Did you know that there are Arabs living in India? Most Arab peoples live in the Middle East and across North Africa. Smaller groups of Arabs live in other areas of the world including India. Arab merchants have been visiting India on trade journeys for over 500 years. Some Arab traders decided to marry local women and make India their permanent home. Arab officers often served in the armies of Indian empires. A larger concentration of Indian Arabs lives in the west India state of Maharashtra. The primary family language of Indian Arabs is the Iraqi dialect of Arabic. An Iraqi Arabic New Testament was completed in 2006. Indian Arabs also speak the local languages where they live. Many educated Arabs speak English which helps them in their businesses.
The Arabs of the Diaspora (those scattered throughout the world) are a diverse group. Some are wealthy upper class business owners. Others are lower middle class shop keepers or work in restaurants and in the trades. All of them take pride in their Arabic language and traditional culture. Indian Arabs want their children to marry within their group. Indian Arab parents would prefer to bring in an Arab young person from Iraq or Iran than have their child marry an Indian young person. If the Arab parents can afford it, they have their child attend Arabic language study on Saturday or Sunday. In the Indian Arab family, the father is the head of the house. Women and mothers are gaining more independence and status as they attend universities and work outside the home. Sons often follow in the business of their father. A father and mother with many children, especially sons, are considered blessed by Allah or God. Most parents encourage their children to go to college and obtain professional degrees. Life revolves around going to mosque on Fridays with other Muslims.
The Arabs of India practice Islam. Muslims try to obey the teachings of the Koran and the prophet Mohammad. They believe that by following the Five Pillars of Islam that they will attain paradise when they die. However, Allah, the supreme God of the universe, determines who enters paradise. Muslims 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. There are very few if any Christians in this people group.
Indian Muslims need to understand the Isa or Jesus is much more than a human prophet. Muslims must see that their sins can only be forgiven by God through Jesus Christ.
Ask the Lord to call Muslim background believers in India to reach out and share the love of Christ with the Arab Indians. Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Arabs of India towards Christ so that they will be more receptive to the gospel. Pray that God will raise up faithful intercessors who will stand in the gap and pray for the Indian Arabs. Ask the Lord to raise up a Disciple Making Movement among the Arabs in India in this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Arab in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Arab |
People Name in Country | Arab |
Pronunciation |
AE-rub
|
Alternate Names | Anglolan Arabs; Baggara; Bedouin Arab; Bosnian Muslims; Chavus; Coast; Coast Arab; Hemat; Iraqi Arab; Lebanese Arab; Levantine Arab; Nawar; Palestinian Arab; Palestinian Arabs; Saudi Arab; Syrian Arab; Syro-Lebanese Arab; अरब |
Population this Country | 2,900 |
Population all Countries | 755,000 |
Total Countries | 31 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 10375 |
ROP3 Code | 100425 |
ROP25 Code | 300393 |
ROP25 Name | Arab |
Country | India | |||||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||||||||
Total States on file | 14 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States |
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Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||||||||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 14 |
Maharashtra 900 | |
Kerala 300 | |
Delhi 300 | |
Gujarat 300 | |
Karnataka 300 | |
West Bengal 300 | |
Uttar Pradesh 100 | |
Telangana 100 | |
Madhya Pradesh 100 | |
Andhra Pradesh 60 | |
Rajasthan 50 | |
Bihar 10 | |
Tamil Nadu 10 | |
Uttarakhand 10 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
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 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken (2,900 speakers) |
Language Code | acm Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken (2,900 speakers) |
Language Code | acm Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken |
Primary Language: Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes |
Bible-New Testament | Yes |
Bible-Complete | No |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
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 Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Text / Printed Matter | Tools for faith conversations | Campus Crusade for Christ |
Photo Source | Hashim Abdullah - Pixabay |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |