Goriya (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan
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Map Source:
People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project
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| People Name: | Goriya (Muslim traditions) |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| 10/40 Window: | Yes |
| Population: | 2,200 |
| World Population: | 20,200 |
| Primary Language: | Urdu |
| Primary Religion: | Islam |
| Christian Adherents: | 0.86 % |
| Evangelicals: | 0.86 % |
| Scripture: | Complete Bible |
| Ministry Resources: | Yes |
| Jesus Film: | Yes |
| Audio Recordings: | Yes |
| People Cluster: | South Asia Muslim - other |
| Affinity Bloc: | South Asian Peoples |
| Progress Level: |
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Introduction / History
The Goriya people speak four different languages, but in Pakistan they speak Urdu, the trade language.
What Are Their Lives Like?
The Goriya people live a simple life as farmers. Their women have very little say in their lives. Marriages are arranged by family elders.
What Are Their Beliefs?
The Goriya 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.
What Are Their Needs?
Christ is missing in their communities. There are probably no believers among them in Pakistan. The New Testament is available to them in the Urdu language.
Prayer Points
Pray for God to make Bible resources widely available to the Goriya people in Pakistan.
Pray for a spiritual awakening in every Goriya community in Pakistan that will bless one family after another.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to thrust out committed and loving workers to the Goriya people.