Hijazi Arab in United States


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Saudi Arabia is home to a number of different Arab people groups. The Hijazi Arab (more commonly known as Saudi Arabs) form the majority of the Saudi Arabian population and live predominantly along the Red Sea coast and in the major urban areas. They speak a language called Arabiya, or, as it is more commonly called, Hijazi Arabic. The Arab culture was developed by tribes of nomads and villagers who lived in the Arabian Desert. From there, Arab migrations spread throughout the Middle East and northern Africa, leading to the expansion of the Arab world.


Where Are they Located?

Saudi Arabs are few and far between in the U. S., but they are most likely to be found in California, followed by Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.


What Are Their Lives Like?

There are very few permanent Saudi residents in the U. S. Most are students who will return to their home country after they graduate. Saudis started coming to the U. S. to study in the 1940s and 1950s, but as their country developed their own universities, these numbers have dwindled. Their pride as the keepers of Islam has kept most Saudis from considering non-Muslim lands as a permanent home. It is hard for them to adjust to living in a country where Sharia is not the law. Marriage often unites a couple, but Saudis almost never marry anyone outside their people or those from other Persian Gulf nations.


Arabia once had a large Christian population, but they were expelled when Islam gained control 1,300 years ago
What Are Their Beliefs?

Hijazi Arabs are practically all Muslim, but represent a variety of Islamic sects. The founding of Islam in the seventh century profoundly altered the course of Saudi history. In the mid-1700s, Mohammed ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed his fundamentalist sect, and today, the Saudi see themselves as the preservers of the true Islamic faith. The city of Mecca on the Red Sea coast is the holy place of pilgrimage that all Muslims must try to visit at least once in their lifetime.


What Are Their Needs?

At the present time, few Hijazi Arabs in Saudi Arabia have accepted Jesus as their Savior. A profession of faith in Jesus may cost a person his family, his honor, his job, or even his life. Evangelization of this group will be challenging, due to the nature of the Arabs' lifestyle and belief system. Prayer is the key to reaching them with the message of the Cross.


Prayer Points

Ask the Holy Spirit to call people who are willing to go and share the love of Christ with Saudi Arabs in the United States. Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession. Pray for the Holy Spirit to raise up a church planting movement among Saudi Arabs throughout the world. Pray for a spiritual hunger that will take the Hijazi Saudi Arabs from depending on works-righteousness to dependence on the only Savior, Jesus Christ.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Saudi - Hijazi in United States.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Saudi - Hijazi
People Name in Country Arab, Saudi - Hijazi
Natural Name Hijazi Arab
Pronunciation hee-JAH-zee AE-rub
Alternate Names Ad-Mu'allin; African-Arabian Arab; Hijazi Arab; Saudi Arab
Population this Country 79,000
Population all Countries 11,767,000
Total Countries 4
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 2
People ID 14784
ROP3 Code 108748
ROP25 Code 300418
ROP25 Name Arab, Saudi
Country United States
Region America, North and Caribbean
Continent North America
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Country United States
Region America, North and Caribbean
Continent North America
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Hijazi (79,000 speakers)
Language Code acw   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Hijazi (79,000 speakers)
Language Code acw   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Hijazi

Primary Language:  Arabic, Hijazi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2022)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Arabic Bible Online Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Hijazi Jesus Film Project
Text / Printed Matter Tools for faith conversations Campus Crusade for Christ
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Tribes of the World - Flickr  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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