Two 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 […]
SAT-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 […]
Analysis: Turkey’s surprise election result could be good news for democracy and has sent four Christians to parliament The outcome of Turkey’s 7 June parliamentary elections was startling. Most analysts foresaw a fall in election share for the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party), and the possibility of the pro-Kurdish HDP (People’s Democratic Party) obtaining the necessary 10 per cent […]
As I mentioned in my previous post, materialism plays a heavy role in Lebanese society. Here, “keeping up with the Joneses” takes on an entirely new dimension. Appearance is important; your reputation is everything. Wedding on the Beirut corniche (cwirtanen/Flickr Commons) Lebanese women are famous for being beautiful. A few years back, when I told a taxi driver in Cairo […]
Iraqi Christians have requested prayer for their country, as they continue to suffer the consequences of the seizure of Mosul last June. A year ago Daesh (so-called ‘Islamic State’ or ‘I.S.’) captured the Mosul area and gave Christians three choices: convert to Islam; abandon their property and leave the city; or be killed. IS later attacked Christian villages and towns […]
While Turkey geared up for elections which could have long-term internal and regional ramifications, the war against ISIS and proxy battles in Yemen dominated elsewhere. Christians in Turkey had reason to celebrate but faced discrimination in Egypt, Israel and Iran. News from the region On 7 June, Turkish citizens will vote in what is seen as one of the most […]
My parents just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. Thirty-four years – year after year, more beautiful, more enriching and more satisfying. Whilst we were all sharing their delicious anniversary cake, I sat marvelling at the work of God in their lives. I remember very clearly how they brought me and my brothers up to love God and walk in His […]
A Christian children’s home nestled in the Chouf mountains outside Beirut and close to one of the country’s famous Cedars of Lebanon reserves is today aptly named Beit El Safa – “The House of Serenity”. But it wasn’t always this way. Originally donated to the Beirut Free Evangelical Church for summer youth camps, the site was twice occupied by different […]
Debbie Brink visited North Africa to hear the faith journeys of women who have come to Christ in Tunisia I had the privilege recently of travelling to Tunisia for five days with some friends of mine. One of them is from Tunisia, but living in another country with her husband. As we drove, I saw miles and miles of olive […]