With a population of around 30 million, the Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a nation. They live in a rugged region stretching across Turkey, the Middle East, and Iran.

Most Kurds are Muslim. But a growing number of Kurdish Muslim-background believers can be found throughout the countries of this region.

A proud and autonomous people, the Kurds began asserting their independence in the early twentieth century after their homeland was divided among Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Since then, the Kurds have clashed with the governing regimes around them. Throughout their struggle for independence, they’ve often fled violence and sought refuge in the mountains. “The Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” says a popular Kurdish proverb.

Now, in the midst of a shifting balance of power involving Turkey, Syria, and other global powers, a humanitarian crisis is mounting. As the political landscape evolves rapidly, Kurdish families are once again fleeing for their safety.

Pray with us that the Kurds will take refuge in God—and find a true friend in Christ Jesus.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. — Psalm 18:2

Pray for the Kurds

• Protection: Ask God to protect the lives of Kurdish men, women, and children as they leave areas now controlled by Turkey.
• Peace: Pray for calm in the region, an end to violence, and for the Kurds to find lasting peace in Jesus Christ.
• Healing: Ask the Lord to heal each man, woman, and child traumatized by war, violence, and displacement.
• Witness: Pray for Kurdish followers of Jesus to grow in boldness and faithful witness, with new believers added every day.
• Hope: Pray that, in this time of insecurity, the Gospel will spread and lead many families to place their hope in Christ.

Main photo by Levi Clancy

Original article: https://frontiersusa.org/blog/the-kurds