It's a rare thing when a new country is born. Rarer still does one ethnic group get credit for the country's existence. Pakistan was born in 1947, and the Memons have been instrumental for Pakistan's economic survival.
The Memons are business people; traders, shippers, importers and exporters. For centuries they thrived economically while other Muslim groups struggled. As Pakistan grew in stability, the Memons expanded their trades. Several built international empires. Centuries before independence, the Memons practiced charity and social involvement.
Wherever they migrate, they establish social and welfare committees. Any member of their group can ask for help, making sure that they don't face dire poverty like many of the other Islamic groups of South Asia.
But turmoil in Pakistan has caused the Memons to feel unwanted. Still, in spite of repeated political maneuvers to destroy their power, the Memons rise like a phoenix. But many have shifted their centers of activity to other countries.
The Memon people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
Though their material needs are met, their spiritual needs are lacking. The only one who can provide Pakistan's Memons with the abundant spiritual life they need is Jesus Christ.
Pray that followers of Christ, involved in international business, will demonstrate God's priorities of love, humility, justice and mercy. Pray that Memon businessmen will encounter revelations of Jesus and turn to him.
Pray for a soon coming movement to Christ among the Memons in Pakistan.
Scripture Prayers for the Memon in Pakistan.
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2014/10/05
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2007/10/12
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2007-10-12 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2012-04-17 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2014-10-05 |
People Name General | Memon |
People Name in Country | Memon |
Pronunciation | MEM-un |
Alternate Names | Kachchh Memon; Kachchhi Memon; Kachhi; Kuchchi Memon; Kutchi Memon; Mamar; मेमोन |
Population this Country | 171,000 |
Population all Countries | 897,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 3 |
People ID | 17530 |
ROP3 Code | 112952 |
Country | Pakistan | |||
Region | Asia, South | |||
Continent | Asia | |||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||
National Bible Society | Website | |||
Persecution Rank | 7 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||
Total States on file | 2 | |||
Largest States |
|
Country | Pakistan |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 7 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 2 |
Sindh 162,000 | |
Islamabad 900 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
100.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest Pakistan census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Sindhi (111,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | snd Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 8 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Sindhi (111,000 speakers) |
Language Code | snd Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 8 |
Secondary Languages | |
Urdu 39,000 | |
Kacchi 9,300 | |
Dhatki 5,800 | |
Marwari 1,700 | |
Saraiki 1,200 | |
Punjabi, Western 600 | |
Gujarati 80 | |
People Groups | Speaking Sindhi |
Primary Language: Sindhi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1825-1981) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1890-1992) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1954) |
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 |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Anonymous All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |