7. I n d i a :

MILLIONS JOIN TOGETHER IN PRAYER THREAD FOR "ADAM WEAVERS"

CHRISTIANS AROUND THE world unite soon to pray that the "second Adam" - Jesus - will become known to a Muslim people group which traces its lineage back to the first man on earth.
The 11 million Julaha - found in Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as northern India - are one of the subjects of the fifth annual 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus, which begins on January 10.
As many as ten million people are expected to take part in the event, which runs parallel to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.The daily prayer guide - half a million copies of which have been printed, in nearly 30 translations - highlights the Julaha on February 2, urging prayers for "a revelation of Jesus through His word, dreams and visions".
Despite few government restrictions on Christian outreach to Muslims in India, there are no known churches or missionaries among the Julaha, who are one of the largest of the country's 60-million Urdu-speaking groups.
Taking their name from the Persian word for "ball of thread", the Julaha are renowned for their handloom cottons and silks, and claim to have been weavers since the beginning of time.
"Their tradition says that they are direct descendants of Adam, who on seeing his nakedness after the fall, taught his sons to weave," said Kim Greig, 30 Days' international coordinator. "We hope that through many people's prayers, they will one day see themselves linked to the 'second Adam' - Jesus."
Originally Hindu, the Julaha converted to Islam for social and economic reasons in the 1600s, and today practice a syncretistic form of faith which includes saint worship. Clannish and closed to outsiders, many Julaha have changed occupations in recent years because of competition from modern mills.
The Julaha - also known as Momin - are one of the largest people groups spotlighted in the prayer campaign, which also features different parts of the world and special issues for daily prayer, such as the needs of refugees.
The 30 Days event was launched by Youth With A Mission in 1993 to encourage Christians around the world to pray more seriously for the billion people of the Muslim world, most of whom have never heard the gospel.
Swahili and Chinese versions are among the new translations of the prayer guide available this year, with more than 180,000 copies distributed by December. A special children's edition of the booklet has also been produced for the event, which runs through to February 8.
The prayer campaign runs alongside Ramadan - one of the five "pillars of Islam", during which time Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset - as "an act of identification", said Greig.
"Muslims fast as an act of identification with the poor, and to affirm the worldwide brotherhood of Islam. It is a strategic time to pray for the Muslim world, that the gospel might be spread, and for an increased commitment to prayer by Christians worldwide.
"Our desire is to see the spread of the gospel across the Muslim world, and for the preparation of the Christian church for a wonderful move of God among Muslims."
Now an independent ministry, the 30 Days project has been endorsed by many groups, including Campus Crusade for Christ, Operation Mobilization, and theAD2000 and Beyond movement.