Without moving, the Alawite religious community moved from Syria to Lebanon and Israel. In fact, their town of Ghajar is split between Israel and Lebanon. It sits in the Golan Heights where it belonged to Syria until the 1967 War when Israel captured the area. When Israel formally annexed Golan, Alawites in Ghajar opted to become Israeli citizens. This made their group the only Alawite community in Israel. Then the UN drew Lebanon's border to cut through the heart of Ghajar. There are over a million Alawites in neighboring Syria, where the Syrian president is part of the Alawite religion. The Alawites in Ghajar find economic benefits by identifying with Israel, so they practice their unique version of Islam in a land ruled by Jews.
Alawites borrow beliefs from other religious groups, and worship a relative of Islam's prophet, Mohammed. Alawism says that all people were once stars in the world of light, but they fell due to disobedience. Individuals must be reincarnated seven times before they once again return to being stars. They see themselves as a persecuted minority, God's chosen people, the only ones who have seen the light. They think that if people are sinful, they will be reborn as Christians.
* Scripture Prayers for the Alawite in Israel.
Pray that tentmaker missionaries will contact this isolated group.
Ask the Light of the World to reveal Himself to the Alawite leaders of Ghajar.
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
Global Prayer Digest: 2008-12-13 |
People Name General | Alawite |
People Name in Country | Alawite |
Pronunciation |
AH-lah-wite
|
Population this Country | 2,100 |
Population all Countries | 2,038,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
Alternate Names | Levantine Arab |
People ID | 18805 |
ROP3 Code | 114499 |
Country | Israel | ||
Region | Africa, North and Middle East | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Country | Israel |
Region | Africa, North and Middle East |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Primary Language | Arabic, North Levantine Spoken (2,100 speakers) |
Language Code | apc Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Arabic, North Levantine Spoken (2,100 speakers) |
Language Code | apc Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Arabic, North Levantine Spoken |
Primary Language: Arabic, North Levantine Spoken
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1939-1981) |
Bible-New Testament | No |
Bible-Complete | No |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Arabic Bible Online |
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels |
Film / Video | The Story |
Film / Video | Together Toward Growth |
Film / Video | Together Toward Growth (EngSub) |
General | Gospel resources links |
Text / Printed Matter | Bible: Arabic, North Levantine Spoken |
Text / Printed Matter | Bible: Comic Book Version |
Text / Printed Matter | Tools for faith conversations |
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 %
|
Christian Segments ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Anglican |
Unknown
|
Independent |
Unknown
|
Orthodox |
Unknown
|
Other Christian |
Unknown
|
Protestant |
Unknown
|
Roman Catholic |
Unknown
|
Photo Source | Bashar Kadi - Pexels Creative Commons |
Map Source | Funk Monk - Wikimedia |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |