What is now Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the Islamic prophet, Mohammed, who united Arabia under the banner of Islam and began to conquer lands as far west as Morocco and Spain and as far east as India. For hundreds of years, Arabia was inhabited by Bedouins who moved to wherever they could find food and water for their livestock. Little changed until the early 20th century.
In 1902, King Abdulaziz (aka, Ibn Saud) began to conquer the four regions of what is now Saudi Arabia. By 1932 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by that same king. Saudi Arabia is also known as the "House of Saud" since it is ruled by one family. Others call it the "land of the two holy mosques," in reference to the two holiest places in Islam. One is in Mecca and the other in Medina.
The Saudis discovered petroleum in 1938, and Saudi Arabia is now the world's second largest oil producer behind the US, and their oil wealth is one of the key means of spreading Islam throughout the world.
Gulf Arabic is the language of a fraction of Saudi Arabia's population, and most who speak this language live in the less inhabited and oil rich northeastern region. The various Arabic dialects are seldom mutually intelligible.
Commonly speakers of Gulf Arabic in Saudi Arabia work in the petroleum industry.
Saudi Arabia is committed to Sunni Islam, specifically the Wahhabi sect. Wahhabism arose out of the central region of Najd in the 18th century as a movement to purify Islam. The Saudi government supports Wahhabism and wishes to see it spread far and wide. They frown upon other Islamic sects such as Sufism and any Shia form of Islam. Due to Wahhabi teachings, Saudi Arabia is among the most conservative Muslim countries in the world.
Those who speak Gulf Arabic are usually not lacking in wealth, but they are completely closed to allowing Jesus Christ to transform their lives and give them life to the full.
Pray for a Disciple Making Movement to flourish among these staunch Muslims.
Pray for open hearts and minds to the life-changing ways of Jesus.
Pray for believers to find success in getting the JESUS Film and other materials to Gulf speaking Saudis.
Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken in Saudi Arabia.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken |
People Name in Country | Arab, Arabic Gulf Spoken |
Natural Name | Gulf-spoken Arab |
Pronunciation |
gulf AE-rub
|
Alternate Names | Al-Hasaa; Arab; Arab, Gulf Arabic Speaking; Bahraini Arab; Emirian; Gulf Arab; Gulf Arabic Speaking; Gulf Arabs; Gulf Speaking; Iranian Arab; Saudi Arab |
Population this Country | 1,055,000 |
Population all Countries | 7,157,000 |
Total Countries | 12 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 21 |
People ID | 10376 |
ROP3 Code | 100427 |
ROP25 Code | 300401 |
ROP25 Name | Arab, Gulf |
Country | Saudi Arabia | ||
Region | Africa, North and Middle East | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
Persecution Rank | 13 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | North, Ash Sharqiyah Province, from southeast Kuwait border inland, then east to Persian Gulf north of Al Damman; south, Yeman and Oman borders, Ash Sharqiyah and Najran provinces. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Saudi Arabia |
Region | Africa, North and Middle East |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
Persecution Rank | 13 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | North, Ash Sharqiyah Province, from southeast Kuwait border inland, then east to Persian Gulf north of Al Damman; south, Yeman and Oman borders, Ash Sharqiyah and Najran provinces.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.10 %) |
0.20 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
99.80 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Arabic, Gulf Spoken |
Language Code | afb Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Arabic, Gulf Spoken |
Language Code | afb Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Arabic, Gulf Spoken |
Primary Language: Arabic, Gulf Spoken
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2013) |
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 |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Arabic Bible Online | Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry |
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Film / Video | God's Love Story | General / Other |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Arabic, Gulf Spoken | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Magdalena video | Jesus Film Project |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Text / Printed Matter | Tools for faith conversations | Campus Crusade for Christ |
Photo Source | Hella Nijssen - Pixabay |
Map Source | Bethany World Prayer Center |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |