With a target of impacting an estimated total audience of well over 8.5 million people, the Sat-7 channels have become a household name for Christians in the Middle East and their growing diaspora.

Detained for hours before being released, director Farid Samir faces possible charges related to operating a satellite TV channel “without the necessary licenses,” a press release by the Sat-7 Cyprus office said two days later.

Sat-7 asserts the charges are based on a “lack of and/or incorrect information,” the statement added, stressing that its Egypt branch operates under the legal umbrella of the Coptic Evangelical Church.

First launched in 1996, Sat-7 Arabic has since expanded to include channels in Farsi and Turkish, as well as an exclusive Sat-7 Kids channel.

The channels, prominent for their outreach to Christians in the region, enjoy a non-denominational remit. An estimated 75 per cent of Sat-7 Arabic aired shows are currently produced in studios in Egypt and Lebanon.

Sat-7 has distinguished itself from other Christian channels broadcasting mainly from outside the Middle East by keeping a sober and non-confrontational tone, adhering to a strict non-polemical Christian message.

It is now up to the Egyptian prosecutors to determine whether a case would proceed to court.

‘Aimed to serve’

During a two-hour hearing on October 11, police charges were brought against Samir relating to the channel’s registration, said Middle East Concern (MEC), an advocacy group monitoring the human rights of Christian communities in the Middle East and North Africa. Sat-7 is accused of failure to hold licences for some of its editing activities and failure to comply with regulations for live streaming of broadcasts on the internet, MEC added.

The charges are dismissed by Sat-7 lawyers, who pointed to “factual errors” in the Censorship Department’s report and to evidence presented confirming Sat-7’s sound legal standing, MEC noted.

The latest police action is expected to cause temporary disruption to the channel’s expressed efforts to “enrich goodwill” in a region currently racked by religious turmoil.

On the channel’s website, Samir emphasised Sat-7’s ministry as one “based on love and which aims to serve our beloved country [of Egypt].”

Read Eternity’s interview with Kurt Johansen, one of the leaders of the Sat-7 network, about the impact the station is having on Christianity in the Middle East. 

This article was first published on World Watch Monitor. Republished with permission.