Omeed Jouyandé explains why Herod and “all Jerusalem” had good reason to be alarmed by the arrival of a group of Magi from Parthia. But their mission was not as Herod feared – and their faith and identity remains an inspiration for Iranian Christians today. Danial from Iran describes how believers celebrate Christmas in his homeland: “Christmas is very […]
The Magi: kings, priests or enemy agents?
An Egyptian Christmas
During the festive season in Egypt, most Egyptians are just getting on with their day to day lives. They don’t really notice the Christians celebrating. But some hotels and shops display Christmas decorations, and Christmas trees are very popular – they often sell out before Christmas! This time of year can be cold – we even had snow in […]
An Iranian Christmas
Many Iranians enjoy Christmas as a festive season. In the capital, Tehran, Christian pastry shops, usually owned by Armenians, are well-lit and well-stocked with Christmas trees, gifts and cards. Even businesses owned by non-Christians will sell trees and flowers for Christmas. In some parts of the city you will see Christmas trees in the windows, and in Isfahan, a city […]
Prayer and counsel for bus attack survivors
As Egypt’s Christians mourned a deadly gun attack on Coptic Christian pilgrims, SAT-7’s Arabic channels led believers in prayer and offered counselling through its live Speak Up programme. One of the viewers who called in to the Speak Up broadcast was affected directly: “The events caused pain for all of us and those who saw the pictures and saw the […]
Crossing borders, joining hearts
When George Makeen found himself in a sticky situation during an Egypt-Algeria football match, it revealed to him the power of Jesus to bring people together. In his latest blog post, the SAT-7 ARABIC Programming Director shares his joy over how SAT-7’s North African programmes are doing the same for lonely believers. Having grown up in Egypt, I knew little about North […]
The Briefing – November 2018
It has been a month of high pressure for two major players in the region – with Saudi Arabia facing diplomatic censure and Iran experiencing a new economic squeeze. The Christians of Egypt, meanwhile, were grieving after another terror attack that security forces were unable to prevent. The fallout from the brutal murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi continues. […]
SAT-7 LEADS PRAYERS FOR PILGRIMAGE SHOOTING VICTIMS
As Egypt’s Christians mourn a deadly gun attack on Coptic pilgrims, SAT-7’s Arabic channels have been leading believers across the Middle East in prayer. Several shows lifted up grieving families, injured survivors, and vulnerable Egyptian Christians, allowing viewers to pour out their pain and grief to God. At least seven people were killed on 2 November when gunmen targeted buses […]
Turkish couple rescued by God’s love
SAT-7 viewers Sedat and Gülay are among the comparatively tiny number of Christians in Turkey, a country of almost 80 million people. At a time of great hardship, they turned to Jesus – and since then, He has done miracles in their lives. Here they share their remarkable story and their love for SAT-7 TÜRK. “I was so scared. I […]
Setting a healthy family example
Hamid and Aya, a Moroccan father and daughter, show what a healthy parent-daughter relationship looks like through their SAT-7 KIDS programme Me and My Daughter. By re-enacting their real-life everyday ups and downs, they encourage viewers of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to strive for healthy family relationships. In a patriarchal society, where fathers are authority figures to […]
The Briefing – October 2018
Some of the tensions of the region found a focus this month in the stories of two individuals – a prominent journalist who vanished without trace and a Christian pastor, released after two years of detention. The disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at his country’s consulate in Istanbul, set alarm bells ringing among Saudi allies over the direction […]