“I could finally breathe easily”: a voice from Egypt’s Church
May 2022What is it like to practise your faith when your freedom of belief is under threat? Our Cairo-based Communications Officer Mary Joseph shares her experience of living through a time when Christians in Egypt have felt additionally vulnerable. A few weeks into Lent, as Christians were immersed in daily church prayers and charitable activities, they were hit with the news […]
The power of gathering in unity: A blog from Egypt
November 2021Just over 10 years ago , on 11 November 2011, Christians in Egypt gathered in an extraordinary way to lift up their homeland in an interdenominational night of prayer. A decade on, Egyptian Christians’ ability to gather has been restricted by COVID-19 – until now. Mary Joseph, SAT-7’s Communications Officer in Cairo, tells us more. For the first time in […]
SAT-7 Lebanon studio broadcasts hope to a country on the edge of collapse
September 2021Life in Lebanon is becoming unbearable for many. SAT-7’s Beirut-based Communications Officer, Maria Al Khoury, shares her experience of the crisis that has engulfed her homeland and how by God’s grace, SAT-7 is continuing to broadcast hope. Lebanon is passing through one of the most complex and tough economic crises in the world. Every area of daily life for Lebanese people is affected, and in […]
Beirut blast: what has changed after one year?
July 2021As the one year anniversary of the catastrophic explosion at the Beirut Port approaches, SAT-7’s Beirut-based Communications Officer Maria Al Khoury shares her experience of the blast, how the country has seen no let-up in suffering and crisis – and what the country needs more than ever, is hope. I can’t feel anything. What happened? In just a moment, everything […]
World Refugee Day: Iranian Christians “in exile”
June 2021“Iranian Christian refugees feel they are living in exile,” says Reza Jafari, Presenter of the SAT-7 PARS live programme Signal. In this blog written for World Refugee Day (20 June), Reza shares how the challenges Iranian Christians face do not end when they leave Iran, and how SAT-7 PARS is a lifeline to them. When I am asked what are […]
“Seen, heard and encouraged”: Marianne’s passion for supporting viewers
April 2021In this blog post, Marianne Awaraji, a beloved SAT-7 presenter for almost two decades, shares her thoughts and hopes for her new role as Arabic Channels Audience Relations Manager and tells us how we can pray for her and SAT-7’s viewers. I have been a presenter on SAT-7 since I was 10 years old, and I have always been passionate […]
Unbroken faith: an Iranian Christian reflects
October 2020SAT-7 translator Omeed Jouyandé shares why he is inspired by the faith and testimony of fellow Iranian, Farshid Fathi. Fathi was jailed in two of Iran’s notorious prisons for five years for his faith and spoke recently to SAT-7’s Insiders programme. But, far from being broken by the experience, he spoke as someone who had known Jesus with him. The […]
Cairo’s strange summer
September 2020SAT-7 Egypt journalist Mary Joseph reflects on a summer when Cairo’s bustling streets went abnormally quiet. While many Cairenes flocked to beach resorts, those who stayed behind faced a strange new reality. Four months on since the coronavirus made its official appearance in Egypt, the summer heat still soars, while the relentless virus-related WhatsApp messages have cooled off. Summer, a […]