JULY MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING: Lifelines under threat
July 2020The vulnerability of many of the essential ingredients for peace and security – freedom from conflict, basic utilities, health and food security, and freedom of belief– were exposed once again in another challenging month in the region. In Turkey, President Erdogan has ordered that Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s fifth century basilica and a World Heritage Site, should become a mosque again. The structure […]
Following in the footsteps of an Iranian martyr
July 2020Rashin Soodmand was just 13 when she heard the horrifying news that her pastor father had been executed. Hossein Soodmand, a former Muslim, was the last person to be hanged in Iran for apostasy after he steadfastly refused to cease his Christian activities. Thirty years later, his daughter has also found her life calling in serving the Iranian church. Rashin’s […]
Breakthrough at the eleventh hour
With war coming ever closer to their home in Syria, Revd Wael Haddad and his wife, Maram Nafe Tahhan, turned to God for guidance and began seeking to migrate to the Gulf. But every door they tried suddenly closed, until God intervened at the eleventh hour. Wael and Maram told their story on a special edition of the SAT-7 […]
Why should Christians care about Turkey?
June 2020A Turkish believer spotlights Turkey’s rich biblical history, the challenges faced by its present-day Church, and the fight for the soul of this influential country. Today’s Turkey is the host of some 2000 years of biblical and Church history. Most of its visitors and even its citizens, could be forgiven for not realising how central its land has been in […]
Being a People of Hope
Christians have a critical role in crisis-hit societies, senior Middle Eastern Church leaders tell SAT-7. WATCH NOW: Rita’s interview with Archbishop Angaelos “Dare to Believe” was the title of SAT-7’s Network conference for international partners and supporters that was planned for March this year. The event had to be cancelled because of Covid-19, but SAT-7 CEO Rita El-Mounayer recently […]
“With You” in the Pandemic
May 2020“We are with you in this.” This is the message that all SAT-7’s channels are sharing with their 25 million viewers as they face the pressures of income loss, health risks and life under lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Existing and many new shows and a wealth of online content are tackling the issues raised by the pandemic to […]
SAT-7 Answers Questions Turks Are Starting To Ask
The Covid-19 pandemic is prompting many in Turkey to question and reassess their values and beliefs, says Cem Erçin, Pastor of Istanbul Immanuel Protestant Church. And increasing numbers are turning to SAT-7’s Turkish channel for answers. Away from his pulpit, Cem Erçin is also a gifted presenter on SAT-7 TÜRK. Here he is the host of Essence of the Gospel and co-host of […]
Youth revival in Tehran
April 2020With the US embassy siege in Tehran still hanging over them and at a time of food shortages and fear, Americans Tat Stewart and his wife set off to lead a major Christian youth conference in the north of the city in the summer of 1980. In the second of two blogs, Revd Tat Stewart recalls the astonishing move of […]