First-time pregnancy can be a disorientating time for a couple, as changes occur so quickly and hopes run so high. But it can be even more confusing and isolating in a culture in which issues relating to pregnancy and childbirth are rarely discussed, and superstitions proliferate. That’s where a new SAT-7 PARS programme called Forty (“Chehel” in Farsi) comes in. […]
For many girls across the Middle East and North Africa, rejection and discrimination are a daily reality. Widely considered of lower status and value than their brothers, their education and opportunities are limited, and their experience of injustice and abuse all too frequent. The season of Advent resounds with the song of Mary, Jesus’s mother, herself a young woman who […]
A US announcement this month brought a decades-long conflict to the fore, even as peace appeared on the horizon in Iraq with victory over Islamic State. Meanwhile, hopeful signs of religious tolerance emerged elsewhere in the region. The status of Jerusalem became a focus of anger this month. Since a 1995 vote by Congress, four US presidents have promised to […]
The recent allegations of sexual harassment over decades lodged against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the domino effect on other public figures has sent ripples worldwide. The #metoo hashtag on social media united not only female victims but also many male supporters. My experience in Egypt, however, is that sexual harassment isn’t limited to the workspace but is loud […]
Egyptian mother, Nahla Faheem, is inspiring Christian parents today as she looks back on her daughters’ short lives and the suicide bombing that stole them from her. One year after the bombing of St Peter and Paul’s Coptic Church in Cairo that left 25 people dead, she spoke to presenter Magda Gad on SAT-7’s Speak Up programme. A pendant containing […]
Christmas came early ten years ago when a brand new channel called SAT-7 KIDS, planned as a present for the children of the Middle East and North Africa, was launched on 10 December 2007. Instantly well-received, it has proved a bright, welcoming haven for millions of young viewers. Luke 2:52 tells us that when Jesus was a child He “grew […]
A Christian TV channel watched by at least 4.6 million* Arabic speaking children in the Middle East and North Africa is putting up the bunting, banners and balloons for when it celebrates its 10th birthday on 10 December. “We would need the largest cake ever made if we could invite all our precious viewers over for a party,” said SAT-7 […]
Egyptian Christians welcomed a very special guest at a recent celebration for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Cairo. Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohn from Germany spoke at the event, which was held on 18 November and also featured a powerful performance of worship songs through the ages. The Bishop, who is chairman of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) council […]
Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon: Why a month is a long time in the Middle East Massive political shifts and out-of-the-blue developments have made this month a remarkable one even by the normally volatile standards of the Middle East. The aftershocks of the Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq continued, as a strengthened central Iraqi government in Baghdad relentlessly pushed forward, […]
A controversial referendum for Kurdish independence in Northern Iraq dominated the region’s headlines and triggered the rapid deployment of Iraqi forces to Kirkuk. As expected, on 25 September Kurds in Northern Iraq held a referendum for independence from Iraq. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Kurds have enjoyed a de-facto regional governance and since then have aspired to create an […]
