30 Days of Prayer - Pakistan

An Islamic Offshoot - Zikri Baluch

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 30 for October 12

The Zikri Baluch are an offshoot of mainstream Islam that is concentrated in the Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. There are about 750,000 adherents in this group. Most Zikris live in Baluchistan, but a large number also live in the region around Karachi and Iran. A high percentage of Zikris are involved in fishing, mainly along the coast of the Arabian Sea. Some are also involved in farming, basket weaving and making other hand crafted items.

Muslim But Different

Their practices are based around the teachings of Syed Mohammad Jaunpuri, a 15th century and South Asian Islamic Messiah figure (Mahdi). In religious practice, the Zikris differ greatly from mainstream Muslims. Zikris perform five daily prayer rituals called Zikr in which sacred verses are recited which differ from orthodox Islamic prayer. Zikris do pilgrimage to their most famous shrine at Koh-e-Murad, near the city of Turbat in Baluchistan, on the twenty seventh night of Ramadan. “Koh” means “mountain”, and “Murad” is a name, meaning “aim”or “desire”. It has been reported that the Zikris perform rites similar to a traditional Hajj when on pilgrimage to the shrine.

The name Zikri comes from the Arabic word dhikr (pronounced “Zikr” in South Asia) that refers to remembrance, usually of Allah. This is reflective of the Zikri worship, focused on the recitation of Islamic credos. The movement of Syed Jaunpuri started as a reaction to the worldly pursuits of the Muslim elite. Zikris have faced persecution mainly from Sunni Muslims, but this usually has occurred in areas where they are in a minority, or in conflict with non-Zikri power groups. The Zikri came to Baluchistan seeking safety, and in their isolation, they deviated from the Muslim majority practices.

The Future Question

It is probable that many other influences will come into the lives of the Zikri in the coming years. The Pakistani and Chinese governments have been deeply involved in developing the Gwadar deep-sea port which is being linked to the rest of Pakistan, to China and to Central Asia through a system of roads and pipelines. Gwadar’s population is about 50% Zikri. If the forecasted economic development based on the port actually takes place all of Baluchistan and the region will be significantly affected.

It has been reported by a couple of fishermen that Jesus appeared to them in a storm and rescued them while on a fishing trip. Pray that many more Zikri fishermen would truly encounter Jesus, and become real fishers of men!

Prayer Requests for the Zikri Baluch:

* In recent years a number of Zikris who have become followers of Jesus. Pray for growth in the ways of God (faith, hope and love) for all of these new believers (1 Cor 13).

* Pray also that these new believers would make known their faith among their family and friends, and that whole families and clans would become followers of Jesus.

* Pray that the top religious leaders of the Zikris would come to know Jesus, through the Scriptures, testimonies, films, dreams, visions, healings, etc., so that their followers would also embrace the Truth.

Background information, map and statistics about Pakistan can be found on our site here …>>

30 Days of Prayer - India

The Forgotten City - Firozabad, India

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 27 for October 9 (We are posting these one day early to include all time zones.)

Firozabad is a significant city of approximately a half million people located 45 minutes east of Agra by car (the city where the Taj Mahal is located). Firozabad is still being researched for ministry purposes. No local congregation of Christians exists there at the present time. It appears that about half the population is Muslim. The remaining population is comprised of Hindus and Jains (believers in Jainism). A very large Jain temple is located on the outskirts of the city.

Breathing Glass in Firozabad

The glass industry is very well established at Firozabad. It has been called the glass capital of India. Local artisans and factories produce glass bangles (bracelets), drinking glasses and a wide variety of other glassware. Some people have observed that the people of Firozabad do not breath air but glass. Dozens of shops in the markets sell nothing but glass bangles. Thousands of children work in the glass industry around the 300 glass factories polishing and painting the glass bangles in very poor conditions. The city also suffers low literacy and there is significant pollution linked to the glass industry.

The tallest building in the city is the main mosque in the heart of downtown. During Friday prayers this mosque is full with several hundred Muslims present. Large numbers of young boys are attending the Qur’anic school linked to the mosque. It is still not certain if most of the Muslims in this city are truly religiously Muslim or simply culturally Muslim. The women wear traditional Muslim dress.

No Known Churches… Yet

There is no known believer in this city. Some Christians who recently visited Firozabad saw God open doors for the Gospel with four young Muslim men. They gave a copy of the Bible to one of the young Muslims who is also sharing it with the others. Through phone calls and e-mails it seems that they continue to read the Bible. Some of the visiting Christians were even invited to a wedding in the same family as the young man who has a copy of the Bible. The young Muslim men know that the Christians are followers of Jesus and that we pray for them daily. Hopefully Christians visiting the city will continue to find men and women of peace and good will.

