Minority report Population: 77 million; 99.5% Muslim; 0.5% Christian These are difficult times for Christians in Turkey. The country has suffered an increase in terrorist attacks in major cities and been in an extended state of emergency following the attempted coup in July 2016. The far-reaching repercussions included mass sackings, arrests and the closure of hundreds of media outlets. The […]
Turkey: The cry of isolated believers
Iran: The cry for meaning from young men
Tackling drug addiction Population: 82.8 million; 99.4% Muslim; 0.3% Zoroastrian, Christian, Jewish; 0.3% other Literacy: 91.2% men; 82.5% women Iran has the highest rate of drug addiction in the world, with at least 2 million Iranians in a population of 75 million addicted to illegal substances. Young men are at the centre of this phenomenon – with high unemployment, gender […]
Algeria: The cry from a first-generation Church
Church growth – past and present Population: 40.3 million; 99% Muslim; <1% Christian Literacy: 87% men; 73% women What is now Algeria was once home to Saint Augustine (AD 354-430), one of the Church’s foremost theologians. Christianity flourished here between the fifth and seventh centuries but gradually disappeared after the Arab invasions. Although new churches were started under French rule, […]
The Briefing – April 2017
This Easter, as we remembered the death and resurrection of our Saviour, world events continued to present us with the sharp contrasts of suffering and hope – the darkness of the present moment and the promise that all things will be made new in Christ. It’s a message that is more important than ever for the people of the Middle […]
The invisible front line
There is more than one way of being on the front line of ministry in SAT-7. While scores of the TV network’s presenters have become trusted and familiar friends through their regular appearance on screen, there is a front line that is less visible but equally important. It involves sitting beside a phone and a computer monitor. Members of SAT-7 […]
Sharing the hope of the Resurrection with the suffering Church
“The message of Easter is one of hope, victory, and love for all humankind. This is the message that the SAT-7 PARS channel wants to share and impart to its viewers through our Easter programming,” says Senior Manager Panayiotis Keenan. Many Christians in the Farsi-speaking world face persecution for their faith; attending church or celebrating Easter is prohibited for Iranians […]
Palm Sunday bombing: survivors and clergy reflect
On Palm Sunday, midway through a special service for the start of Holy Week, a suicide bomber detonated his device, killing 27 worshippers at St George’s Coptic Orthodox Church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta. SAT-7 field reports producer Ramy Samir spoke to eyewitnesses at the scene and the channel’s Egypt studio broadcast a programme of reflections and prayer […]
Palm Sunday in Egypt: carnage on a day of celebration
On Palm Sunday morning a bomb ripped through the communion service at St George’s, Tanta in Egypt, killing 27 and injuring many more. Shortly afterwards by a suicide bomb detonated outside St Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria where Pope Tawadros, the leader of the Coptic Church, had led worship. Eighteen more worshippers and four police officers died in the blast. Later […]
Teaching and equipping Christians in the MENA
Spiritual hunger The continued conflict and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are directly impacting the lives of more than 50 million Arabic speakers. As a result, there is a spiritual hunger for truth, change and peace. SAT-7 is a beacon providing spiritual guidance to its audience of 21.5 million Arabic people. Viewers are responding: in […]
SAT-7 inspires women to pursue their dreams
Realise your potential “If we can do it, you can do it too!” is the motto of a brand new SAT-7 women’s show, Homemade. It aims to inspire female viewers all over Turkey to be creative, realise their full potential and believe they can succeed at whatever they put their minds to. Host Semsa Deniz explains that, “the correct image […]