Introduction / History

The Shabak, a Muslim ethnic group, are farmers on the Nineveh Plains. They live in a geographical conflict zone, surrounded by the cultural fault lines between Kurds and Arabs. They have also faced hostilities from Sunni Muslims and the Turkmen. The post- invasion brought new factors of conflict among major groups vying for power, authority, and wealth. In 2014, ISIS swept across the Nineveh Plains, targeting religious and ethnic groups.

What Are Their Lives Like?

When the towns were liberated in 2016 and 2018, people returned to a landscape ravaged by destruction. The Catholic Church has returned to Mosul, and the city is home to a university. Believers there, and young people with fresh ideas for the future, could work together to bring the hope of the gospel to the Shabak.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Almost all Shabaks are Muslims. They have the strange distinction of being either Sunni or Shia Muslim.

What Are Their Needs?

Though there has been progress in the restabilizing of life on the Nineveh Plains, many lack confidence in the future. They struggle with identity, since they are being pulled to either be Kurdish, Arab, or something else.

Prayer Items

Pray for the Holy Spirit to move across the Nineveh Plains, whispering into hearts the truth that only God is sovereign, and only in him are lives of true victory possible.
Pray for the Lord to give dreams and visions of the victorious Christ to their elders.
Pray for the Lord to raise up a generation of Shabaks who will put their identity in Jesus Christ no matter what pressures may come their way.

Scripture Prayers for the Shabak in Iraq.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabaks