Since August 2021, Elham,* a man living in Afghanistan, has been in contact with the SAT-7 PARS Viewer Support team, who have walked virtually with him through the turmoil of Taliban control in Afghanistan and Elham’s ongoing search for truth and freedom. “The people of Afghanistan are living through a disastrous nightmare,” wrote Elham to the SAT-7 PARS Viewer Support […]
Freedom crushed in Afghanistan: an eye-witness speaks
Press freedom and seeking truth in the Persian world
“My life is not safe. It wasn’t safe when I was in Afghanistan and it isn’t even now that I am in [another country].” These words from a SAT-7 PARS viewer and journalist came in response to an episode of Insiders that explored the importance of press freedom. The writer continued: “I work for an official online news site [for […]
“No matter what happens, I will continue to watch.”
Testimonies recently received by SAT-7’s Turkish-language channel show how deeply its message of God’s love is impacting people’s lives. “I take joy in watching your channel. Because I am watching, my entire household has turned against me. But no matter what happens, I will continue to watch,” one viewer says. The viewer shares that he was “biased” against Christians, like […]
REMEMBERING REVD MEHDI DIBAJ, AN IRANIAN PASTOR KILLED FOR HIS FAITH
The 1990s were one of the most difficult decades for Iran’s small but growing church, as several leaders were martyred for the sake of their faith and their desire to share God’s message of salvation, hope, and love. In a powerful interview on SAT-7 PARS program Insiders, Issa Dibaj spoke of the life and example of his father, the Revd […]
Two nominations and “Special Mention” for SAT-7 children’s show at international TV awards
23 June 2022 A SAT-7 KIDS series was one of only two programmes to receive a “Special Mention” and was nominated in two categories at the Prix Jeunesse International 2022 children’s television awards in Munich last week. A Story in the Attic, produced by SAT-7’s Lebanon studio, was nominated both in the Fiction for Ages 11-15 category and for the […]
THE MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING – JUNE 2022
It was UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who, in 1958, tweaked a Winston Churchill statement to say “jaw-jaw is better than war-war”. Happily, this month sees some examples – though not enough – of renewed dialogue bringing hope of peace and democracy to parts of the Middle East. News that US President Joe Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia […]
NEW FESTIVAL NURTURES FILM-MAKING THAT CHANGES LIVES
Films and TV drama have the power to change our view of the world – from how we look at history and events (think Braveheart or Belfast), how we see life (It’s a Wonderful Life or The Pursuit of Happyness), or how we understand the lives of people whose experience is quite different from ours (The Theory of Everything or […]
HELPING AFGHANS TO FIND HOPE AND FREEDOM
Escalating restrictions on women’s freedoms, a return to repressive rule, broken promises for girls’ education, a collapsed economy, and one of the worst humanitarian crises of today’s world. All these have stripped people in Afghanistan of their hopes for the future. SAT-7 PARS is ramping up its efforts and making new connections to respond to these increasingly desperate needs. “Truly the people […]
Christian media pioneer honoured for Kingdom impact
30 May 2022 The pioneering Christian media work of SAT-7 Founder and President, Dr Terence Ascott, has been recognised in the presentation of a Labib Madanat Kingdom Impact Award. The award honours “men and women whose self-sacrificing and courageous endeavours have conferred eternal benefit on thousands and thousands of people in the Greater Middle East, helping them on their journey […]
The Middle East Briefing – May 2022
Last weekend (15 May) citizens of Lebanon voted in parliamentary elections, for the first time since the 2019 “17 October Protests” over economic mismanagement and the unaccountability of political elites. There was much uncertainty over this election despite the wholesale anger with sitting politicians who are blamed for Lebanon’s economic crisis and its 2020 Beirut explosion. Former Prime Minister Saad […]