* That the Sorani Kurdish Bible could be distributed to many and that it would bring much fruit alongside with Christian radio and TV programmes, Christian literature and the Jesus film.

* May many Kurds may have increasing opportunities to meet credible witnesses for Jesus and loose the fear of following Christ.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraq-sulaimaniya/feed/ 2 Kurds around the Middle East http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/kurds-mid-east/ http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/kurds-mid-east/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:50:22 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-east/kurds-mid-east/ middle_east-map| · Kurdish Population: 26.15 million (approx.)
| · Turkey: 13 Million Iran: 5.5 Million
| · Syria: 1.2 Million Azerbaijan: 1.15 Million
| · Iraq: 4.1 Million Other: 1.2 Million

The Kurds are the largest ethnic group without a land

The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own homeland and the fourth largest block of people in the Middle East. For more than 4,000 years the Kurds have inhabited the Zagros Mountains, the Mesopotamian Plains, Taurus Mountains and Mt Ararat. This rugged mountainous region has provided a sanctuary from oppression and is their heartland, the single most important natural feature of Kurdistan. Kurdistan is not found on most maps but comprises the area of eastern Turkey, eastern Syria, northern Iraq, north-west Iran and southern Azerbaijan.

Exact estimates of the Kurdish population is difficult and contentious, in some countries it is politically beneficial to minimize their numbers, while many Kurdish political groups feel it necessary to exaggerate their numbers. In Turkey, Kurds are not counted as Kurds in population census yet they comprise almost 30% of the total population.

The Kurds are a people with no friends

Converted to Islam in 7th century, the Kurds are essentially Sunni Muslims yet they adhere to a diversity of tribal and family structures and local religious practices. History traces the Kurds as descendants of Indo-European tribes who settled in the mountainous regions of where they are found today. They are thought to be the direct descendants of the Medes and have retained their identity throughout the Ottoman and Persian empires. The Kurds are a significant people group in the Middle East and their aspirations for national identity will continue to be strongly expressed.

Traditionally a pastoral and nomadic people, yet today, most Kurds live in cities and large villages. However, Kurdistan remains a land rich in agricultural and natural resources.

A people faced with continual conflict from within and from without. In recent years many lives have been lost through these uprising and invasions and they often refer to themselves as a people with no friends. Enemies on all sides, hated and despised by their own fellow Muslims. These people need to know of a God who loves them so much, that he has sent His only Son as an atonement for their sins.

Prayer Guide for the Kurds

* Pray for these people to receive a revelation of the healing power of the Cross, and the grace and mercy of a God who loves them.

* Pray for the children and youth of this generation to want peace, and to be willing to make every effort to restore their lands.

* Pray for the Kurds, especially the leaders of each community to find Jesus and to be able to lead their families to know Him also.

* Ask God to raise up peacemakers, where there is hatred, may they bring peace. Pray for wise and just leaders to be raised up across all these communities and political fractions.

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