Simmering tensions and long-held mistrust have come to the surface this month in mass protests in Israel and continuing deadlock in the Gulf. After two months of sanctions on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, there has been no sign of a resolution. Despite previous tensions with Qatar, the current rift is the deepest ever. Diplomatic relations have […]
There are only a few people that have the “it” factor. “It” being a characteristic that destines one for great things; sometimes as big as changing the world! To me, 12-year old Mahala* is one of those people. I first saw Mahala confidently marching to the podium of my church in Beirut. With perfect poise, she gave a 10-minute sermon […]
Founder and CEO of Christian satellite TV broadcaster SAT-7, Dr Terence Ascott, painted a gloomy picture of the Middle East in its 2016 Annual Report. Warning that the entire region was “going backwards in development terms”, he pointed to a series of grim statistics that underline the crisis across the Middle East right now. The Arab World comprises just 5% […]
After three years of waiting and nine months of relentless conflict, the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS) has seen two major breakthroughs in the last couple of weeks. News from the Church in the region, meanwhile, revealed differing pressures and examples of believers showing great perseverance and responding to adversity with compassion and careful reflection. Iraq’s second city […]
Just when we might have thought the Middle East had seen it all in terms of possible crises, a move by several members of the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) to bring the small but ambitious country of Qatar into line has triggered another. After last month’s visit to Saudi Arabia by President Trump of the USA, and his apparent support […]
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 region continues to see seismic shifts, the campaign against Islamic State, persecution of Christians, and worrying signs of famine in Yemen. The fighting in Syria grows ever more complex. Turkish troops and Turkish-backed groups recaptured the border town of Al-Bab from so-called Islamic State (IS), also achieving Turkey’s aim of interrupting the line of territory held by Kurdish forces along its […]
The Church of England’s only Syrian-born clergyman, Dr Nadim Nassar, is also Director of the London-based Awareness Foundation, a charity that provides peace-making education in Syria and Iraq and builds understanding between faiths in the UK. SAT-7 UK’s Press and Communications Officer, Lindsay Shaw, spoke to him just after he returned from Beirut where, among other things, he had filmed […]
A Beirut church that has learnt to love its refugee neighbours is now testifying to that love to audiences across the Arab world through SAT-7. Broadcasts of live Sunday services from Resurrection Church, Beirut (RCBeirut) began last month. The church is situated close to parts of the city that have become home to many Syrians and Iraqis fleeing conflict. Recognising […]
I really feel like the man on the road [in the story of the Good Samaritan].” This is how nine-year-old Sylvana described her experience as a refugee, having fled war-torn Syria. She was one of a number of children from the House of Hope School in Lebanon to take part in a special episode of live worship programme Let’s Sing […]
