Mahra in Yemen


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction

The Mahra are a smaller Arabic group who live near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Oman. The Sunni Muslim Mahra are classified as semi-nomadic warriors, a position of low recognition by Arab standards. Most Mahra Arabs operate in tribes each ruled by a sheik who is considered an expert in Islam and relating to outsiders. He oversees tribal affairs including the grazing territory for the herds. They believe children are a family's greatest asset. Boys receive inheritances through the patrilineal system. Girls are valued for raising families through marriage. Mahra share daily coffee and planning times. Outreach workers could connect through this setting. Any Mahra followers of Jesus need prayer support to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. A profession of faith in Jesus may cost a Mahra his family, his honor, his job, and sometimes his life. The Arabs' lifestyle and belief system challenge evangelization.


Ministry Obstacles

There are no resources in the Mehri language. However, Yemeni Arabic resources are available for the many who speak it.


Prayer Focus

Ask the Lord of the harvest to open the doors of Yemen to the gospel.
Ask the Holy Spirit to call people to share the love of Christ.
Pray that a network of strong local churches would be raised up among the Mahra.
Pray for peace and justice to reign in Yemen.


Scripture Prayers for the Mahra in Yemen.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Mahra
People Name in Country Mahra
Pronunciation MAE-rah
Alternate Names Arab Salah; Mahri; Mehri; South Arabic
Population this Country 106,000
Population all Countries 249,000
Total Countries 5
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 2
PeopleID3 13220
ROP3 Code 106046
Country Yemen
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 3  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Al Mahrah Governorate.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Yemen
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 3  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Al Mahrah Governorate..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Mahra in Yemen

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.05 %)
0.10 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.90 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Mehri (106,000 speakers)
Language Code gdq   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Mehri (106,000 speakers)
Language Code gdq   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Mehri

Primary Language:  Mehri

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1902)
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
None reported  
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Rod Waddington - Flickr  Creative Commons 
Map Source Location: IMB. Imagery: GMI, ESRI, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, ESRI User Community. Design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.