The Briefing – February 2016
February 2016“War-war” continued apace in Syria as “jaw-jaw” in Geneva was put on hold. Meanwhile, excitement in Tehran contrasted with a sombre mood in Cairo on the fifth anniversary of Egypt’s revolution. News from the region A new series of meetings in Geneva that had brought most parties fighting in Syria to the negotiating table was suspended on Wednesday (3 February) […]
Life on the edge – with Syrian refugees in Lebanon
February 2016More than two-thirds of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living in extreme poverty, according to a United Nations study released in December. In the second of three articles, Lindsay Shaw from SAT-7 UK, describes visiting refugees in Zahle, Lebanon, where he saw their precarious existence on the margins of a society where 1 in 4 people is now a refugee. […]
Update on SAT-7 Egypt for Your Prayers
January 2016BREAKING NEWS Yesterday afternoon we heard the wonderful news that all the equipment confiscated by the authorities in October from our Egypt Office was returned. We know many people worldwide have been praying for this moment and for the staff in Egypt. Thank you for all your support in prayer during this difficult period. Please join us and the Arabic […]
Christians in Lebanon: living near a volcano
January 2016Beirut National Evangelical Church pastor Revd Dr Habib Badr tells Wazala why he sees “quality Christian presence” as the key to future peace and inclusion in a fragile and volatile country. A wall of coiled razor wire stands guard over the entrance to Evangelical Church Road in Central Beirut. It’s there not to protect the church but to control access […]
Iran and Saudi Arabia: piety or politics?
What is driving the growing tensions between these two major Gulf powers and what part does religion play? Simon Mabon brings some clarity. The execution by Saudi Arabia of the prominent Shi’a cleric Nimr al-Nimr on the 2nd January, along with the 46 others found guilty of terrorism by a Saudi court, has seen the already tense relationship between the […]
The exiled Syrians discovering the God of miracles
January 2016In the first of a series of articles from Lebanon, Lindsay Shaw from SAT-7 UK reports on how God is changing lives among Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley A soaring unfinished entrance wing announces a church in the midst of major expansion. But it is the hundreds of people the church is serving that reveal the real growth at […]
From fear to joy – a Saviour is born
January 2016The angels’ command to “Fear not” has never been more relevant, says Munther Isaac, Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College. But how does news of a Saviour drive out fear? “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born […]
Briefing – January 2016
January 2016A turbulent year ended and a new one began with a sharp escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and its chief rival, Iran. This month’s briefing looks at the year ahead. The year ahead for the region The New Year began at full speed. The execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a leading Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, prompted international condemnation with […]