Liberty and Peace NOW! Human Rights Reporters

SAT-7 Calls for Prayer for Egypt

Cairo (Egypt) / London (United Kingdom). February 1, 2011. SAT-7 is in a unique position in times of crisis to be able to offer support, wise counsel and encouragement to its viewers. Following the recent bomb attack on a church in Alexandria SAT-7 interrupted its normal programming to broadcast special live programmes giving local Church leaders a chance to respond and minister to people. Although all of SAT-7’s five channels remain on air, the current unrest in Egypt has affected SAT-7’s scheduled live programming from the Egypt studios which have been cancelled due to the unavailability of communication services. Please pray that these services become available once again so that we can continue this aspect of our ministry to the Egypt Church.

Statement from SAT-7 International CEO Terence Ascott:

“We, like many others, are very concerned about the situation in Egypt. We have many staff there and of course we are anxious to ensure that they all remain safe during this time of turmoil. On a personal level, I was also distressed to hear this morning that my son, who is a teacher in Cairo, was among the 2,000 injured in yesterday’s demonstrations – hit in the face by a rubber bullet as he passed out water bottles to both demonstrators and the security forces alike.

Mobile phone lines have been periodically disconnected in the country so it is generally difficult to contact people living there – because most rely exclusively on their mobile phones. The Internet has also been down. But landlines seem to be functioning and we have heard that most of our team is staying out of harm’s way.

The anger being vented on the streets against the Egyptian authorities is based on years of pent-up frustration. The country has experienced decades of stagnation – economic, educational and political. The lack of freedoms and opportunity has left an entire generation feeling hopeless.

Our prayer is that the current unrest will eventually result in positive change leading to greater justice, security and political openness in the country – for all Egyptians including the Christian minority which, historically, has often been neglected and marginalized. But this is not a religious revolt, it is a political one, and SAT-7 is not a political entity. So we encourage Christians everywhere to pray that President Mubarak and his advisors will have wisdom in how best to respond to the justifiable frustrations of the Egyptian people, and that the violence will not lead to an even greater loss of life.

Our Egypt office has asked specifically for prayer for the following:

· For safety for the staff as they face the same issues as all other Egyptians – uncertainty, danger, and fear.
· For freedom of movement without worry of violence.
· For protection for the Egypt office and equipment.
· For unity amongst Christians and an outpouring of love by the Church.
· For the ability to once again produce live programmes to support the local Church.

I and the SAT-7 leadership will continue to monitor the situation in Egypt carefully. SAT-7 is also joining with the 10 million or more Christians of Egypt in calling on believers around the world to pray for a peaceful, just, and positive outcome to result from the political storm raging across the country at this time.