People group profile · PG049842
The Maria Muslims of India
The Maria Muslims of India, numbering about 161,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous Assamese Muslim community of northeast India, not a Gond or tribal group. They are historically associated with brass and bell‑metal craftsmanship and are recognized today as one of the indigenous Muslim peoples of Assam.
They are an indigenous people in the Bengali people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Assamese.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 161,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Bengali
- Primary language
- Assamese (asm)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Arunachal Pradesh: Changlang and Lohit; Assam state; Meghalaya: west Garo Hills; Nagaland: Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, Wokha, and Zunheboto; West Bengal: Jalpaiguri and Koch Bihar
Where they live
Gospel status
The Maria Muslims are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Maria Muslims
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Sunni Islam · Islam
Primary language
Assamese · Indo-European family
100% speak Assamese
Gospel resources in Assamese
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Maria Muslims
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
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