Introduction / History

A people group sometimes known as wrestlers are those belonging to the Mal caste. "Mal" is a shortened form of a Sanskrit phrase that can either mean "wrestler" or "soldier." There are four sub-divisions of the Mal people.

The Mal people live in India's states of Bihar and West Bengal. A smaller number live in Bangladesh.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most of them are now agricultural laborers with no land of their own, although they are also known for being watchmen or gatekeepers, called chowkidars. They have low status.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Muslim Mal people in Bangladesh believe that though Jesus is an important prophet, faith in him is not enough to achieve a place in Paradise. Instead, they put their faith in obeying the teachings of the Koran and the Hadith, the latter being a collection of sayings of Mohammed.

What Are Their Needs?

Most Mal people are Hindu, though some converted to Islam at some point. Hindus and Muslims among the Mal peoples share the same need to find their way to the Savior, who can bless them beyond what they can imagine if they would repent before Him. As it stands, they are objects of wrath rather than objects of mercy.

Prayer Points

Pray for a strong movement of the Holy Spirit to bring entire Muslim Mal families into a rich experience of God's blessing.

Pray for Mal families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness and to understand the adequacy of Christ's work on the cross.

Pray for a movement of Mal households to study the Bible and accept the blessings of Christ.

Pray for teams of believers to do sustained, focused prayer for the Mal peoples. Pray for the Lord to open the hearts of Mal family leaders to experience God's blessing through a movement of family-based discovery Bible studies.

Scripture Prayers for the Mal (Muslim traditions) in India.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_(caste)