Persian in India

Introduction / History

The Persians enjoy a long history of many empires of kings and kingdoms, poetry, art and advances in math and science. They were typically ruled by a king until 1979, when their last king or shah was overthrown by Islamic revolutionists. Now Iran is an Islamic nation under the ayatollah, or religious leader. The revolution has driven millions of Persians out of Iran. Some migrated to India.

Other Persians migrated to India long ago. They were nomads who settled in India.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Some Iranians are struggling to get the education they need. Others came with money and education; these people are able to flourish like they are in other parts of India.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Many Persians are fed up with Islam, but they believe it is all they have in the way of spirituality. Shia practices tend toward the ecstatic. They affirm human free will, and they differ with the Sunni Muslims in matters of law and ceremony. Unlike the Sunnis, Shias believe that Mohammad's successor should be someone in his bloodline, namely Ali. Because some of their leaders have faced violent, martyr’s death, Shias understand that a righteous man can be killed by the unrighteous. For this reason, Christ’s death on a Roman cross isn’t as foreign to them as it is to Sunnis. Only about 15 percent of the world’s Muslims are Shia; most of the rest are Sunni.

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.

What Are Their Needs?

Persians in India need the spiritual discernment it takes to seek, find and embrace the only savior.

Prayer Points

Pray that the sheer wonder of knowing Jesus and the impact he has on their lives and the joy he brings spur believers to share Christ with the Persian people.
Pray the hearts of the Persian people would be stirred by a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit readying them for the time when they hear the gospel message being shared with them.
Pray they will experience dreams and visions of Jesus leading them into a saving relationship with him.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Jesus Christ among the Persian people in India.

Text Source:   Joshua Project