Domal in Pakistan


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

At one time the Domal people were Hindus. They converted to Islam during the Muslim conquest. The Domal are part of the much larger Pashtun people, and in Pakistan they speak Pashtu, the Pashtun language. The Domal are known as warriors who fiercely defend their families and land. Illiteracy is a problem for the Domal as many of them are unable to read and write. The Domal people live in the mountains and valleys of north India in the Jammu and Kashmir state. Another group of Domal live across the border in Pakistan.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The main occupations of the Domal are animal husbandry and agriculture. They live much like their ancestors. They take care of flocks and herds of animals such as sheep, goats and cattle. From the animals, the Domal obtain meat, dairy products and hides. The men take the animals up to the higher ranges in late spring and return to the valleys in autumn. Women and some men engage in agriculture. They grow wheat, barley, potatoes, and vegetables during the warm, short summers of the mountain regions. The Domal trade dairy products and animals for things they cannot make themselves such as weapons, ammunition and tools. The Domal live in rock, wood and mud houses. Many of the Domal do not have access to electricity. This is changing as solar panels on the top of their houses can provide energy to run electrical devices and charge cell phones. Village elders settle legal disputes and deal with outsiders. Unfortunately, violence is common in Domal lands between villages and with other Muslim Pashtun groups. The fighting, droughts and animal losses often keep the Domal living at the subsistence level. Families arrange marriages with the consent of the young people. A man may have more than one wife, but the normal situation is one wife.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Domal people are Sunni, the largest branch of Islam. They believe that the One, Supreme God, Allah, spoken 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. In most of the Muslim world, peoples like the Domal 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. The often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.


What Are Their Needs?

The Domal need help in educating their adults and children. They need the benefits of modern medicine and electricity. Most of all, the Domal need to hear and understand the life-changing message of Isa or Jesus Christ. He alone can get their right with the one, true God and give them the inner peace of knowing that their sins are forgiven.


Prayer Points

Pray for gospel workers to catch a vision for reaching the Muslim Domal people for Jesus and that in God's sovereign timing their hearts would be open and ready to follow Him. Pray for Jesus movements to bless extended Domal families so the gospel will spread rapidly among this people group. Pray for the spiritual lives of the Domal people to become fruitful as they follow Christ. Pray for the lives and culture of the Domal people to evidence the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God as they open to the gospel, and for the beauty of Jesus to be seen in them.


Scripture Prayers for the Domal in Pakistan.


References

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


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Domal
People Name in Country Domal
Alternate Names डोमल
Population this Country 8,700
Population all Countries 24,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16735
ROP3 Code 111978
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)
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 1
  Azad Kashmir 8,700
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 Hindko, Northern (4,000 speakers)
Language Code hno   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 6
Secondary Languages
Pahari-Potwari
3,700
Kashmiri
400
Pashto, Northern
200
Urdu
200
Hindko, Southern
60
Primary Language Hindko, Northern (4,000 speakers)
Language Code hno   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 6
Secondary Languages
  Pahari-Potwari 3,700
  Kashmiri 400
  Pashto, Northern 200
  Urdu 200
  Hindko, Southern 60
People Groups Speaking Hindko, Northern
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Create International  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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