Palestinian Arab in Libya


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Have you ever heard of the phrase "jumping out of the frying pan into the fire?" In 1948 and 1967 many Palestinians fled the turmoil and violence in Palestine looking for a peaceful place to work in and to raise their families. Some came to the north African nation of Libya. For many years Libya was a relatively prosperous and stable under the control of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In 2011 Gaddafi was overthrown and since then a civil war has raged in Libya. Oil revenues that once provided money to boost the economy have declined by 90%. At the time of this writing (2021) Libya has broken into various areas controlled by many different factions.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Since 2011 the lives of the Palestinians in Libya have been disrupted. Some have joined one of the many factions, some have tried to stay neutral, and others have left the country. Before 2011, Libya was a decent place to live as long as the Palestinians stayed out of the national politics. Educated Palestinians held leadership positions in the oil industry, schools, journalism, entertainment, and tourism. All that changed with the death of Gaddafi in 2011. For the past decade Palestinians, like other people in Libya, have experienced poverty, violence and insecurity.


What Are Their Beliefs?

 The Palestinians living in Libya are Sunni, the largest branch of Islam. They try to obey the teachings of the Koran and the prophet Mohammed. Sunnis believe that by following the Five Pillars of Islam that they will attain heaven when they die. However, Allah, the supreme God of the universe, determines who enters paradise. Sunnis pray five times a day facing Mecca. They fast the month of Ramadan. They attend mosque services on Friday. If a Muslim has the means, he or she will make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in his or her lifetime. Muslims are also prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, using deceit, slandering, and making idols.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.


What Are Their Needs?

All the residents of Libya including the Palestinians need peace and a stable, just government. The many factions of the civil war need to put down their weapons and work together. The Palestinians living in Libya may never hear a clear presentation of the gospel. Isa or Jesus is much more than the human prophet that He is deemed to be in Islam. The Palestinians working in Libya would benefit by medical teams of believers coming to help them and showing them the love of Christ. Business experts could come and help reestablish Libyan businesses with loans and advice.


Prayer Points

Pray for a peaceful and just settlement to the Libyan civil war. Ask the Lord to raise up a Disciple Making Movement among the Palestinians in Libya in this decade. Pray the Holy Spirit produces a deep hunger for spiritual things among Palestinians in Libya.  Pray that Palestinians would tune into Christian TV and radio programs and be open to the message of hope.
Pray that Palestinian parents in Syria would be able to provide adequately for their children.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Palestinian in Libya.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Palestinian
People Name in Country Arab, Palestinian
Natural Name Palestinian Arab
Pronunciation pail-uh-STIN-ee-un AE-rub
Alternate Names Arabic, Palestinian-Jordanian; Gazan Arab; Israeli Arab Muslim; Lebanese Arab; Levantine Arabs; Palestinian Arab; Syro-Lebanese Arab
Population this Country 71,000
Population all Countries 11,442,000
Total Countries 26
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 14276
ROP3 Code 107785
ROP25 Code 300415
ROP25 Name Arab, Palestinian
Country Libya
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 3  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Country Libya
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 3  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.10 %)
1.60 %
Ethnic Religions
9.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
87.40 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
2.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Levantine (71,000 speakers)
Language Code apc   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Levantine (71,000 speakers)
Language Code apc   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Levantine
Photo Source Levi Meir Clancy - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source Bethany World Prayer Center  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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