Firozabad in some ways is what you would call a forgotten city. It is the closest large city to Agra, the tourist capital of India, and yet there are no tourists who visit this city. When a tourist does come to Firozabad, traffic literally stops on the streets.

Prayer Points for Firozabad:

* Pray for God to raise up workers to go to this city and share the Gospel message (both short term and long term workers are needed).

* Pray for discernment of those who go to work in this city as they do research and minister.

* Pray for God to speak to the city’s youth through His Word (including those mentioned above).

* May people become dissatisfied with Hinduism and Islam and long for more than they presently have.

* Pray for the many children used as cheap labour in the glass factories and for real solutions to the pollution problems.

Background information, map and statistics about India can be found on site here …>>

30 Days of Prayer - Dreams & Visions

Dreams and Visions of Jesus

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 25 for October 7

During the next few nights many Muslims around the world will often spend much of the night praying to God. Many will be seeking divine intervention for pressing needs.

Night of Power

The so called Night of Power, or “Laylat ul-Qadr” as it is known in Arabic, is one of the most significant moments of the Islamic year (It is the 27th night of Ramadan which varies from country to country depending on when people start Ramadan). Muslims believe that groups of angels are sent out on the Night of Power to perform special acts. Some come down to earth to worship Allah, others come to bring about the requests of believing Muslims. Special angels are also said to descend to earth to make proclamations about the coming year. This night is also called the “Night of the Decree or Destiny” by some. This night of “blessing” is supposedly the same night of the month of Ramadan as when Mohammed first received the revelation of the Qur’an. Muslims are often encouraged to stay awake during the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. This is one moment of the year when Muslims are perhaps a bit less fatalistic and have increased confidence that God will hear and act on their behalf.

The “30 Days” movement wants to encourage Christians around the world to especially pray for Muslims especially during the next 48 hours that many Muslims will really meet the Lord in visions and dreams. We also want you to pray for the success of a special web site which tells the stories of several Muslims who met the Lord in incredible ways (www.DreamsAndVisions.com).

Testimony

A testimony from the site: Mohammed grew up in a Fulani tribe in Nigeria and started rearing cattle when he was six years old. He did this for almost 10 years until he went to an Arabic school to study the Qur’an. Prior to this, Mohammed had learned about Islam from his father. After several years of schooling, he returned home.

One night he had a frightening dream. Then as second and a third. Then for six nights, Mohammed had similar dreams. Each time, Mohammed saw himself in different places and, regardless of where he was, the same man in white came and helped him. In the last dream (the 9th dream), Mohammed was sitting under a tree reading books that he couldn’t understand. The man in white (Jesus) was sitting beside him. Jesus took a book and said, “This book comes from the Lord and it has the message of God inside of it. In this book, I will show you verses which will help you.” Jesus read scriptures to Mohammed, including John 14:6, which says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The next day Mohammed told a Christian acquaintance about his dream. Mohammed suffered greatly for his new found faith. He was rejected by his father and several times he was in danger of death by persecution.

You can read his whole story on the dreamsandvisions.com web site.

Suggested prayers:

* Lord, may You break down all thoughts of self-righteousness through religious activity among Muslims who participate in the Night of Power. May You move them toward true humility before You (Dan 4:37).

* May all glory be Yours because of Your loving character and for all You have done. Lord, may You be acting during the Night of Power so that people may have a revelation of Jesus, the Messiah.

* Lord, remember those who are genuinely seeking Your help this night. May You give them the help they need in such a way that they will understand that help comes through the Messiah, Jesus (Ps 34:18, Zech 9:9).

* Lord may the dreams and visions site (dreamsandvisions.com and morethandreams.org) become well known in the Muslim world. Open many doors so that many Muslims can have similar experiences and be encouraged by the testimonies on the site.

30 Days of Prayer - Mauritania

Muslim Mauritania

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 23 for October 5

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.” (Isaiah 35:1)

Mauritania, an Islamic republic in North Africa, is a vast desert; constantly hot, dry and very dusty. Its legal system is a combination of Shari’a (Islamic law) and French civil law. Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania has suffered from a succession of military coups and ongoing tribal conflict. A severe drought over the past decades has devastated the country. In 1957, a small fishing town called Nouakchott was chosen to be the capitol of the new country. Now there are more than 600,000 people living here. The capital has become a crossroads for many ethnic groups with nomadic roots.

