(dramatic music)
- This week on "Christian World News,"
a decade ago, politicalchange was sweeping
through the Middle East.
How did it affect Christiansand other religious minorities?
Some face more pressure than ever.
Others are seeing glimpses of freedom.
Plus Iran's silent revolution.
Millions are turning awayfrom the Islamic regime
and their traditional faith.
Many are turning to Jesus Christ.
And the boys from Baghdad.
How a prayer and a chanceencounter delivered them
from poverty and gavethem hope of new life.
Hello, everyone, welcometo this week's edition
of "Christian World News."
I'm George Thomas.
Today, we have a special look
at the church in the Middle East.
was rocking the MiddleEast and North Africa.
But today is life different
for Christians and other minorities?
Senior Washington correspondent
Jennifer Wishon takes a look.
- There's no questionthe Arab Spring ushered
in some bright spots, but italso created a deadly vacuum
for Christians and other minorities.
From Tunisia to Egypt to Syria,
Americans watched with hopeful eyes
as fed up citizens protestedoppressive governments.
- What we saw was peopletired of corruption,
people of limited rights,limited opportunity,
economic deprivation sothey took to the streets.
But freedom was a major component of that.
- [Jennifer] The protestsparked new debates
over religious freedom.
A number of countriesrewrote their constitutions,
but most of their brutal laws remained.
- In Egypt, we've seen Shias, Koranists,
Christians prosecutedunder blasphemy laws.
- [Jennifer] And today,while Egypt is allowing
the construction of churches,
Saudi Arabia is revising its textbooks
and Sudan has repealed its apostasy law,
the Arab Spring ushered in aterrifying era for Christians.
- In 2014, ISIS fighters massacred a group
of 21 Coptic Christian, expatriate workers
on a beach in Libya broadcastingthe horrific footage
for all to see.
- [Jennifer] ISIS launcheda genocidal campaign
against Yazidis, Christians,and Shia Muslims in Iraq
as the government turned a blind eye.
Violence against CopticChristians in Egypt intensified.
And across the region,blasphemy laws actually
expanded criminalizingthe worship of minorities.
At a recent hearing, the US Commission
on International ReligiousFreedom discussed
how America can encouragemeaningful change.
Panelists suggested imposingsanctions on persecutors,
tying strings to the billionsof tax dollars the region gets
in US assistance, andhaving US officials meet
with opposition leadersalong with heads of state
to highlight the importance of diversity.
Bashir says, privately,countries often acknowledge
the benefits of religious freedom,
but maintain the statusquo to appease extremist.
- At some point youhave to move it forward
and isolate those fringe elements
who are making thosethreats and move forward
come into this 21st century.
- Religious freedom advocates agree
the Trump administrationraised the profile
of international religious freedom.
Now they're anxious tosee President Biden's take
on this important tenantof American diplomacy.
Jennifer Wishon, CBN News.
- Joining me now is RitaEl-Mounayer, she's CEO of SAT-7,
a Christian broadcastingministry to the Middle East.
Rita, thank you so much forjoining us on the broadcast.
You recently said thatthis is God's season
for the Middle East and North Africa.
What did you mean by that?
- This is a new generation,
the new generation that aregrowing up to have big questions
with all the hopelessness that they live,
with all the insecurities.
They're having the questionsabout what is next.
And I believe with theChristian television,
with programs that aimto the new generation,
because the Middle East and North Africa
is a young generation, almost60% under the age of 25,
so if we give this new generation the hope
that is in Jesus Christ,if we give this new
generation the faith, the forgiveness,
the reconciliation thatis in the Word of God,
I think we win the Middle East today.
- The pandemic shutdown nationsand took millions of lives.
Yet, during this time SAT-7ministry has seen some
extraordinary responsesin this part of the world.
Tell us briefly what's happening.
- It was a great year for people or for us
as management to think and strategize.
And in 2020, we hired three people
for main positions inSAT-7 and they are young.
And these three peoplehelped in video on demand.
So we launched our SAT-7PLUS app for video on demand.
