Iraqi Arab in Lebanon


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

A small number of Iraqi Arabs have been in Lebanon for decades; most of them were young men seeking to enhance their careers in Beirut. They began to arrive in much larger numbers in the 1990s, especially Shia Muslims who were fleeing the excesses of the Saddam Hussein regime. Others fled because of international sanctions after the 1991 Gulf War which harmed the Iraqi economy. After the second Gulf War in 2003, an even larger number of Iraqi Arabs fled for Lebanon, and these were more likely to include Sunni Muslims and Christians. Most Iraqi Arabs who are in Lebanon arrived after 2009. Lebanon was an attractive place to go because it was relatively easy to get there and they believed they had a better chance of being moved from Lebanon to a country with a stronger economy.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Well over half of the Iraqi Arabs in Lebanon arrived illegally, usually by being smuggled across the Syrian-Lebanese border. They cannot find legitimate work since they are there illegally, so the Iraqi Arabs tend towards the unofficial sector. Iraqis often depend on their children as a source of outside funds, so their children are with them, and these children attend school. They must adapt to a different form of Arabic in Lebanese classrooms.


Iraq is presently in turmoil. This offers both obstacles and opportunities for the Iraqi Arabs to learn more fully of who Jesus truly is, but that will require believers to obey the Lord faithfully.
What Are Their Beliefs?

Iraqi Arabs in Lebanon are most likely to be traditional Christians or more likely Shia Muslims. Both Sunnis and Shias agree that Allah is the one true God and that Mohammad was his messenger. They both practice the Five Pillars of Islam, but there are some major differences. The Shias believe that Mohammad's successor should be someone in his bloodline, namely Ali. The Sunnis believed a pious individual who would follow the Prophet's teachings was the right choice. Because some of their leaders have faced violent, martyr's death, Shias understand that a righteous man can be killed by the unrighteous. For this reason, Christ's death on a Roman cross isn't as foreign to them as it is to Sunnis. Only about 15 percent of the world's Muslims are Shia; most of the rest are Sunni.


What Are Their Needs?

Iraqi Arabs need the chance to get their lives back in a peaceful land where they can do productive work and raise their families.


Prayer Points

Pray for Iraqi Arabs in Lebanon to know God as their provider and lean on him. Pray that the Iraq Arabs in Lebanon will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings. Pray for workers who are driving by the love and boldness of the Holy Spirit to go to them. Pray for a Disciple Making Movement among them to begin this decade.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Iraqi in Lebanon.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Iraqi
People Name in Country Arab, Iraqi
Natural Name Iraqi Arab
Pronunciation ee-RAH-kee AE-rub
Alternate Names Arab, Mesopotamian Speakers; Arab-Mesopotamian; Iraqi Arab; Iraqi Arabs; Mesopotamian Spoken; North Iraqi Arab
Population this Country 20,000
Population all Countries 21,994,000
Total Countries 24
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 12247
ROP3 Code 104056
Country Lebanon
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Country Lebanon
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.20 %)
1.60 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
96.00 %
Non-Religious
0.30 %
Other / Small
2.10 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Mesopotamian (20,000 speakers)
Language Code acm   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Mesopotamian (20,000 speakers)
Language Code acm   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Mesopotamian
Photo Source Christiaan Briggs - 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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