Holy Fire – April 2014
April 2014It is Saturday afternoon. Crowds are waiting, eyes are anticipating, hearts are eager to receive the light or “the Holy Fire” as it has been traditionally called. We are in a place no other than the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem. You can barely find a room for one’s feet to step in. In fact, people seem to be on […]
Reliving the Passion – April 2014
“Ekhristos Anesti!” “Alithos Anesti!” These are words commonly heard in Egyptian Christian circles at this time: “Christ is risen!” we greet one another, “He is risen indeed!” we reply. Happy Easter! It’s a busy time for Christians in Egypt. Coptic Orthodox Christians, who make up about 90 per cent of the Christian population here, spend Passion Week, the last week […]
Watch your footprint – short-term overseas visits
March 2014Article 2 in our series: The Ethics of Global Engagement Short-term opportunities to be part of Christian projects abroad have multiplied in recent years. If carefully considered, they can be hugely beneficial. If not, they can leave damaging footprints on the Church and its community in sensitive countries. Our Middle East writer explains. What lasting impression will our trip leave […]
Mums make history – March 2014
March 2014March 21st is Mother’s Day in Egypt. It’s a big day everywhere in Egypt, marked by fun family gatherings at mum or grandma’s house, gifts, flowers, and songs celebrating mothers on national television. But what is Mother’s Day really all about? Curious about March 21st and where it originated, I dug a little into the history of Mother’s Day in […]
Miracles and Faith on the Bombed Streets of Baghdad
February 2014A SAT-7 crew filming on the streets of Baghdad heard startling testimonies from people living with the constant threat of terror attacks – and discovered that SAT-7 has a major presence in many people’s lives. A small filming crew from SAT-7 Egypt went to great personal risk when they stepped off the plane in Baghdad a few months ago. Public […]
Too great expectations – February 2014
February 2014Hello and greetings from Cairo, Egypt! Well, a lot has been going on in Egypt in the past three years. After 30 years of political stability, suddenly two major revolutions occurred ousting two presidents, and resulting in much political and social turmoil. I’d like to reflect on one of the major current happenings in Egypt, the upcoming presidential elections. But […]
New SAT-7 iPhone and Android Apps Allow Middle Eastern Viewers to Watch on the Move
January 2014More Middle Eastern viewers than ever before can now watch SAT-7’s Christian television channels on the go thanks to new iOS apps released in January for Apple iPhones. The new apps come fast on the heels of similar ones launched in August 2013 for Android phones. SAT-7’s four main channels – SAT-7 ARABIC, KIDS, PARS (for Farsi speakers) and TÜRK […]
Hopes and dreams – January 2014
January 2014It was the penultimate day before Near Years’ Eve and people had already started posting their greetings and comments on Facebook: “Happy new year!” “A few hours till 2014” and “What a terrible year this has been!” someone moaned. Others were posting advertisements encouraging people to listen to a radio programme hosting an astrologer. Presumably he would try to answer […]