So you can go binge watching all kinds
of programs in Turkish, Arabic, and Farsi,
of course, Christian programs.
We strengthened our presenceon social media with 10 brands.
And also we hired anaudience relation manager
who's the one who startedthe counseling online
just to be there for people
and telling them that you are not alone.
- To that point, talk about the responses
you have seen from the countries.
What specific countrieshave you seen the greatest
engagement, for example?
- The greatest engagements are from Iran.
Even though the numbersare not like very huge,
like the other word, becauseat a broke 22 countries,
and then you have one country Iran,
but the quality of engagement and stories
that we hear from Iran is just fantastic.
I'll tell you like one example.
There's one lady writing to us said,
"I'm Christian.
I become Christianbecause of your programs,"
because of course she is a Muslim,
"and I love Jesus Christ, butI don't know anywhere to go.
Not the church, I don't know a pastor.
I'm in Tehran alone and isolated.
But when you pray on the screen,
I pray on the screen with you.
When you worship on the screen,
I worship on the screen with you.
You become a church in my home.
And one day I pray that I will see you
in person to pray and worship with you.
And this day, my friend, when I see you,
I will bow down and washyour feet and tell you
thank you for what you'redoing to the isolated church,
isolated Christians in Iran."
- How important is this media revolution
in bringing the powerfulmessage of Jesus Christ?
- You are there in the homes of people,
even though you're not invited.
So you're there on satellite broadcasting,
and this is they do primary,what SAT-7 do primary.
And also we are on the video on demand.
We are on all devices,the iOS and the Android.
We are on Apple TV also.
And then they can watch.
They can watch programs that have a goal,
programs that can tell them more
about the love of Jesus Christ,
programs that can give them the hope
that we don't see in thishopeless Middle East.
- How can believerspray for and participate
in helping preach the gospel to
this very strategic part of the world?
- Please visit ourwebsite, www.SAT7.usa.org.
Or if one day, God will opena door, come and visit us.
You will fall in love withthe people in the Middle East.
We have studios in Turkey.
We have a studio in Cyprus.
We have a studio in Lebanon.
We have a studio in Egypt, in the UK.
Come and meet the people.
And also pray that the Lordwill open more doors for us.
We are now broadcastingalso from the churches,
the underground churches in North Africa,
in Tunisia, and Algeria.
And we want to reach morepeople with the love of Christ,
this love that is the only hope for us
in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Rita El-Mounayer, thank you so much
for coming on the broadcast.
- Thank you.
(dramatic music)
- [George] Up next, inIran people are disgusted
with the Islamic regime
and millions are turning away from Islam.
Some of finding new faith in Jesus Christ.
We'll have that excitingreport in a moment.
- [Announcer] CBN presents "God is For Us,
Verses of Salvation, Peace and Victory"
from the book of Romans.
- [Pat] It is filled withverses that defined our need
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- [Announcer] Call nowto get your audio CD of
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- [Pat] "Therefore, sincewe have been justified
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- [Announcer] These select scriptures
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- [Pat] My hope is that you will let
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They will change your outlookand increase your faith.
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- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside.
- It's a big diplomatic tug ofwar here in the Middle East.
- [Announcer] Go inside thestory with "Jerusalem Dateline."
- Israeli archeologists aretaking about a discovery
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- [Announcer] Join CBNJerusalem Bureau Chief
Chris Mitchell and getthe biblical perspective
on the events shaping the world.
- What starts in Israel thenends up going to other places.
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Friday night at 8:30 onthe CBN News Channel.
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It's "Healthy Living" with Lorie Johnson.
- Talk about what's in this.
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- Folks, welcome back toa "Christian World News."
In the Islamic Republic of Iran,
a growing number of peopleare turning to Christ
even in the face of persecution.
Not too long ago, a historic survey
uncovered a seismic shifthappening inside the country.
Take a look.
Two Dutch professors interviewed more than
50,000 Iranians online foran unprecedented survey
covering topics from faith topolitics to religious life.
The authors say theydiscovered a huge shift
that should fundamentally changehow we look at Iran today.
