Pashtun

A Warrior Wace

Pashtun, Pushtun, Pathan, Pushtoon, Pakhtun, Pakhtoon, Pushtu—are all various spellings of the name of a people group that predominantly live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pashtun, a warrior race consisting of about sixty tribes and numbering over 40 million worldwide, make up approximately half of Afghanistan’s population. Legends claim that they descended from Afghana, grandson of King Saul. Many Pashtun also live in Iran, the UK, the U.A.E and other places around the Gulf. In the U.A.E. they take jobs as day laborers, taxi drivers, bread bakers, construction workers, gardeners and truck drivers. These laborers work 6 days a week from sunrise to sunset with their only day off on Friday. Many of them work alone, going home for a month to see their families once a year. The loneliness they experience can help them be more open to learning new truth found in the Injil (New Testament). Almost all Pashtun are Sunni Muslims and they insist being Pashtun is to be Muslim. They are very deeply rooted in Islam, though we must remember Christ wants to redeem people from every nation, tongue, and tribe. Therefore, we can be confident that there are Pashtun people who God is preparing to receive the good news about Jesus Christ and His salvation. Want to learn more? Watch our 5 minute Profile Video by clicking here!

Cared About by God

There are very few Pashtun believers worldwide, a few of them are known in the Gulf Arab States where over 1 million of them live (Joshua Project). There are Northern, Southern, and Central Afghani Pathan living in the Arabian Gulf area, the Northern group being the largest group. There is no known local Pashtun church in this region of the world. Most Pashtun have little or no access to the Gospel in any form. Those who become believers often keep their faith to themselves for fear of deadly persecution. Those who become believers will most likely lose their families, jobs, opportunities in their society, and may even face death for their faith. Though a New Testament is available in their language, many are illiterate. Ways must be found to reach them via radio broadcasting and other media due to 90% functional illiteracy. There are a number of recordings available that need to be shared with these people but very few workers and volunteers to deliver them.

Request more information on how to become involved by sending an email to afgdiaspora@pobox.com.