Pray for The Behdini speaking Muslim Kurds of Iraq

Iraq

The Behdini speaking Kurds of Iraq are found in the northern most portions of the country, in the region of ancient Nineveh near the regional capitals of Mosul and Dohuk. There are about 1.7 million Behdini speaking Kurds in Iraq.

The entire Kurdish ethnic group numbers about 30 million people. They live mainly in southeast Turkey, western Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. Germany has the largest number of Kurds living in one place outside the Middle East (more than 400,000). Some Kurds consider their ancestors to be the Medes.

The most important holiday In Kurdish culture is their New Year's festival, which is traditionally celebrated on 21 March. On its eve, bonfires are lit in Kurdish villages and towns in remembrance of the legendary liberation of Kurdistan from an oppressive king. Special pastries are baked and new colorful clothes are worn. Many Kurds drive to the mountains to celebrate the festival with family and friends over picnics.

More than 90% of the Behdini speaking Kurds are Sunni Muslim, but in reality most practice superstitious folk Islam. Some Northern Kurds are involved in the Yezidi religion, which is a complex pre-Islamic belief possibly related to Zoroastrianism. The main Yezidi sanctuary is found in Lalish, not far from Dohuk.

All Kurdish languages (Kurmanji, Behdini, Sorani) are related to Persian and belong to the Indo-European language family. They are unrelated to Turkish, a member of the Ural-Altaic language family, or to Arabic, a member of the Semitic language family.

According to the different towns and regions, there are many dialects. At the moment only the gospel of John has been published in Behdini. Other portions of the New Testament are circulating but are still being revised. The Jesus film in Behdini was broadcast on Kurdish TV in Northern Iraq.

Despite the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in the spring of 2003, the Kurds are insecure about their future but thankful for their liberation from his oppression. At the moment, Behdini may be taught in schools in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. The current president of Iraq is a Kurd; it can be hoped that autonomy of the Kurds will remain part of the new Iraq. Creating their own political state, however, cannot ultimately solve the Kurds' problems. True peace can only come through the Kingdom of God.

Prayer guide for Behdini Kurds in Iraq:

* Pray for the very small number of Christians among the Behdini speaking Kurds. May they put their trust fully in King Jesus, while growing and being strengthened in the faith.

* Pray also that the complete New Testament can be translated into Behdini as soon as possible, be approved for publication, printed and distributed. May audio and video versions of the Gospel also be widely distributed.

Background information, map and statistics on Iraq can be found here.

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