6 February 2023 (Updated 7 February) Staff at SAT-7’s Turkish TV studios are deeply shocked and request prayer for their country following Monday’s two massive earthquakes. In a short statement, SAT-7 TÜRK said, “We are shocked and very sad. Currently, in many provinces, people are waiting for help under the rubble. The weather is cold and resources are limited… Please […]
“Nora…. hey, Nora! Is that you? Oh, I’m so excited! You don’t know me, but I know you. You’re one of my favourite presenters on SAT-7 TÜRK!” Bahar* is a really devoted viewer of SAT-7 TÜRK. She watches all the programmes and knows the names of all the presenters, camera operators, directors, and lighting crew. Her favourite presenter is Nora […]
Tensions with Iran are producing unlikely alliances in the Middle East, while the importance of religious freedom was highlighted this month at a major international conference in London. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) was a major focus this month when nearly 700 politicians, faith leaders and activists from over 100 countries gathered in London for the fourth International Ministerial […]
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 […]
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 […]
The images of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine have shocked us all. Footage of indiscriminate bombings of apartment blocks, hospitals and critical infrastructure, such as water and electricity hubs, assail us like flashbacks of recent events in the Middle East. What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a continuation of the devastating attacks Russia made on civilian areas of Syria […]
“Our eyes are on the suffering Ukrainian church. We are suffering with them.” These words by SAT-7 TÜRK presenter Volkan Er opened discussion of the crisis enveloping Ukraine and its European neighbours in last Wednesday’s episode of Worldview (2 March). This weekly current affairs programme on SAT-7’s Turkish language channel, along with the daily SAT-7 TÜRK news programme, is a […]
The month has been marked both by diplomacy and power struggles on an international level. Away from the headlines, Middle East churches continued to work and pray for peace and freedom. Hopeful diplomatic moves continue across the region. President Erdogan of Turkey has been warmly welcomed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a marked change from the tensions that have […]
As the economic crisis in Turkey deepens, with inflation soaring and a currency crisis pushing more people into poverty, SAT-7 TÜRK’s live programme Homemade raised awareness of the impact on families and hosted an expert guest who directed struggling viewers to resources that can help them. “Rent is increasing by 70 percent. What is going to happen to us?” was […]
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, […]
