Palestinian Arabs are a subset of the larger Levant Arab peoples. Only about half of the total population of Palestinian Arabs live in Palestine. Many have migrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The leaders of the UAE have used their oil and natural gas earnings to diversify the economy. This had led to some of the highest salaries in the world. It has also resulted in a great deal of immigration. Some of the immigrants are Palestinian Arabs. The majority of people living in this Persian Gulf nation today are not originally from the UAE.
Since many of the Palestinian Arabs living in the UAE are educated, they are able to get middle and lower-management jobs in the oil, tourist, and manufacturing industries. They can read and write Arabic, and many also speak English and French. Some bring their families to the UAE and purchase small homes or affordable apartments if they can obtain government permission. Uneducated Palestinians must take lower-paying, unskilled jobs. These include digging ditches, cleaning streets and sewers, and taking care of animals. These workers are not allowed to bring their families to the UAE. They send their earnings home and often live in squalid conditions, with a dozen or more living in one apartment.
A large majority of the Palestinian Arabs in the UAE are Sunni Muslim. There are only a few Christians. Sunnis believe that by following the Five Pillars of Islam they will attain heaven when they die. However, they believe that Allah, the supreme God of the universe, will ultimately determine who enters paradise. Sunnis pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast during the month of Ramadan and 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, slandering and making idols.
Many of the Palestinian Arabs living in the UAE have not heard the gospel message. They believe Isa (as they call Jesus) was a human prophet. The Palestinians working in lower-level jobs in the UAE would benefit by having Christian medical teams show them the love of Christ.
Ask the Lord to raise up a movement to Christ among the UAE Palestinians.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to produce a hunger for spiritual things among Palestinians in the UAE and for them to tune into Christian TV and radio programs.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among them this year.
Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Palestinian in United Arab Emirates.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