Miracles Despite the Heat

A Christian who recently visited the country described the general situation of Mauritanian believers. “You can have freedom of speech, if you are a Muslim. You can have freedom of religion, if you are a Muslim. It is in fact OK to be a Christian, but it is offensive to speak of Jesus as anything other than one of the prophets.” In this setting God is doing wonders, despite the guards that sometimes stand at church doors to ensure that Mauritanian citizens don’t enter. God has given dreams to Mauritanians even in remote areas. In the interior of the country, an Imam showed the Jesus Film in a mosque. The Iman later died and the results are unclear, but such seed sowing needs to continue. By God’s grace, there are now Mauritanians following Christ in many countries around the world.

Testimony from Mauritania:

Soon after coming to faith in Christ, Bokar told his Christian friends that he wanted to do away with a special undershirt inscribed with Koranic passages and interwoven with dozens of amulets. Several Mauritanians were afraid and said the shirt could not be destroyed, that if burned, it would jump out of the fire. This type of shirt makes the wearer impervious to any weapon. It is one of the most powerful enchantments known to the Hal-Pulaar (Fulani). After much prayer, Bokar burned his iron shirt, and the result was tremendous spiritual growth in his own life. Many who heard of the incident gained a new respect for the power of the Gospel.

Subjects for Prayer

* Pray for revelations of the love of God for whole population of over three million people.

* Desperate poverty plagues the lives of most Mauritanians, causing a sense of hopelessness and despair.

* Despite the grip of Islam on the country, animism is practised by most people. The deep-rooted fear of evil spirits (known as jinn) binds many people. Many seek supernatural help through divination and occult practices.

* There are often tensions between different tribal groups, (Soninké, Fulani, Maures, Wolof, etc.) which can lead to violence.

* Corruption is endemic in all areas of society.

* Divorce is widespread, and women and children often suffer the most.

30 Days of Prayer - Liberia

Muslims in Liberia

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 22 for October 4 (We are posting these one day early to include all time zones.)

“The love of liberty brought us here” was the motto the freed American and Caribbean slaves who founded modern Liberia. Unfortunately Liberia, “the land of the free” was largely destroyed in last decades by civil war (1989-1996 and 2002-2003). Liberia was founded in 1822 by repatriated African American slaves. This West African nation had relative calm until 1980 when food riots sparked an overthrow and eventual civil war. With prayer and action the original vision of a free and prosperous Liberia can be restored.

Muslims in the Northwest

Liberia is a religiously and ethnically diverse country. Religiously, about 40% of the population is Christian, another 40% are animist and 20% are Muslim, primarily in the Northwest. It is made up of sixteen principal tribes and 5% referred to as Americo-Liberians. The predominately Muslim tribes are the Mandingo, Vai, Gbandi, and Mende. In Monrovia, the capital, many Muslims are from other countries. The Muslim presence is highly visible with many mosques, Islamic schools, and people dressed in the traditional robes and head-dress. Islam is growing in Liberia.

Bitterness

Many Liberian Christians know little or next to nothing about Islam. Some have bitterness towards Muslims because of the recent civil war. Charles Taylor’s government (1997-2003) encouraged Islamic practices. To further complicate matters, the current UN peace keeping force is dominated by Muslims. Mosques are being built and renovated around the country. Some of the visiting peace keepers have had children with Liberians and those children are automatically considered to be Muslims.

The country is under-developed. The ethnic or inter-tribal struggles which led to civil war are still active. The church is in its embryonic stages, both numerically and qualitatively. Paganism is at an all time high.

“To maintain Christianity … as an influence in Liberia society, the Liberian Christian community has to do a better job in attending to the needs of the poor, fighting against the systemic corrupt practices in government, condemning ritual killings, and above all fighting for economic and social justice for all. Failure to appropriately address these social ills will result in Islam filling the void and Christianity becoming the marginalised religion.” J. Patrick Flomo, The Perspective

Pray God’s vision for Liberia:

* Charles Taylor’s civil war (ending in 2003) always had religious undertones. Pray that God’s true message of peace can be proclaimed.

* A large number of foreign missionary groups work in the country. Pray that the seeds of truth they have sown will come to bare mighty trees giving hope and refuge to many.

* The Poro and Sande secret societies teach young men and women to seek “supernatural power”. Pray for those locked into these societies to be freed from the chains of darkness.

* The beginning and ending dates of Ramadan cause conflict every year. Pray that the conflict would instead turn to a time to present the Gospel. “All things are possible, only believe.”

* The churches are not prepared adequately to reach out to Muslims nor to train those who are seeking to become disciples. God’s heart for the lost must be the vision of all Christians in Liberia. Pray for practical training for Christians and for those coming to the faith.