One major standout fromprofessors Pooyan Tamimi Arab
and Ammar Maleki is thatdespite Iran's census claims
that 99.5% of thepopulation is Shiite Islam,
only 32% of their respondentsidentified as such.
The next largest groupare the nones at 22%,
which led the authors to conclude
that Iranians are abandoningreligion for secularism.
- Broadly speaking,this survey is important
because it puts data behindthe largely non-empirical
argument that analysts havebeen forced to deal with,
which is that Iraniansociety is less religious.
This survey, this data proves that
Iranian society isexceptionally less religious.
- [George] Approximatelyhalf of the population
reported losing their religion.
60% said they do not pray any more.
Younger people reported higher levels
of dissatisfaction with religion.
And an overwhelming numberof respondents were critical
of authorities using strict Islamic laws
to govern daily life.
For example, 72% of thosesurveyed opposed the law mandating
all women to wear a hijab,the Islamic veil covering.
And when the authors dug a little deeper
on questions central to that faith,
even less numbers believed
in the core tenants of Shia Islam.
Only 37% believed in life after death.
30% believed in heaven and hell.
An even lower number 25%believed in the coming
of their Islamic savior knownas the Mahdi or 12th Imam.
- All of these trends isthe pushback on the hijab,
the lack of belief inthe coming of the Mahdi,
the lack of a willingnessto identify with Shiism,
the willingness to identify with
other faiths are all a result of politics
in the past 40 years ofthe Iranian government.
And as the Islamic Republic has tried
to shove religion downthe throat of Iranians
to mask their authoritariangrasp on power,
we've seen Iranians contesttheir authoritarianism
by contesting faith itself.
- [George] And so they also revealed
that as Islam diminishes,Christianity is growing.
1.5% of those surveyed identifiedthemselves as Christians.
- And that is comparedto about 30 years ago,
being less than 1%.
That less than 1% , everybodythought it was less than 0.5%.
- Mike Ansari of Mohabat TV, a ministry
that broadcasts the gospel into Iran
tells CBN News the survey insignificant
because it lends credence to what
mission groups have been saying for years.
- This data is importantbecause it's indicative
of the fact that in the country of Iran,
in the midst of persecutionand Islamic rule,
Iranians are turningtheir back to their faith,
to their institutional faith
and receiving Christianity as a new faith.
- [George] Iran is one ofthe most dangerous places
for Christians and otherminority faith groups.
Non-Muslims are oftenarrested or severely tortured
for sharing or practicing their faith.
Yet, in a sign of changing times,
the survey found that 41%of respondents believed
all religions should have theright to public proselytizing.
And around 54% said it was a good idea
for their children to learnabout other faiths in school.
When it comes to religiousfreedom, there is no question,
Saudi Arabia has a very long way to go.
But it's also true that fewcountries can boast the type
of change happening in the kingdom today.
Once again, here's Jennifer Wishon.
- Christmas trees, even talkof a future Christian Church?
No, this isn't a fantasy.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making
and considering changesonce thought impossible.
- The kingdom of Saudi Arabiais incrementally moving
in the right direction.
- [Jennifer] Johnnie Moore,who sits on the US Commission
on International Religious Freedom,
never thought religious liberty
in Saudi Arabia was possible.
Now he thinks it's inevitable.
It's still illegal forChristians to worship publicly,
but in recent years,the kingdom's religious
police have eased offraiding worship services.
- I would love one dayto celebrate Christmas
on the Arabian Peninsula.
And this year, by the way,
they allowed Christmastrees in the kingdom.
And increasingly, therumors that Saudi Arabia
might actually considerhaving a Christian Church
in the kingdom in some capacity.
At this point, these are all rumors.
But the very fact that theyare rumors is significant.
- Especially in light of CrownPrince Mohammad Bin Salman's
aim to reform thekingdom's judicial system,
Sharia law based on his strictinterpretation of the Koran,
one that's not tolerant of other faiths.
Is this a pretty big deal?
