“FREEDOM MUST BE FOR ALL”: EGYPTIAN PASTOR
An Egyptian pastor has delivered a passionate and personal defence of religious freedom on SAT-7 ARABIC programme Today Not Tomorrow. “Freedom must be for all, and I must fight for the freedom of others and not just the freedom of my family,” said Youssef Nathan on the thought-provoking talk show.
Today Not Tomorrow, which is the flagship programme of SAT-7’s Gender Equality and FoRB (Freedom of Religion and Belief) project, is aiming to empower men and women to think freely about their core beliefs and pursue a new vision for Arab society.
As part of a wide-ranging interview, Pastor Youssef was honest about his past intolerance towards those who held different views. “During university we campaigned against people who had different thoughts and ideologies than ours,” he said. “They questioned God, and these questions were taboo to us. We considered them dangerous, and they found themselves rejected. This is one of the worst things that we did back then.”
But different life experiences and encountering different people in Egyptian society, particularly through serving in the army, changed his perspective, and now he is an advocate for the freedom of others – even if it affects him personally.
CHALLENGING EXCLUSION
“If my son converts to another religion, [or] becomes an atheist… He will remain my son. My love for him will not change.” – Pastor Youssef Nathan
Asked by presenter Vivian Edward if he would still support FoRB if the person was close to him, Pastor Youssef responded: “If my son converts to another religion, [or] becomes an atheist… He will remain my son. My love for him will not change; I will love him steadfastly and as much. My arms will be open to him, maybe even more than before. Freedom cannot be divided.”
This was an important and powerful message in a culture where people often face opposition and ostracism – even from their own families – for changing their faith or adopting a different lifestyle.
“Our society leans towards excluding anyone who is different, to the point of making it right to get rid of them,” Pastor Youssef said. “Not necessarily by killing them, but through tarnishing their reputation, and gossip. This is our society’s way of thinking. We are all affected by it one way or another.”
“INSPIRING”
The episode featuring Youssef Nathan was well received, with one viewer commenting: “An inspiring and fulfilling episode. Youssef is a dedicated servant of the Lord and deeply loves the Word of God. He serves with humility, never seeking recognition, as love and care are his way of life.” Another said, “Thank you for this special interview and the meaningful conversation filled with real values. May God bless the work of your hands.”
Today Not Tomorrow is taking a different approach in its third season, conducting in-depth studio-based interviews with thought-provoking guests like Pastor Youssef about their life and faith experiences. Previous seasons have been filmed on location in rural villages in different parts of Egypt.
The Gender Equality and FoRB project is also making an impact through social media and online messaging campaigns. A short video titled “How do difficult trials affect our relationship with God?” attracted 1.2 million views on Facebook, and a messaging campaign on the topic of self-perception prompted nearly 900 responses.
A short film called Private, which highlights how toxic masculinity can be harmful to both men and women, is being screened at several film festivals this year in Egypt and beyond. Feedback from male attendees, who often identify with one of the characters in the film who is bullied for not being “man enough”, indicates that Private is helping people to re-examine manhood and the treatment of women in Arab society.
The goal of the five-year Gender Equality and FoRB project – which is now into its fourth year – is to help women and men, boys and girls experience the freedom to have, change, and manifest an alternative belief equally, regardless of their gender. It is implemented by SAT-7 Egypt in partnership with the Norwegian Mission Society and supported by DIGNI.