In this month’s Country Briefing, we journey to the easternmost reaches of SAT-7’s satellite footprint: the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan. The presenter of a new Tajik women’s talk show shares with us the difficulties faced by Christians in Tajikistan, but also how God is using SAT-7 to build His Church there.
Click here to listen to the 7-minute audio version of the Briefing
Tajikistan is a land-locked, mountainous nation in Central Asia – over 90% of its landscape is dominated by the Pamir and Alay mountain ranges, earning it the nickname “The Roof of the World.” Its culture and history are deeply intertwined with the ancient Persian empire and the Silk Road, which once traversed its rugged landscape.
Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Tajikistan has navigated the complexities of post-Soviet nation-building, marked by civil unrest, economic challenges, and efforts toward modernization.
In the predominantly Muslim country of Tajikistan, Christians represent a small minority. Tajik Christians often face societal pressures and governmental restrictions, which affect their freedom to practice their faith openly. It is this lack of freedom, as well as frequent harassment and hostility, which puts Tajikistan at 46 on the World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
The government maintains strict control over religious practices to prevent extremism, leading to regulations that impact all religious groups, including Christians. The majority of Tajikistan’s Christians belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, which is largely tolerated by the regime. However, it is almost impossible to register non-Orthodox churches, and in 2022 the government announced that no new churches could be registered.
What is life like for Christians in Tajikistan?
Isolation and persecution are the norm for Tajik Christians, who comprise less than 1 per cent of the population. There are churches in the country’s two biggest cities, but none in the districts and villages because of strict rules around registration. Farangis, a Tajik presenter of a new SAT-7 programme for women in Tajikistan, shares: “Without registration, no Christians can gather. So people in rural areas cannot gather.”
To highlight the dangers of informal gatherings, Farangis told a story: “Several churches were gathering without registration. The police grabbed them, and all of them were in very big trouble because of that. People then were scared to gather without registration.”
It is not just the authorities who inflict persecution; there can be hostility at the family level too. “Most Tajik families are under pressure from other relatives,” said Farangis. “I have experienced it myself. My parents were rejected because their children became Christians.”
Some new Christians in Tajikistan face physical abuse too. According to Open Doors, female believers are particularly at risk of violence or imprisonment at the hands of their families. “My friend was beaten,” Farangis recalled. “Her father beat her because she became a Christian.”
God on the move
Despite the dangers facing seekers and new Christians in her home country, Farangis has hope, because people are coming to faith in Jesus. She recently met some Tajiks from rural areas who gave their lives to Christ after watching programmes on SAT-7.
One man, who was raised in a non-Christian family in a small village, told Farangis that he encountered Jesus for the first time through SAT-7 PARS. He started watching the Farsi-language programmes; then as SAT-7 started releasing more in the Tajik language, he watched all these too, delighted to be learning about God in his mother tongue! Farangis also met two sisters in a rural district, both of whom became followers of Jesus and grew in their faith as a result of watching SAT-7’s Tajik programmes.
Programmes for Tajik speakers
SAT-7 started making programmes in the Tajik language in 2017: first the music and testimony programme Our Salvation is in Him, followed by teaching programme Foundations of the Christian Faith, and then discipleship show Christian Family. They have been broadcast on SAT-7’s Persian-language channel, SAT-7 PARS, which also makes programmes in Farsi and Dari for viewers in Iran and Afghanistan.
Producer Mikael Tunér believes that “sharing the Gospel via satellite TV is the most effective method of reaching millions in Persian countries with the Good News”, a view informed by his on-the-ground experience. “What especially inspires me to continue producing more Tajik shows are my trips to Tajikistan, where I meet both future presenters and viewers who have been impacted by the programming,” Mikael said.
Farangis and her sister, Hamroz, co-present In The World of Women’s Thoughts, a powerful new talk show for Tajik-speakers on SAT-7. Both sisters have sought religious freedom in other countries – Farangis now lives in Sweden, while Hamroz lives in the USA – but they are passionate about reaching their homeland with the Good News.
The new show, produced by SAT-7 Partner Media Mission the Messengers, is part of a wider strategy to ramp up support for Tajik Christians in their life of faith. “Our viewers from Tajikistan are in dire need of Christian teaching and lifestyle examples,” Mikael shares.
Faith and family
In the World of Women’s Thoughts will address vital topics to help Tajik women grow as believers and live to the glory of God. The programme-makers considered the specific challenges facing these viewers when preparing the show, including loneliness, hopelessness, and broken family relationships.
Because Tajik is closely related to Dari, which is the variety of Persian spoken in Afghanistan, In the World of Women’s Thoughts will also benefit Afghan women, who are also in great need of Christian discipleship content.
Panayiotis Keenan, SAT-7 PARS Executive Director, said:
As a Persian-language channel, we serve a diverse audience across Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Each country has its distinct culture, history, people, and variety of Persian, and it is crucial to us as a ministry to ensure that our viewers can hear about God’s love in their own heart languages.
“We are delighted to have a growing library of Dari programming for our Afghan viewers, in addition to our firmly established programmes for Iranian viewers in Farsi. This year, we are thrilled to add the first Tajik programme for women to our repertoire. I pray that Tajik women will be empowered to claim their identity in Christ and confidently stand in faith as they face the challenges of life.”
Pray for Tajikistan
- Pray that Tajik Christians will be allowed to gather in peace, and for a change in the laws to allow new churches to be registered
- Ask for God’s protection over Tajik Christians, particularly women and those who are vulnerable to harassment and violence
- Pray that In the World of Women’s Thoughts will be a great support and encouragement to Christian women in the Persian world
- Pray that SAT-7 PARS will be able to find new Christian presenters from Tajikistan and Afghanistan who can appear on TV without any security concerns
- Give thanks that people in Tajikistan are coming to faith in Jesus through SAT-7’s programmes! Ask for more to watch with open hearts to receive Him.