- For the crown princeof Saudi Arabia to say,
"No, we're gonna have lawslike the rest of the world
and we're gonna putthose laws down on paper,
this is an astonishing reform."
- [Jennifer] Watchdog groupsalso point to improvements
in the kingdom's school textbooks removing
some hateful references toJews, Christians, and others.
- Increasingly, we'reseeing strong leadership
throughout the Arab world thatis pushing back on extremism
and saying it's not enoughto stop the extremist,
the real way of stoppingextremism is raising a generation
that doesn't have to fearthose who worship differently.
- [Jennifer] Incrementalmoves that may one day lead
to Muslims, Christians,and Jews coexisting
on the Arabian Peninsula.
Jennifer Wishon, CBN News.
(dramatic music)
- [George] Up next, the boys from Baghdad,
two brothers who were facing poverty
and starvation when a prayer and a chance
encounter turned their lives around.
See who it was right after this.
- [Announcer] From Washington DC.
- Good evening andwelcome to "Faith Nation."
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(children giggling)
- [Announcer] "God is For Us,"
a special audio recordingfrom Pat Robertson.
- [Pat] "Neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separateus from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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while dwelling on the promises of God.
Call 1-800-700-7000 or go to cbn.com
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and get your copy of "God is For Us."
- Welcome back to this special"Christian World News."
Mohammad and Ahmed grew upMuslim in Baghdad, Iraq.
Abused and abandoned by their father,
they often lacked foodand other necessities.
Then one day a prayersparked a chance encounter
that changed their lives forever.
This story comes to us from our friends
at the ministry I Found the Truth.
Take a look.
- The first encounterthat I've had with God
was when me and my brotherwere outside saying,
"If there's a God outthere, then show Yourself."
- The first time I hadan encounter with God was
when I hadn't ate in four days
because my dad didn't want to provide.
And so I get on my knees and I'm praying.
I'm like, "If there's a Godout there, if You're real,
if You're out there, please provide for me
because I am starving right now."
And I actually believedsomething inside of me,
I felt like He was gonna provide,
even though I didn't believe in Him.
And surely He'll provide,I'm in desperate need,
He's gonna come through.
And me and my brotheroutside with no shoes.
- I noticed that there's a guyrunning at a point, at a view
and as he's running, hesees me and I was barefoot.
At the time, it was really hot.
And as we're walking on the floor,
it's like our feet was burning.
And as he approachesus, he was a US general.
- This general namedDavid Petraeus comes up
to me and my brother which we didn't know
was such a big figure at the time.
We just thought he wasan American soldier.
He brings my mom outsideand he brings a translator
and he's telling my mom,
"Why doesn't your son have any shoes?"
- And my mom goes on and tells him that
she's in a really bad place right now.
She doesn't have enough funds or money
to provide to get us shoes.
And then he calls in aunit and he brings them in,
and these units open their cars
and they're just bringingus Gatorade bottles
and food and just providing for us.
And after getting to know the general,
he offered my mom a job with the US Army.
- A few years down the line,
my mom was gettingopportunities to work with them.
She basically moved up the ranks to where
like she was a translatorand she was known,
she had gotten a namewith the American Army.
- She made her way up to a translator.
She started getting threats
because she was working with the US Army.
And before you know it,the general he's like,
"You guys, we can't keep you here
because it's very dangerous for you."
And as he comes and tellsmy mom, and he's like,
"How would you like to go to America?"
As we get to the US, we just kind of look
for the Arab community becausethat was our first instincts.
Where, how can we blend in?
- There was an Arabiccommunity where we were at
and they had told us aboutchurches are providing food,
they're providing furniture,they're providing clothes.
We had looked into wherelike we're just gonna go
into this church, get what we need,
we're not gonna talk to them 'cause
we still had our Muslim background.
Just walking in through the church doors,
I felt the Holy Spirit just struck me.
As soon as I walked in,everybody's looking at me
and my family and they have these
crazy smiles on their face.
I was like why are they smiling?
Like these people don't knowus, why are they smiling?
Why are they so happy?
And right there andthen I knew, I was like
whatever they have, I want that.
