By definition, Persians (also known as Iranians) are an ethnic group native to the region known today as Iran. The Persian language, called Farsi, is part of the Indo-Iranian language family, and is the official language of Iran. Dari, the language of the elite in Afghanistan, is a dialect of modern Farsi.
Persian groups began to settle in the territory that is now Iran as long ago as 1000 B.C. The loosely associated Persian tribes later became a more cohesive political unit under the Achaimenian Dynasty, and their unity soon made them the dominant ethnic group in the region.
For 1,200 years, Persia maintained a culture that became increasingly more complex and rigid, laying the foundation for a successful Arabian conquest in the seventh century. It was not until the Islamic revolution of 1979 that massive changes came both to Iran and to the Persian people.
The vast majority of Persians now live either in Iran or in one of the nearby Middle Eastern countries. However, small Persian communities can also be found in other nations all over the globe, such as Finland.
The lives of Finnish Iranians seem to be studies in the "different." In Iran, Shia Muslims are the majority, but in Finland, they are the minority. Their dark skin sets them apart from the fair Finns. Their clothing is not normal by European standards, and their language is nothing if not different. This causes much difficulty for the Iranians who have been raised in Iranian Muslim culture. As a result, they tend to socialize primarily with each other, blocking out the radically different culture that surrounds them.
Children tend not to be bothered by such things, and easily pick up the way of life that surrounds them, but the older children and teenagers find themselves torn between the societal pressures to conform and the loyalty to Muslim culture demanded by their parents. This conflicting pressure causes many Muslim teens to drop out of school altogether, in turn creating an employment gap that the Muslim Iranians have a hard time overcoming.
Though they are officially Shia Muslims, many Iranians who have left Iran tend towards secularism, especially in the secularized environment of Europe. However, some have had the chance to hear about and be drawn to Jesus Christ.
The Islamic world is extremely difficult to influence with the gospel, but Iran seems to be the exception. The Lord is growing His Church in Iran, and many have come to faith in recent years. Prayer is needed for this to extend to the Iranian Diaspora in all parts of the world, including Finland.
* Scripture Prayers for the Persian in Finland.
Pray that God will raise up faithful intercessors who will stand in the gap for the Iranian Diaspora.
Pray for a Disciple Making Movement to flourish among Iranians all across Finland.
Ask the Lord to call and send out people who are willing to share the love of Christ with Iranians.
Ask God to strengthen, encourage, and protect formerly Muslim Iranians who have come to faith in Christ. Pray they will reach out to others.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
Global Prayer Digest: 2007-03-05 |
People Name General | Persian |
People Name in Country | Persian |
Pronunciation |
PUR-zhun
|
Population this Country | 14,000 |
Population all Countries | 42,530,000 |
Total Countries | 43 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
Alternate Names | Fars; Irani; पर्षियन |
People ID | 14371 |
ROP3 Code | 107987 |
Country | Finland | ||
Region | Europe, Western | ||
Continent | Europe | ||
10/40 Window | No | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Country | Finland |
Region | Europe, Western |
Continent | Europe |
10/40 Window | No |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Primary Language | Persian, Iranian (14,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pes Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Persian, Iranian (14,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pes Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Persian, Iranian |
Primary Language: Persian, Iranian
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1546-1965) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1815-1979) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1845-2014) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching |
Audio Recordings | DAVAR Partners recording, complete Bible |
Audio Recordings | General Ministry Resources |
Audio Recordings | Online Audio Scripture |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio |
Film / Video | God's Story video |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Persian, Iranian |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels |
Film / Video | Magdalena video |
Film / Video | My Last Day video, anime |
Film / Video | Rivka video |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children |
Film / Video | The Hope Video |
Film / Video | The Prophets' Story |
Film / Video | The Savior 0 - The Savior Trailer |
Film / Video | The Savior 3 - Woman at the Well |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.20 %) |
2.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
97.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
1.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Christian Segments ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Anglican |
0.0 %
|
Independent |
29.0 %
|
Orthodox |
59.0 %
|
Other Christian |
0.0 %
|
Protestant |
4.0 %
|
Roman Catholic |
8.0 %
|
Photo Source | Hamed Saber - Flickr Creative Commons |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |