AFWIS and Operation World Praying Together for the Islamic Republic of Iran

Jul 14: Iran

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Iran

Islamic Republic of Iran

Asia

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Geography

Area: 1,648,196 sq km
Situated between the Caspian Sea to the north and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the south. A central desert ringed by mountains.
Population: 75,077,547    Annual Growth: 1.19%
Capital: Tehran
Urbanites: 69.5%
HDI Rank: 88 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 103 (90% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Persian (Farsi; Dari and Tajik are major dialects); almost all Iranians speak some form of Persian as a mother tongue or second language    Languages: 79 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	384,897	0.51	5.1
Evangelicals	117,678	0.2	19.6
Muslim	74,054,491	98.64

Answer to Prayer

Massive numbers have recently been coming to Jesus. From only 500 Muslim-background believers in 1979, conservative estimates now suggest over 100,000 MBBs in Iran, a number rapidly increasing. Some, more optimistic, place this number as high as a million. Never since the 7th Century has the Church in Persia grown so fast as post-1979, and the most recent years are the most fruitful. In a country able to apply the death sentence for apostasy, this underground church multiplication is a remarkable move of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders, dreams and visions seem to abound.
     For an additional 2 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

Iran’s political, economic and social situations are fragile and mystify many outside observers. It is an ancient, noble and proud civilization, but one that in the modern era seems set on irritating allies and provoking everyone else. The ruling elite are as pragmatic as they are unpopular.
a) Politically, Iran has a strong regional foreign policy, seeing itself as a regional superpower. This fuels a volatile attitude toward the West and Israel, accusations of financing of terrorist groups, and expansion into the power vacuum left by the conquest of Iraq. Such actions could be attributed to the fact that, for most of the last 1,500 years, Iran has been dominated by foreign powers. It also points, at least in part, to attempts to prepare the way for the Madhi, the future Imam who, according to Shi’ism, will establish Islam as the global religion and will defeat the Antichrist.
b) Financial prospects do not inspire much hope, despite vast oil and gas deposits and long-stated rhetoric about empowering the poor. Steady inflation and squandered oil wealth combine with aborted or failed economic reforms to instill low confidence in the future. Unemployment rises to over 30% for those under age 30. An estimated 13 million Iranians live below the poverty line.
c) Social breakdown is evident as never before. The widespread and illegal underground party-circuit flouts Islamic values. Around 200,000 of Iran’s best-educated young people emigrate every year, and 36% of Iranians aged 15-29 expressed an intention to do the same. There are nearly five million drug addicts (Iran has the highest rate of opium addiction in the world), 200,000 street children and a very large number of prostitutes. Pray that those facing pressure and hopelessness might find release and hope in Christ; there is greater openness than ever to the gospel and a great need for Christian ministry to these groups of desperate people.
Pray that Iranians' aspirations for greatness, prosperity, freedom, and even righteousness might be expressed honourably and ultimately in reverence for and worship of Jesus.
     For an additional 13 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Iran.