Khoja in Pakistan

Introduction / History

The Khoja are a Muslim community which still retains some Hindu practices. They maintain intercommunity linkages with all the communities, both of the Islamic faith and of the non-Islamic faith.
The Khoja community speaks a number of languages in Pakistan, though they are most likely to speak Western Punjabi.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The majority are engaged in trade. Only sons inherit ancestral property, and the eldest son inherits the father's authority. First cousins are preferred as spouses. They arrange marriages through negotiation and marry within subgroups. Disposal of the dead is by burial. They attend the mosques of both the Shias and the Sunnis.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Khoja people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
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.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.

What Are Their Needs?

The Muslim Khoja people need to accept the warm embrace of the only savior so they can enjoy spiritually meaningful lives.

Prayer Points

Pray the Khoja will learn they can download scripture, the JESUS Film and gospel recordings from the Internet. Especially pray the younger people will become interested in these downloads and will read and listen to them.
There probably are no followers of Jesus today among the Khoja of Pakistan. However, please pray the Lord will prepare and send teachers and pastors at the proper time to those who will soon come to saving faith in Christ.
Pray the Khoja community will increasingly desire to know the love of God, and will learn that a relationship with a loving God is possible because of the sacrifice of God's Son, Jesus.

Text Source:   Joshua Project