From 1 January, the year 2022 has looked very different in contrasting corners of the Middle East and North Africa – from wealthy Gulf nations to countries in crisis like Afghanistan and Yemen. As we look ahead, our Middle East analyst sees some hopeful signs of nations beating swords into ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4), but too few leaders using their power, […]
THE MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING – JANUARY 2022
Worship borne out of suffering
A SAT-7 series is producing new worship songs for the suffering Iranian Church – written by a martyr’s son in collaboration with Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey. Gilbert Hovsepian was only 17 when his father, Revd Haik Hovsepian Mehr, the President of the Council of Protestant Churches in Iran and a courageous spokesman for freedom of religion, was kidnapped and […]
LOOKING BACK ON 1,000 TURKISH “WORDS OF HOPE”
SAT-7 TÜRK’s longest-running programme, Words of Hope, has now beamed God’s Word to Turkish speakers more than a thousand times. As SAT-7 marks 15 years of Turkish broadcasts, Words of Hope presenter and pastor Haluk Bilgen reflects on the programme’s years of witness and impact. “In the beginning, I used to worry and wonder, ‘What am I going to share […]
SAT-7 BRINGS CHRISTMAS HOPE TO BELIEVERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
SAT-7 viewers will enjoy a feast of hope-filled Christmas programmes in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian over the festival period. From broadcasts showing gifts and Bibles being taken to isolated villagers, a Christmas visit to children in an orphanage and support given to impoverished families, to live church services, musical concerts and special episodes of regular talk shows, the joyful message […]
Persian Christian leaders’ message to viewers on 15th anniversary of SAT-7 PARS
21 December 2021 SAT-7’s Persian language television channel, SAT-7 PARS, last weekend marked 15 years of broadcasting the Gospel into the Persian world. In a special video message for viewers, respected pastors, Bible teachers, worship leaders and other presenters reflected on the significance of the channel and the privilege of ministering to a growing Persian Church. Watch presenters’ messages in […]
Fifteen years of Gospel ministry to the Persian world
“SAT-7 PARS has been impacting and changing people’s lives for 15 years,” says Panayiotis Keenan, Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS. “It is also a platform for viewers to express themselves to the world, and a voice for the voiceless, for those who have been silenced and isolated. With the enthusiasm, dedication and determination of the team, I am positive that […]
God’s hand at work in Afghanistan
“We can see that God is working in Afghanistan through the messages we receive from viewers, which often bring tears to our eyes,” shares Panayiotis Keenan, Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS. Amazingly, despite all they have faced since the Taliban takeover, SAT-7 PARS viewers are experiencing transformation in God. “We got an email from a young man who said, ‘I’ve watched your TV show […]
Training for media workers seeks to bridge Lebanon’s sectarian divisions
Representatives from across Lebanon’s media landscape were brought together by SAT-7’s Beirut team for three days of workshops and training as part of Lebanon: Our Story, a project funded by the Danish Government that aims to drive social cohesion among young people from different communities in the country. Hopes for positive change were high among the local media professionals […]
SAT-7 ARABIC VIEWERS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT WOMEN’S RIGHTS, SURVEYS SHOW
Women and men who watched SAT-7’s Arabic women’s programme Needle and New Thread were more likely to support women’s rights to live free from violence and discrimination, says an independent evaluation that shows the programme successfully raised awareness among high percentages of viewers. The results of the final evaluation of the programme, released last month, reveal that Needle and New […]
THE MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING – NOVEMBER 2021
A year ago, Sudan stood out as the North African country where the signs of change were brightest, despite endemic poverty and a legacy of authoritarian rule and rebel movements. But on 25 October this year, the transition towards civilian rule and democracy came to an abrupt halt. Military forces arrested civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior officials. […]