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DFID - UK - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Joshua Project
Unreached people group
Arab Lebanese Muslim
UnreachedWhere the gospel has not yet reached this people
4.7M people from this group live in countries where they remain unreached or minimally reached:
-
Lebanon Unreached
2.414.000 people -
Morocco Unreached
582.000 people -
Qatar Unreached
292.000 people -
Saudi Arabia Minimally reached
242.000 people -
Egypt Minimally reached
181.000 people -
Venezuela Minimally reached
126.000 people -
Syria Minimally reached
111.000 people -
United Kingdom Minimally reached
104.000 people -
Mexico Minimally reached
92.000 people -
Côte d’Ivoire Minimally reached
75.000 people -
Liberia Minimally reached
68.000 people -
Kuwait Minimally reached
62.000 people -
Denmark Minimally reached
32.000 people -
United Arab Emirates Unreached
31.000 people -
Yemen Minimally reached
30.000 people -
France Minimally reached
25.000 people -
Sweden Minimally reached
24.000 people -
Jamaica Minimally reached
21.000 people -
Portugal Minimally reached
20.000 people -
Israel Minimally reached
19.000 people -
Serbia Minimally reached
17.000 people -
Switzerland Minimally reached
17.000 people -
Uganda Minimally reached
17.000 people -
Togo Minimally reached
10.000 people -
Panama Minimally reached
8.600 people -
Niger Minimally reached
8.500 people -
Turkey Unreached
7.300 people -
Guinea Minimally reached
6.400 people -
South Africa Minimally reached
6.100 people -
French Guiana Minimally reached
1.600 people
Arab Lebanese Muslims form the largest religious community in Lebanon, a small, mountainous country on the eastern Mediterranean coast known for the coexistence of different religious traditions and a history marked by wars and rebuilding. They are found mostly in the Bekaa Valley, in the south of the country, in Tripoli, and in densely populated neighborhoods of Beirut, and are divided mainly between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam.
They belong to the larger family of Levantine Arab peoples, a region that also includes Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, with whom they share language, customs, and a long common history. Lebanese Muslim identity combines pride in the homeland, a strong sense of extended family and community, and a faith that runs through nearly every aspect of the country’s social, cultural, and political life.
Driven by emigration in search of work and by decades of instability, millions now live scattered across other Arab countries, West Africa, and the Americas, keeping strong ties to their ancestral homeland through family, food, and language.
The ancestors of the Lebanese originally spoke Aramaic and lived under the influence of the Canaanite and Phoenician cultures that shaped the Levantine coast. Beginning in the 7th century, with the Arab expansion and the arrival of Islam, the language and religion of the region gradually changed, though Christian communities have remained present to this day.
The territory that is now Lebanon was for centuries part of larger empires, from the Arab caliphate to Ottoman rule, until it emerged as an independent country in the 20th century, with a political system that divides power among its various religious communities. Decades of internal conflict and economic crises have pushed many Muslim families out of the country, forming an extensive diaspora.
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
|
Lebanon Unreached
|
44,9%
|
2.414.000 |
|
Morocco Unreached
|
10,8%
|
582.000 |
United States Superficially reached
|
9,6%
|
517.000 |
|
Qatar Unreached
|
5,4%
|
292.000 |
|
Saudi Arabia Minimally reached
|
4,5%
|
242.000 |
|
Egypt Minimally reached
|
3,4%
|
181.000 |
Canada Superficially reached
|
3%
|
159.000 |
|
Venezuela Minimally reached
|
2,3%
|
126.000 |
|
Syria Minimally reached
|
2,1%
|
111.000 |
|
United Kingdom Minimally reached
|
1,9%
|
104.000 |
|
Mexico Minimally reached
|
1,7%
|
92.000 |
|
Côte d’Ivoire Minimally reached
|
1,4%
|
75.000 |
|
Liberia Minimally reached
|
1,3%
|
68.000 |
|
Kuwait Minimally reached
|
1,2%
|
62.000 |
Nigeria Partially reached
|
0,9%
|
46.000 |
|
Denmark Minimally reached
|
0,6%
|
32.000 |
|
United Arab Emirates Unreached
|
0,6%
|
31.000 |
|
Yemen Minimally reached
|
0,6%
|
30.000 |
|
France Minimally reached
|
0,5%
|
25.000 |
|
Sweden Minimally reached
|
0,4%
|
24.000 |
|
Jamaica Minimally reached
|
0,4%
|
21.000 |
|
Portugal Minimally reached
|
0,4%
|
20.000 |
|
Israel Minimally reached
|
0,4%
|
19.000 |
|
Serbia Minimally reached
|
0,3%
|
17.000 |
|
Switzerland Minimally reached
|
0,3%
|
17.000 |
|
Uganda Minimally reached
|
0,3%
|
17.000 |
|
Togo Minimally reached
|
0,2%
|
10.000 |
|
Panama Minimally reached
|
0,2%
|
8.600 |
|
Niger Minimally reached
|
0,2%
|
8.500 |
|
Turkey Unreached
|
0,1%
|
7.300 |
|
Guinea Minimally reached
|
0,1%
|
6.400 |
|
South Africa Minimally reached
|
0,1%
|
6.100 |
|
French Guiana Minimally reached
|
0%
|
1.600 |
The extended family and clan remain at the center of social life: important decisions, from marriage to career choice, usually go through the counsel of elders, and family honor weighs on the behavior of each of its members. Hospitality is a central value, expressed in generous meals built around dishes like mezze, kibbeh, and Arabic coffee, served to any visitor.
Many live in towns and villages between mountains and sea, making their living from trade, terraced agriculture, and increasingly from remittances sent by relatives who have emigrated. The economic crisis of recent decades has profoundly affected daily life, leading entire families to rethink how they work, save, and care for one another.
The great majority follow Islam, divided between the Sunni and Shia branches, each with its own religious leadership, mosques, and calendar of observances. Daily prayer, the Ramadan fast, and the pilgrimage to Mecca mark the rhythm of the year and are lived out as an expression of both personal faith and belonging to a larger community.
In the Lebanese political system, religious affiliation is intertwined with civil identity and government representation, which makes faith far more than a private belief: it organizes networks of social protection, marriage, and belonging. For many, leaving Islam is seen as breaking not only with a religion but with one’s own family and community.
Levantine Arabic, the heart language spoken at home, has had portions of Scripture translated since the first half of the 20th century and now has a complete New Testament, along with audio recordings, the dubbed Jesus film, and reading apps. The complete Bible in Standard Arabic, the language of formal education and public reading, has also been available for centuries, but Scripture in everyday speech has not yet been fully translated, which keeps many at a distance from the sacred text in its most natural form.
For most, being an Arab Lebanese Muslim is inseparable from belonging to Islam: faith defines not only belief but each family’s place within the country’s delicate political and social balance. Considering following Jesus means, for many, risking a break with parents, spouse, and community, as well as losing the place of belonging that religion guarantees in a society organized by religious confession.
Years of ongoing economic crisis, currency devaluation, and political instability have left deep marks: many families struggle to afford food, health care, and education for their children, and discouragement about the country’s future is widespread. Beyond material support, there is a clear need for a hope that can withstand repeated disappointments, and for communities of faith where those seeking Christ can find welcome, discipleship, and friends who walk alongside them without requiring them to abandon their family or culture.
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