Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Feb 10: Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 652,225 sq kmDry and mountainous but with fertile valleys. This strategic land has been fought over by rival foreign empires for nearly three thousand years.
Population: 29,117,489 Annual Growth: 3.51%
Capital: Kabul
Urbanites: 24.8%
HDI Rank: 181 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 76 (93% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Pashtu (used by 50% of population), Dari (Afghan Persian, used by 70%) Languages: 41 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Muslim| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 14,559 | 0.05 | 14.6 |
| Evangelicals | 8,442 | 0.0 | 16.7 |
| Muslim | 29,074,395 | 99.85 |
Challenges for Prayer
The present political situation – a foreign military working with a national government that is trying to be both progressive and conservative – is far from ideal, but it is an improvement from the tyranny of the Taliban. The Taliban imposed a harsh brand of Islam on the nation and continue to be a threat to national stability and security. The power of the warlords and tribal leaders is greater than that of the government forces or the US military; currently, most of them side with the NATO/Loya Jirga entente. Pray that the Afghan government might serve and govern with humility and wisdom. Pray that the people of Afghanistan may experience genuine freedom and an improved quality of life. Pray also that attempts by insurgents and warlords to destabilize the country might be thwarted and that a settlement might be negotiated.Media is a strategic and indeed essential ministry. Pray that all appropriate methods of witness may be used in the most effective manner.
a) Literature. Culturally appropriate discipleship courses and other training materials are being developed in the major languages of Afghanistan, in addition to many other types of evangelistic materials. These have been effective in reaching Afghans in exile and at home. Pray for those involved in producing, distributing and studying these materials.
b) Audio resources. A set of 45 Scripture stories has been produced in Hazaragi, which can be an effective template for other languages. GRN made audio recordings in 65 languages and dialects; many need transmission into modern formats. Worship music on CD in Afghan styles and languages is now available. Several organizations have collaborated to make portable pre-recorded audio players – one evangelistic, one of the NT in Dari and one for discipleship. Pray for their widespread distribution throughout the country.
c) Radio is a strategic way to proclaim the good news, since the majority of Afghans still listen to shortwave radio. FEBA, IBRA, and GFA Radio broadcast in the major languages of the country. Pray for the provision of and support for more Dari- and Pashto-speaking Christians to prepare programmes and answer mail. A handful of ministries have combined to develop many materials for radio and other media. “The Church in the Home” and other programmes have been especially helpful for national believers. Pray also for programming to commence in other languages.
d) The JESUS film is available in Baluchi, Brahui, Dari, Hazaragi, Pashto, Tajik and Southern Uzbek. Pray for its widespread use.
e) TV, a rapidly expanding medium. Pars, part of the SAT-7 family, is growing fast and offers Christian programming in Farsi, the language of Iran closely related to Dari. A Dari programme is being developed.
f) Christian websites have been very effective in reaching the global Afghan diaspora. Sites such as RadioAfghan.com , Sound of Life (sadayezindagi.com ), The Voice of Christ (afghantv.com ), afghanbibles.com and afghanbibles.org make available literally thousands of audio files and documents for download in several Afghan languages, developed for the evangelization and discipleship of Afghan peoples.
g) Video resources. Culturally appropriate videos are being developed that present narrative Scripture portions as stories about the main Bible characters. These will be available in Southern Uzbek in 2010 and other languages in coming years, starting with Dari.
h) Mobile phones. One of the fastest ways through which Scripture may be spread is sharing audio and audio-text Scripture files via mobile phone. This makes the mobile phone potentially the best evangelistic tool in the country!
For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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