Middle East Briefing: Churches under attack
The whole Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been on high alert in the last few weeks. Suffering continues in the Holy Land as Gaza’s only Catholic church was bombed last week, and a suicide bombing in a Damascus church has sent shockwaves through Syria’s minority Christian community. And despite a fragile ceasefire, tension remains high after the launch of airstrikes on Iran in June and the subsequent retaliatory attacks.
Middle East Briefing – Churches under attack
SAT-7 is responding; sharing the Gospel message of hope and amplifying voices on the ground; airing messages of peace from church leaders in Gaza, supporting Iranians caught in the crossfire, and broadcasting live intercession via satellite across the Arab world. Rami Al-Halaseh, SAT-7 Arabic Channels Executive Director, said:
“Our region never ceases to make the news, through wars, conflicts, unrest and revolutions that leave millions in fear, despair and hopelessness. We are entrusted with very powerful resources and platforms that reach millions across the region with the message of faith, hope and the love of God. In such hard times, it is our calling to intensify this message.”
Church attacked in Gaza
We turn first to Gaza, where a strike on the Holy Family Church on 17 July killed three people who were sheltering there. The shelling also injured 10 others, including the parish priest, Fr Romanelli, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis.
SAT-7 has been in contact with this church throughout the conflict, and after the attack reassured them of our ongoing support and concern. Recently, Fr Romanelli shared a moving call for peace with SAT-7 ARABIC’s You Are Not Alone programme:
“Our church is called the Holy Family, because we remember that when the Holy Family fled Herod’s hands from Bethlehem, according to tradition they passed through here on their way to Egypt. So we ask this Holy Family to come back to Gaza and bring us peace.”
Israel has issued an apology for the attack and said it was investigating. Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury”, renewing his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Let’s pray for this hurting church family and all those who are suffering in the Holy Land today.
Syrian Christians under attack
We turn now to Syria, where Christians have also been under attack. The Christian community is on high alert following a deadly blast at St Elias Church in Dweila, Damascus, during an evening service on Sunday 22 June. At least 25 people were killed and more than 60 wounded when a man entered the church and opened fire before detonating an explosive vest. The historic church building was severely damaged.
Two days after the attack, SAT-7 ARABIC’s Different Angle programme heard from Elias Khalil, who was at the church when the horrific event took place. He described how he was giving the Bible reading from Acts when the attacker entered the church. “Two brothers near him tried to stop him, but they couldn’t. He reloaded his gun and started killing the people. When they caught him and tried to drag him out of the church, he fell on the ground and detonated the bomb he was wearing,” Elias said.
The incident is the most violent attack on Christians in Syria since the takeover by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham last December. A little-known group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility and vowed further attacks targeting religious minorities. Christians and other groups in Syria have been concerned about their security following the fall of the former regime. A SAT-7 contact in Syria said that there have been other incidents and threats against Christians in recent weeks, and described the situation as “really heavy”.
Earlier this month, Syria also saw recent clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the southern city of Suweida, in which around 200 people are reported to have been killed. According to Aid to the Church in Need, churches and Christian homes have been targeted and set on fire during the violence, and a second bomb attempt was thankfully foiled at a church in Tartus. Combined with the attack on St Elias Church, this latest violence highlights underlying divisions and tensions in Syrian society and has prompted fears of further sectarian conflict.
In direct response to the recent conflicts and attacks, SAT-7 ARABIC quickly organised a special live event called Our Hope is You. It featured worship groups and church representatives, along with live audiences at the channel’s studios in Lebanon and Egypt.
Hundreds of SAT-7 viewers sent prayers and messages of support on Facebook. “May the Lord comfort the broken-hearted, heal the wounded and grant peace to our country,” wrote one. Another viewer said, “We ask for protection for places of worship and those inside them,” while one comment affirmed, “The pain is great, but so is our faith in the Risen One”.
Please pray urgently for peace and unity for the people of Syria, and protection for the country’s minorities.
Supporting Iranian viewers in distress
SAT-7’s Persian channel has been providing comfort and support to distressed viewers in Iran, following a 12-day bout of violence between Iran and Israel. The conflict started on 13 June, when Israel launched air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, along with residential areas. Iran responded with hundreds of missiles aimed at Israeli cities, and casualties mounted over the course of 12 days until a ceasefire was announced.
In Iran, hundreds were killed, thousands were injured, and millions tried to escape the capital city, Tehran, and other major cities, fleeing to the coast and countryside. Reports indicate growing shortages of fuel and basic supplies, disruptions to power and water infrastructure, and increasing pressure on hospitals and emergency services.
Despite their own emotional turmoil and fears for their family and friends in Iran, SAT-7 presenters and viewer support teams were on hand to provide spiritual and emotional support for people throughout the whole region.
Mariam, a presenter on SAT-7 Persian children’s show Church4Kids, said: “The war may have lasted 12 days, but for the children of Iran, its impact goes far beyond those dates. Even though the air strikes have stopped, the fear has not. I have heard children say things like will it happen again? Questions no child should ever have to ask. Parents tell us that their kids still tremble when hearing loud noises, still sleep with the lights on, and are afraid to go to school or even leave the house. What these children need now is not only physical safety, but deep emotional and spiritual healing.”
Even before the recent conflict erupted, life has been getting harder for ordinary Iranians. Recent distressing news includes religious freedom violations, increasingly strict laws impacting women, and a crumbling economy that is causing widespread hardship. And as well as the problems being experienced by the wider population of Iran, Christians in the country face additional pressures because of their faith. The pressure on Christians has increased in recent weeks: Open Doors reports that since 25 June, 43 believers across 21 cities in Iran have been arrested.
Making room for refugees
Finally, as well as giving a platform to Christians in Gaza, Syria and Iran, SAT-7 has been raising the voices of those who have been forced to flee their homelands, in a campaign that calls for kindness and “making room”.
The team behind SAT-7’s Gender Equality and FoRB project has been filming the stories, reflections and prayers of refugees in Egypt, creating a series of powerful videos that were shared on social media and SAT-7’s ARABIC channel for World Refugee Day (20 June).
According to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, there are 17 million forcibly displaced and stateless people in the Middle East and North Africa, and hostility towards refugees has been increasing worldwide.
In one of the videos made for the campaign, “To be Called a Refugee”, different people describe how they feel about the label. One woman said, “‘Refugee’ means being alone;” one man said, “The word ‘refugee’ makes a man feel humiliated. You feel a sense of loss; something inside you is missing.”
Project lead Maggie Morgan has written an open letter about the life-changing experience of filming these stories, describing it as “sacramental work”. She said, “Silencing the room to hold space for stories of pain and resilience purified our own hearts. We, as a team of filmmakers, were changed by it. Because when you truly listen, you truly change. We saw the fingerprints of God saving lives amidst human harshness and violence.”
Pray
- Pray for the tiny population of Christians in Gaza, especially in the wake of a recent attack on the Holy Family Church.
- Pray for peace and unity in Syria, and for God’s supernatural comfort for those who lost loved ones in the attack on St Elias Church.
- Pray that the ceasefire in Iran will hold, and that Iranian Christians will hold on to their faith in Christ even in troubling times.
- Give thanks that SAT-7 is raising the voices of refugees and calling for kindness. Pray for the ongoing impact of the video campaign.
- Pray for all SAT-7’s viewers in the MENA who are experiencing despair and hopelessness in the face of recent violence and uncertainty. Ask that SAT-7 will continue to make programmes that speak out God’s love and joy to millions across the region.