I want to be happy like that.
- There was this guy by the name of David.
He was just going around the community,
just helping Arab people,
just helping them and just feel like
he was spreading the gospeljust telling them about Jesus.
And he got us connectedthrough a church in
upstate New York that we came to know.
And they just started to love on us.
They're like, "Oh, how are you?
What's your name?
Where are you from?"
They just want to get to know us.
They wanted to build a relationship.
- This family had gottenclose to us from the church
that was providing, we justwanted to stuffing it up,
but they had reached out,treated us like family.
The thing about them that was weird,
they didn't push their religion on us.
They didn't push Christianity onto us.
They just kept comingweek after week taking us
to church every Sunday.
And little by little, I found out that
that's the thing thatwas making them happy.
That was the thing that Iwas missing in my heart,
that that's what I needed.
- I started having questionslike who is this guy
that you guys are talking about?
I'm like I want to know Him.
After knowing who He is going to church
and getting my questionsanswered, I came to know Him
and I accepted Him into my life.
- 2014, 2015 is when I was like,
"God, I want to give my life to you
and I want to give you my whole heart."
And Islam's teaching is do this, do that,
you can't get into heaven
unless you do all these good deeds.
Experiencing Jesus and God, I'm like
there is nothing I have to do.
God already loves me for who I am.
There is nothing I could do on earth
that will make me right with God.
And it's so simple but looking at it,
like if you believe in Him,
you're going to adapt toHis values and His morals.
And every day, I wake up, I go,
"I want to be more like Jesus."
- It came to a pointwhere I did trust Him.
I said, "Okay, Lord, I'mchoosing to trust You.
I'm giving you my life and I'm giving you
full authority of everything that I have."
Aligning myself with the Lord has shown me
how God can transform your life and
what He can do through it all.
And He really showed me my purpose.
He showed me what I was meant to be.
- You can find moretestimonies of Muslims learning
about the truth about Jesus at the website
Ifoundthetruth.com.
We'll be back right after this.
(upbeat music)
- Heavenly Father, we do thank You
for the work of Your Spirit, Lord God,
with this movement of getting the Bible,
Lord, into public schools.
- [Announcer] Watch the"PrayerLink" Tuesday morning
at 7:30 on the CBN News Channel.
- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Grahamand this is "Studio 5".
Cruise with me as I discoverthe good things happening
in the world of music, sports,television, and movies.
- The fact that Ryan Coogler was going
to be directing the film, I knew that
something special was gonna happen.
- [Efrem] We'll chat withartists at the forefront
of entertainment andexplore the connection
between popular culture and faith.
- I asked my pastor, I said,
"Well does that mean I'msupposed to be a preacher?"
He says, "No, you already have a pulpit."
- [Announcer] Wednesday night at 8:30
on the CBN News Channel.
- [Announcer] "God is For Us,"
a special audio recordingfrom Pat Robertson.
- [Pat] "If God be for us,who can be against us?"
- [Announcer] Pat Robertson reads verses
of salvation, peace, and victory.
- [Pat] "In all these thingswe are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us."
- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000
or go to cbn.com to become a CBN partner
and get your copy of "God is For Us."
Affirm your faith,reduce stress and anxiety
while dwelling on the promises of God.
- [Pat] "Neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in allcreation will be able
to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- [Announcer] Call1-800-700-7000 or go to cbn.com
and get your copy of"God is For Us" today.
Available now.
- Finally today, an encouragement to pray
for those in the Muslim world.
Back in 2014, Dr. DavidGarrison wrote the book
"A Wind In The House Of Islam"
documenting the masses ofMuslims who are turning
to Christ in different parts of the world.
Paul Filidis who publishesthe Muslim World Prayer Guide
asked him, "When didthese movements start?"
Dr. Garrison consulted his research
and told Paul it began about 30 years ago.
At that point, Paul'seyes filled with tears
and he said that's whenhe began publishing
this important prayer guide.
Well, folks, thank youso much for joining us.
Until next week, from all ofus here, goodbye and God bless.
