AFWIS Joins with Operation World in Prayer for the Islamic Republic of Iran - Asia

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)

Home > Jul 16: Iran

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Jul 16: 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

Prayercast

Challenges for Prayer

The many promises of the Islamic Revolution, made over 30 years ago, have yet to materialize. The peace and prosperity that strict adherence to Islam was supposed to deliver have never materialized. Instead, a legacy of bloodshed, cruelty, injustice, extremism and economic deprivation discredits the conservative religious leaders and the narrow brand of Islam they promote. Repression, corruption, injustice and human rights abuses are frequent; religious leadership controls the police, army and judicial system. Strong allegations of fraud in the 2009 elections sparked widespread and continued protests, an indication of the frustration felt by millions. Pray that corruption and repression might end and a government that provides true justice and safety for all be established.
The Internet is another powerful tool for the evangelization of Iran, enormously popular among young people in particular. It is the ideal medium for a host of materials – readings, audio and video – in Persian. Many ministries are developing resources, from evangelistic sites to Christian news, to teaching materials to worship music in the main languages of Iran. Just a few examples – Farsi Christian News Network, Kalameh, Farsinet, Iranian Christian Broadcasting, Online Kelisa, Farsipraise Ministries, PWO and many others. Around 23 million Iranians have access to the Internet. Iran is the world’s third-largest blogging community, but the regime is very active in shutting down sites that pose perceived threats to the status quo. Over 40 million have mobile phones – another potential but unexploited means of transmitting the good news. Pray for the vast potential of the Internet to be realized for reaching Iran with the good news and for building up the body of Christ.
     For an additional 12 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.