Arab World

The Arab world in made up of North Africa and the Middle East (or West Asia). The Middle East sits where Africa, Asia and Europe meet, however, the countries of the Middle East are all part of Asia.

Population: Around 460 million.

Main religions:

Three of the world’s major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam have been birthed in this area. Holy sites for all three religions are found in these countries, nevertheless Islam has been the predominant religion in the Arab World since the 7th century, when the Muslims of Arabia spread throughout the region. Substantial Shia communities exist, predominantly in Iran and Iraq. There have been Christian communities in parts of the Middle East since the time of Christ and many still exist in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. There are several communities of Jews in the region, although most Jews have moved to Israel since its foundation in 1948.

Examples of Interserve projects in the region:

Business, teaching English as a foreign language, community healthcare, physiotherapy, education, environmental development, media, youth work, church ministry and theological education.

Pray

1. •Pray for the Christian minority, that they would be strong in their faith and that many would be added to their number.
   

2. •Pray for creativity in developing meaningful media projects and for widespread distribution of these materials.