Hard-hitting issues Ethics, good manners, respect to one another, co-existence…We need those values in the Middle East.” This was the comment from guest Paul Sayah, Archeparch of the Maronite Church and Curial Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, when he shared his hope for SAT-7’s newest channel, SAT-7 ACADEMY, upon its launch in September last year. SAT-7 ACADEMY […]
Reforming attitudes to disability
“Thank you, Lord, for changing the bitterness in my life to singing.” 28-year-old Waheed Ata broke into this spontaneous and heartfelt prayer as he shared his life story with viewers of SAT-7 ARABIC’s programme, Reforming. Left blind for life after contracting meningitis as a baby, Waheed – like so many others with a disability in the Middle East and North […]
The Briefing – January 2018
While 2017 saw military power finally overwhelm the territorial ambitions of so-called Islamic State, the lasting effects of conflict, continuing struggles between regional powers, and increasingly forceful policies being pursued by some mean that this is set to be another challenging year for the region. Iran made headlines at the turn of the year in a way that no-one had […]
Miss Egypt promotes inner beauty on SAT-7
Inner and outer beauty A recent episode of SAT-7 ARABIC show Needle and New Thread shared a Christian attitude to beauty from a somewhat surprising source. Sandra Saeed, crowned Miss Egypt International 2016, appeared on the popular women’s talk show to discuss the topic of inner and outer beauty. “Some people get their value from relationships, the car they drive, […]
Testimonies and tunes in the Tajik tongue
The heart language SAT-7 PARS’ mission is to provide holistic Christian television for everyone in the Persian-speaking world. Thanks to a courageous Christian musician, the channel has now produced its first series in the Tajik dialect of Persian, called Our Salvation is in Him. “There is a need for programmes in the heart language of Tajikistan,” says director and producer […]
Orthodox Christmas begins
This year’s days of carolling and feasting have now passed for most of us, but for many Middle Eastern believers Christmas is just about to begin. While the region’s Protestant and Catholic believers celebrate the birth of Christ on 25 December, most Orthodox churches follow the older Julian calendar. So Coptic Orthodox believers in Egypt, as well as Syrian, Greek […]
All are welcome to learn
On a recent trip to Lebanon, Katerina Parpa, a member of SAT-7’s international Communications team, visited a learning centre that uses SAT-7 ACADEMY’s educational programmes to help refugee children thrive. Here she reflects on the experience and the heart-warming moments she shared with the Syrian and Iraqi children. “Merhaba!” (“Hello!”) said a little Syrian girl dressed in a red hoody. […]
Empowering expectant parents
First-time pregnancy can be a disorientating time for a couple, as changes occur so quickly and hopes run so high. But it can be even more confusing and isolating in a culture in which issues relating to pregnancy and childbirth are rarely discussed, and superstitions proliferate. That’s where a new SAT-7 PARS programme called Forty (“Chehel” in Farsi) comes in. […]
Helping girls feel valued
For many girls across the Middle East and North Africa, rejection and discrimination are a daily reality. Widely considered of lower status and value than their brothers, their education and opportunities are limited, and their experience of injustice and abuse all too frequent. The season of Advent resounds with the song of Mary, Jesus’s mother, herself a young woman who […]
The Briefing – December 2017
A US announcement this month brought a decades-long conflict to the fore, even as peace appeared on the horizon in Iraq with victory over Islamic State. Meanwhile, hopeful signs of religious tolerance emerged elsewhere in the region. The status of Jerusalem became a focus of anger this month. Since a 1995 vote by Congress, four US presidents have promised to […]