People Group Profiles

“All nations will come and worship before you."

- Revelations 15:4

Arab, Libyan of North America

People Group Info

Total Population: 11,710

ROP3 Code: 105948
IMB Affinity Group: North African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Affinity Bloc: Arab World
People Cluster: Arab, Libyan
Language: Libyan Arabic - (ayl)
Religion: Islam - Sunni
Country of Origin: Libya

Photo courtesy of Joshua Project.
By Valonial Hardy
Creative Commons

Majority Located Where

  New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY - 3,500

  Ottawa–Gatineau, ON - 855

  Toronto (Mississauga, Brampton), ON - 840

  Montreal (Laval), QC - 590

Click here to recommend other locations where this People Group resides.

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Brief Profile

Arab, Libyan originated from Libya, a country located on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, to the west of and adjacent to Egypt. Over 97% of the Libyan population are Arab or Arb Berber. Most Arab Libyan immigrated from the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. They are considered to be North African, Arab, and Middle Eastern.

The official language of Libya is Standard Arabic, while the prevalent spoken language is Libyan Arabic, spoken by about 6 million Libyans. 95% of the total population in Libya speak in Arabic or one of the Arabic dialects. Arab Libyans in North America speak both Libyan Arabic and English.

Arab, Libyan are Sunni Muslims. According to Sunni tradition, Muhammad did not clearly designate a successor and the Muslim community acted according to his sunnah in electing his father-in-law Abu Bakr as the first caliph.

View Enlarged Map of this People Group

Some Libyan American associations are the Libyan American Organization, Libyan American Friendship Association (LAFA), Libyan American Association in Southern California and Libyan American Association of Georgia.

Prayer Points

  • Ask God to give Christians a heart filled with love and compassion towards Arab Libyans.
  • Ask the Lord to move Christians toward faith and confidence that God will hear them and will move powerfully in answer to their prayers of love and compassion (John 14:12-14) for Arab Libyans.

Learning Resources

Learn more about "Any-3"
Any–3 provides biblical principles and practical steps that have equipped hundreds of Christians to witness confidently and effectively. Over the past decade, thousands of Muslims have been engaged with the gospel.

Learn more about "Learning Paths"
Online Courses for embracing, encountering and engaging diaspora people. Work at your own pace. Begin anytime and complete the course according to your schedule. Interactive, Hands-On Application.

Learn more about "Reaching the Nations"
This book delineates five disciplines Christians should develop in order to effectively reach the nations. More specifically, it will guide Christians to develop an engagement strategy in their locale.

Loving Muslims Small Group Study
This Loving Muslims booklet is a two-week group study that takes a deeper look at Christ’s command to "love our neighbor."

World Religions - Beliefs Overview
An overview of major world religions and cults - their beliefs and practices.

Overview of Islam
Overview of Islam and its sub-groupings. Developed by the North American Mission Board, SBC. Includes generalized witnessing tips.

Other Resources

Prayer Guide for Unreached Peoples
A 30 day guide to pray for unreached people groups.

Prayer Guide using the GOSPELS acronym
A prayer guide that utilizes the acronym GOSPELS to pray for workers among diaspora.

Displaying 1-4 of 4 results.
Country City Metro Area Name State / Prov. Baseline Population
CanadaMontréalMontreal (Laval)QC590
CanadaTorontoToronto (Mississauga, Brampton)ON840
CanadaOttawaOttawa–GatineauON855
United StatesBronxNew York-Newark-Jersey CityNY3,500
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