Gulf-spoken Arab in Saudi Arabia


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

What is now Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the Islamic prophet, Mohammed, who united Arabia under the banner of Islam and began to conquer lands as far west as Morocco and Spain and as far east as India. For hundreds of years, Arabia was inhabited by Bedouins who moved to wherever they could find food and water for their livestock. Little changed until the early 20th century.
In 1902, King Abdulaziz (aka, Ibn Saud) began to conquer the four regions of what is now Saudi Arabia. By 1932 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by that same king. Saudi Arabia is also known as the "House of Saud" since it is ruled by one family. Others call it the "land of the two holy mosques," in reference to the two holiest places in Islam. One is in Mecca and the other in Medina.
The Saudis discovered petroleum in 1938, and Saudi Arabia is now the world's second largest oil producer behind the US, and their oil wealth is one of the key means of spreading Islam throughout the world.
Gulf Arabic is the language of a fraction of Saudi Arabia's population, and most who speak this language live in the less inhabited and oil rich northeastern region. The various Arabic dialects are seldom mutually intelligible.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Commonly speakers of Gulf Arabic in Saudi Arabia work in the petroleum industry.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Saudi Arabia is committed to Sunni Islam, specifically the Wahhabi sect. Wahhabism arose out of the central region of Najd in the 18th century as a movement to purify Islam. The Saudi government supports Wahhabism and wishes to see it spread far and wide. They frown upon other Islamic sects such as Sufism and any Shia form of Islam. Due to Wahhabi teachings, Saudi Arabia is among the most conservative Muslim countries in the world.


What Are Their Needs?

Those who speak Gulf Arabic are usually not lacking in wealth, but they are completely closed to allowing Jesus Christ to transform their lives and give them life to the full.


Prayer Points

Pray for a Disciple Making Movement to flourish among these staunch Muslims.
Pray for open hearts and minds to the life-changing ways of Jesus.
Pray for believers to find success in getting the JESUS Film and other materials to Gulf speaking Saudis.


Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken in Saudi Arabia.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken
People Name in Country Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken
Natural Name Gulf-spoken Arab
Pronunciation gulf AE-rub
Alternate Names Al-Hasaa; Arab; Arab, Gulf Arabic Speaking; Bahraini Arab; Emirian; Gulf Arab; Gulf Arabic Speaking; Gulf Arabs; Gulf Speaking; Iranian Arab; Saudi Arab
Population this Country 1,070,000
Population all Countries 7,242,000
Total Countries 12
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 21
PeopleID3 10376
ROP3 Code 100427
Country Saudi Arabia
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country North, Ash Sharqiyah Province, from southeast Kuwait border inland, then east to Persian Gulf north of Al Damman; south, Yeman and Oman borders, Ash Sharqiyah and Najran provinces.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Saudi Arabia
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country North, Ash Sharqiyah Province, from southeast Kuwait border inland, then east to Persian Gulf north of Al Damman; south, Yeman and Oman borders, Ash Sharqiyah and Najran provinces..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.10 %)
0.20 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.80 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Arabic, Gulf
Language Code afb   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Arabic, Gulf
Language Code afb   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Arabic, Gulf
Photo Source Hella Nijssen - Pixabay 
Map Source Bethany World Prayer Center  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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