Byari (Beary) in India


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

Beary is a Dravidian language spoken by the Muslim communities in Karnataka and northern Kerala. This language is similar to Mappila, a common language for Muslims in Kerala. This is not the only language spoken by Muslim groups in this part of southern India.
Beary speakers trace their roots to Arab sailors and traders who arrived in South India 1400 years ago. There was intermarriage with the visiting Muslim Arabs. This group became one of India's first Muslim communities.
Through the centuries they had to fight off Portuguese and British invaders. We now call them the Byari people.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Byari people are devoted to Islam. They have their own schools called madrasas where they learn the ways of Islam. Thanks to these madrasas the Byari people have a high literacy rate.
Byari women loved to wear gold and silver colored ornaments. This love for ornaments came from imitating the Jains. Though they wear the Islamic burqa or Abaya when they are in public, they still wear ornaments.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Byari 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 Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, common 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 they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.


What Are Their Needs?

The Byari people need the Holy Spirit to direct them into a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.


Prayer Points

Pray for Byari culture to be renewed and enhanced by a work of the Holy Spirit and shaped into a God-centered and God-honoring mold.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among their family and community leaders to seek his face and enjoy his blessings.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers who will be compelled to nurture a disciple making movement among the Byari people.
Pray that soon the Byari people will have faith that will lead them to live honorable lives that will draw others to the savior.


Scripture Prayers for the Byari (Beary) in India.


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beary_language
https://iqbalsoofi.wordpress.com/beary/


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Byari (Beary)
People Name in Country Byari (Beary)
Alternate Names
Population this Country 512,000
Population all Countries 512,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 10
PeopleID3 21707
ROP3 Code 118495
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 5
Largest States
Karnataka
441,000
Maharashtra
31,000
Kerala
21,000
Tamil Nadu
18,000
Goa
1,100
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 5
  Karnataka 441,000
  Maharashtra 31,000
  Kerala 21,000
  Tamil Nadu 18,000
  Goa 1,100
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 India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Konkani (181,000 speakers)
Language Code knn   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 10
Secondary Languages
Tulu
92,000
Kannada
88,000
Konkani, Goan
33,000
Arabic, Mesopotamian
27,000
Malayalam
18,000
Marathi
6,400
Tamil
4,700
Urdu
2,900
Kodava
1,200
Primary Language Konkani (181,000 speakers)
Language Code knn   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 10
Secondary Languages
  Tulu 92,000
  Kannada 88,000
  Konkani, Goan 33,000
  Arabic, Mesopotamian 27,000
  Malayalam 18,000
  Marathi 6,400
  Tamil 4,700
  Urdu 2,900
  Kodava 1,200
People Groups Speaking Konkani
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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