Kurd, Kurmanji in Australia

People Name:	Kurd, Kurmanji
Country:	Australia
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	4,600
World Population:	16,635,800
Primary Language:	Kurdish, Northern
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	1.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.70 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Kurd
Affinity Bloc:	Persian-Median
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Who am I? For Kurdish Muslims, this question is very difficult. Kurds are one of the largest people group clusters in the Middle East, yet they live in a land dominated by Arabs, Turks, or Iranians, depending on the exact location. In each of these countries, they are expected to conform to the dominant culture.

Since the late 1960s, Kurdish refugees began to move to Australia, where yet another layer of "identity crisis" has hit them. Different Kurdish refugees came to Australia speaking different languages, so it is not easy to have their kids go to a "Kurdish" language and culture class. Like many second generation immigrants, Kurdish youths are stuck between the old and the new cultures.

Some refugees, like the so-called Boat People of Southeast Asia, eventually managed to get re-established in their host countries. The 1,500 Kurds in Australia are still having difficulties. Not only did many of them arrive with very little to get themselves started financially, but they lack business and language skills. They desperately need to learn English to find good jobs. As it is, many of them are in low-paying construction jobs.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Nearly all Kurds are Muslim, most being Shafiite Sunnis. They first embraced Islam after the Arab conquests of the seventh century. Today, they primarily look to Islam as a basis for social justice. However, despite being predominantly Muslim, religion has created deep rifts among the Kurds. Many of the dispossessed Kurd minorities have become associated with the secret and unorthodox sects of Islam.

Prayer Points

Pray for godly Christians to go to the Kurds in Australia to teach English and business skills.
Pray that Christian radio and TV broadcasts will fill the cultural gap by providing high quality materials in Kurmanji and other languages spoken by Kurds.
Pray that soon the Kurds in Australia will have their identity in their Savior.