The Briefing – August 2017
August 2017Simmering tensions and long-held mistrust have come to the surface this month in mass protests in Israel and continuing deadlock in the Gulf. After two months of sanctions on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, there has been no sign of a resolution. Despite previous tensions with Qatar, the current rift is the deepest ever. Diplomatic relations have […]
A world changer aged 12
August 2017There are only a few people that have the “it” factor. “It” being a characteristic that destines one for great things; sometimes as big as changing the world! To me, 12-year old Mahala* is one of those people. I first saw Mahala confidently marching to the podium of my church in Beirut. With perfect poise, she gave a 10-minute sermon […]
Feeding the energy of youth
August 2017Youthful energy, enquiry and potential. These aren’t characteristics that immediately spring to mind when we think of the Arab world. But in a region where one third of the population is aged 15-29 and another is under 15, they reflect the dynamic potential of these countries, if only obstacles like conflict, weak political participation, scant job opportunities, and discrimination didn’t […]
Christians unite in Lebanon
July 2017We See Wonders The end of June saw 3,000 Christians gathered together in Lebanon to praise and worship God. Organised by Resurrection Church Beirut, in collaboration with Kasr El Dobara Church in Egypt, the ‘We See Wonders’ event aimed to encourage Christians across Lebanon through the power of unity in prayer and praise. Pastor Hikmat Kashouh from the Resurrection Church […]
Perfect timing for education channel
July 2017Back to school? As every school child knows, September is the month when the sun finally sets on the summer holidays and a new school year gusts in! But over 13.4 million children in the Middle East and North Africa will have no school place to go to this autumn. That’s due to conflict, poverty or discrimination. And many refugee […]
Saving the next generation from the perils of self-harm
A growing problem in Iran Self-harm or khoonbazi, literally translated as “blood-game”, is a growing problem among teenagers in Iran. An eye-opening episode of the SAT-7 Persian language talk show Insiders recently examined this devastating issue, offering solutions and hope. The programme revealed that an increasing number of young people are turning to self-harm as they try to deal with […]
Fun and learning on the farm
July 2017A wide-ranging programme At the heart of SAT-7 is a deep-seated sense of the need to care for all aspects of the human ‘being’ – educationally, physically and spiritually. One such programme which seeks to accomplish this is currently aired on SAT-7 KIDS. Fun Farm aims to bless children from head to toe with quality educational material, practical tips on […]
MIDDLE EAST “GOING BACKWARDS” SAYS SAT-7 CEO
July 2017Founder and CEO of Christian satellite TV broadcaster SAT-7, Dr Terence Ascott, painted a gloomy picture of the Middle East in its 2016 Annual Report. Warning that the entire region was “going backwards in development terms”, he pointed to a series of grim statistics that underline the crisis across the Middle East right now. The Arab World comprises just 5% […]