30 Days of Prayer during Ramadan 2014 Day 17 - July 15 United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its Muslim Peoples The UAE is a federation consisting of seven sheikhdoms located on the Arabian Gulf. The seven sheikhdoms (also called Emirates) are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Qawain, Ajman and Fujairah. For centuries, this area was known as the Pirate coast, as this remote region was something of a haven for pirates and was also a source of wealth for enterprising pearl fishermen. Formerly known as the Trucial States, the rulers of the Sheikhdoms signed an agreement in 1853, making their territories British Protectorates. In 1971 they became the confederation of monarchies. The UAE is one of the most politically stable countries in the region and since the establishment of the federation; the emirates have ironed out inter-emirate squabbles and tensions, cementing that stability. The UAE is a complex and diverse place. It’s a short drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, but a massive culture leap. Abu Dhabi remains deeply conservative, while Dubai is far more liberal in comparison. The northern emirates are far less developed than the economic powerhouses of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This group of small Muslim nations has remained hidden over the centuries, but with the discovery of oil in the 1970s, they have been brought to the world’s attention. As a result of the oil boom, breathtaking advances from poverty to fabulous wealth in the last 30 years has brought a tremendous transformation to this land. Building a modern society on the sand, they now have one of the highest incomes per capita in the world. Massive development schemes are funded by oil wealth. Education, health care, and social services are virtually free. Abu Dhabi has enormous oil reserves. Dubai and Fujairah’s are much smaller, and the other four emirates have little or no oil. Of the many different tribes that make up the country’s national population, very few were ever wholly nomadic. The majority of them were settled, at least for much of the year, engaging in simple agriculture, or in the age-old practice of harvesting the pearl banks and fishing. Only about 20% of the inhabitants of the UAE are nationals. The rest are all foreign workers. There are large groups of Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians and Southeast Asians. The population is, however, 95% Muslim. Sunni Islam is the religion of the state. The radical changes over the last three decades have made the UAE citizens more cosmopolitan and open to new ideas, yet Islamic fundamentalism has increased restrictions. Many are in daily contact with foreign Christians, but not all believers have opportunities to share their faith because of the possible consequences. There is freedom to worship and witness within the expatriate communities, but no outreach to the indigenous population is officially permitted. When you pray: * Pray for the Christian foreign workers, that their lives and testimony would be a witness among those who share a common language. * Pray for those who have material wealth, that they would not be satisfied with earthly riches, but that they would seek after Jesus, the greatest treasure there is to be found. * Ask God to break the influence of the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Muslims from hearing and receiving the Good News of the gospel. Check us out at 2414ministries.org or contact us at [email protected]
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 00:16:31 +0000
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