Christians Under Attack

create hatred for Jews, Westerners, and Christians. All propagated by a biased and misleading Arab media.

But new voices are challenging the message of hate. This article spotlights those new voices.

The kind of message you'll hear on Arab stations like Al-Jazeera, Al Aribya and many others is a hateful message that portrays the Arab world as under attack by the West, and in danger of being ruled by Christian and Zionist forces.

For instance, a sheik says, “A divine blow will be dealt soon to the US and Israel. By Allah's will. The believers will rejoice with Allah's victory.” Arab media reaches out especially to the young, who are encouraged to embrace 'Shahada' or martyrdom. A young girl says on Arab media, “Everyone yearns for Shahada. What could be better than going to paradise?”

But new light is breaking forth in the darkness. Technology is giving Christian media greater access to the Middle East.

Iranian Christian Hormoz Shariat broadcasts from America into Iran and says the message of Jesus Christ is getting through on satellite TV and the internet. And it's giving people a radically different image of Christianity

Pastor Hormoz told us, “I think the greatest influence that Christian TV has, is to remove the obstacles, the misunderstandings that Muslims have toward Christianity. Muslims think Christianity is a failed and immoral religion. They believe anything that happens in the West is done by Christians, like anything the U.S. government does, Christians are doing.”

Ramone Nadir is Executive Director for Telelmiere, a Christian broadcaster based in Lebanon

Nadir said, "We will bring all of those who speak Arabic closer together. They might not know Jesus Christ. To them, Jesus Christ is something that is Western. I would like to remind them that Jesus Christ is from the Middle East. Christianity was born in the Middle East. It's important for us to introduce Jesus Christ to all Arabs. They look at Him in the Western image, and they won't like that image. But I think that they’ll like the image we present when they see it on Nour Sat."

There are 280 million people in the Middle East, yet only 17 million are Christians. And the Christians’ ability to spread the Gospel is limited Christians who openly preach the Gospel face persecution, even death. Muslims who show interest in Christianity can suffer the same fate.

But 95 percent of households in the Middle East have TV sets and the internet is a growing presence. So Arabic and Persian Christian ministries are using these technologies to send their message straight into people's homes, allowing Muslims to learn the truth about Jesus without fear of discovery and without putting Christians at risk.

Hormoz Shariat says the power of the message is changing people's minds about Christianity

Pastor Hormoz said, “Their attitude toward Christianity changes. I see it affects even persecution. So if someone comes to Christ in a family, the rest of the family don't persecute him. They say, ‘If Christianity is what we see on TV, it's nice, so let him choose. So, they are not going to attack the faith of the friend or relative or son or daughter.”

The 700 Club was one of the first TV ministries in the Middle East. Today, many ministries are broadcasting a Christian message to the region. They're sent from the West, or from nations in the region that have more religious freedom, such as Cyprus and Lebanon.

Many programs are produced and broadcast by Middle East Christians -- an important fact -- because it blunts the criticism that Christianity is a ‘foreign religion spread by westerners.’

A representative of Telelmiere says, “We are the Christian Arabs who have the ability to preach the language of peace, love, and the language of Jesus Christ to all Arabs, where foreigners couldn't do that. There are people who are non-Christian (Muslims) who are watching Nour Sat, and they send us e-mail congratulating us about the station. And they tell that the station is a blessing in their lives – and it's changing a lot of the atmosphere.”

Christians in the region report that this media also helps strengthen the church. This is especially true of Christian Internet sites, where believers can find discipleship and worship materials, Bible studies, music videos, and worship songs. All are available online. As well as preaching and teaching, translated from Western ministries.

For that very reason, many Muslim countries don't allow Christian broadcasts on their government-controlled TV networks.

But with satellite TV, even restricted nations can get Christian TV. Syrians watch Telelmiere – a Lebanon-based Christian broadcast – and they like what they see.

We did some man on the street interviews:

We asked a man, “When they speak about Jesus Christ, do you care to hear about him?

The man answered, “Yes, I love to know what the story is, and His past.

We asked, “Did anything stick in your mind?”

“Yes,” he replied, “He's one of God's prophets.”

We asked a Syrian man the same questions. He answered, “I totally agree with Him. As you like to know about Muslims, we would like, as Muslims, to watch and learn and know more about our Christian brothers.”

Of course, government and Islamic leaders try to block the message of Christian media because it challenges their ability to control what people think and do.

The Voice of Charity is a Lebanon-based radio station. A representative from the station told us, “They tried to stop The Voice of Charity many times. I think that’s because it's the voice of Jesus Christ, and they don't want to let Jesus talk. They want the other kind of people, Hezbollah to talk, yes. [But] because we're a peaceful people, because we talk about love, because we talk about peace, they started to be against the voice of Jesus Christ.”

Father Tony Khadraa is head of Catholic International Press in Lebanon. He said, “The importance of the Christian media is that it won't be bought, it won't compromise the truth. Nowadays, in the world, we suffer from distortion of the truth. The Christian media can be the cornerstone to getting the truth to the people and defending their rights, and spreading the Biblical values and the principals of Christianity. That's why a Christian in the Middle East is obliged to be a defender of each and every person in the Middle East, whether Christian or Muslim.”

Pastor Hormoz Shariat says the message of Christ is dangerous to tyrants in the Muslim world because it goes directly against their message of fear and hatred, and has the power to break their grip on people's lives -- and perhaps to bring freedom to the entire region.

Pastor Hormoz added, “That's the contrast of the message of Jesus. He brings peace, He brings love and the audience sees that. And the contrast is so great they are shocked sometimes even. First they say, ‘Is this true?’ ‘We are raised up by hate, hatred of enemy’ and Jesus says ‘Love your enemy.’ Which one is of God? God cannot say both.’ So they start this process of spiritual journeying when they hear this Christian message. And many sincere ones, they end up believing in Jesus.”