A rising generation – July 2015
July 2015Beneath the blue skies of Palestine, in the cheerful, vibrant town of Bethlehem, there lives a rising generation. It’s a generation of new graduates, celebrating with many, the joys of completing their long periods of study. Among them are around 50 students graduating from Bethlehem Bible College (BBC) who finished their educational journey on 13 June. Acting as MC of […]
Charlie, Charlie and Egypt’s fascination with fate and fortune (July 2015)
“Charlie, Charlie, are you here?” One of the latest – and strangest – internet phenomena has been the Charlie Charlie Challenge: a curious game that uses something similar to a Ouija Board with yes/no answers, and two pencils to summon a demon named Charlie. Participants ask questions about the future and Charlie is said to respond with a “yes” or […]
The Christians made homeless in Egypt
Only the intervention of government figures, faith and human rights organisations made it possible for five Egyptian Christian families to return to their homes after mob violence drove them from their village. SAT-7 Egypt journalist Mary Joseph describes how religious extremism and Egypt’s informal legal process of “reconciliation sessions” can result in Christians being expelled from their communities. Ayman, an […]
The Briefing – July 2015
While Middle East Muslims observed the Ramadan fast during the height of summer, a wave of terrorist attacks sent shockwaves across the world. News from the region Terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Egypt, and Kuwait this month shook the region and impacted many lives beyond it. ISIS-affiliated militants sought to do multiple things with these killings. Attacking Western holiday makers in […]
Touching the Heart of a Refugee
In the fall-out of war, the need for food, shelter and other basic needs is obvious to all. But refugees’ “spirits also need care”. Dr Kathryn Kraft describes how Lebanese churches are doing this and how we can learn from them. A few weeks ago, I was sharing with a friend at my church in London about my research with […]
Powerful Film Shows Harsh Reality For Iran's Christians
June 2015“From that moment on, everything became dark… I didn’t know how I could cope with this loss.” This is how Cyrus, the protagonist of Closure, describes his feelings after the murder of his father by the Iranian authorities. He is just 10-years-old when their peaceful family home is raided by the Islamic intelligence service, and his father Dariush is taken […]
Forced out by ISIS Christian refugees start again
June 2015Two Christian refugees look for hope in Jordan and Kurdistan One year ago (9 June 2014), the Iraqi city of Mosul fell to militants belonging to a Sunni Muslim movement calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Thousands of Christians and other religious minorities, threatened with execution, fled. These are the stories of two who have […]
UK Premier for Feature Film Inspired by the Suffering Church in Iran
June 2015SAT-7 PARS will host the UK premiere cinema screening of the feature film Closure at the Odeon, High Barnet, London EN5 1A on Saturday 13 June at 7.00 pm. Based on recent events taking place in Iran, Closure is a story of discovering redemption in the midst of struggle. The film follows Cyrus, a doctor who witnesses the murder of […]