Inghiloi in Azerbaijan

Introduction / History

Georgian-speaking Azerbaijanis fall into two groups: Yereti Georgians who are Orthodox Christians; and the Inghiloi, who are Shia Muslims. Of these, the Inghilois are what the late Dr. Ralph D. Winter once called "hidden peoples," that is, peoples who are out of sight of missiologists and the Church at large. The Inghilois are apparently unknown even to students of Islam because they are not in Weekes' global survey, Muslim Peoples. We usually now use the term "unreached" people groups, since some groups lack a gospel witness whether or not they are on any missionary's radar screen.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Education in Azerbaijan is provided in the national language of Azerbaijani, but also in Georgian and Russian. The Bible is available in all three languages. Thanks to education and commerce, many Inghilois are bi- or multilingual. However, Azerbaijani is increasingly the preferred language among the Inghilois.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Most Inghilois are Muslim, but they also have Christians among them.

What Are Their Needs?

The Inghilois need the gospel for every family. As it stands, there is an incomplete harvest among them.

Prayer Points

Pray for a complete harvest among the Inghilois that will please the Lord.
Pray that the Georgian Orthodox Church gets a vision for reaching Muslim Inghilois with the gospel of Christ.
Pray that Muslim Inghilois will want to read the Bible and that God's Word will bear eternal fruit in them.
Pray for effective Christian radio broadcasts in Azerbaijan.

Text Source:   Joshua Project