Muslim women:
a special ministry segment
by Justin D. Long
| World | 10/40 Window | |
| Population | 6.15b | 3.88b |
| Females | 3.04b | 1.91b |
| Children (under 15) | 1.81b | 1.17b |
| Girls (under 15) | 0.92b | 0.58b |
| Muslims | 1.24b | 1.03b |
| Muslim Females | 0.68b | 0.51b |
| Muslim Girls | 0.18b | 0.15b |
10/40 Window average no. of girls born annually: 3,876,000
10/40 Window average no. of girls dying annually: 1,058,000
Muslim women are the second largest bloc of women. Of the 3 billion women worldwide, 23% are Muslim women--nearly 1 out of 4. Of these, three-quarters live under the restrictions of the 10/40 Window, where most remain separated from contact with the rest of the world. They are often unschooled, illiterate (and thus unable to read the Scriptures or literature), and have little contact with outsiders (and thus have little opportunity to receive direct evangelism, or indirect tools like audio scriptures or the "Jesus" film). Of special note are Muslim girls, numbering 180 million in total. Of these, more than 80% live in the 10/40 Window.
Reaching Muslim women with the Gospel requires creative strategies. Broadcasting ministries can be fruitful, but since most Muslim women in the "hardest" World A countries (e.g. Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, etc) are kept cloistered away from contact with men, women are usually required for follow-up ministries. Since most women are illiterate, traditional means of follow-up (literature distribution, Bible correspondence courses, theological education by extension, etc) will not work.
One avenue may be the mobilization of women from third-world societies that are somewhat more open (e.g. India, Bangladesh, etc). These women could then begin making inroads into the closed societies of Muslim women in more restrictive areas. Another potential ministry avenue is the large number of ministries to refugees.
If your ministry has had some successful models in evangelizing Muslim women, why don't you join the reality-check-discuss group and share your model? Hit 