Issue 52 - 25 June 2009

Over the last few years, the number of Arabs with access to satellite TV has grown immensely, and along with it, the number of Christian TV channels covering the region. Governments and religious groups in the Arab World are aware of this, and there is a good chance that availability of Christian channels through satellite TV will gradually be curbed or placed under censorship. The broadcast charter agreement last year between the Arab League countries may well be the first significant step towards tightening the control on satellite TV in the region.

So what other option do we have to make our programs accessible to the millions of viewers in the Arab World? The answer is becoming increasingly obvious: the Internet. The number of people in the Arab World with access to the Internet has grown exponentially the last 5 years. The Gulf region leads in this, but also poorer countries like Egypt have made good progress. Overall, it is estimated that 24 million in the region have access to high speed Internet.

There is a great need to create a dedicated website that provides live streaming Arabic Christian TV programs, and establishes itself as a news portal for relevant Christian issues in the Middle East and North Africa. Arab Vision has taken on the task of developing and running this Internet ‘station’.

We will utilize many of the programs we have already produced (over 1000 hours worth!), but also produce tailor-made programs with specific style and content for the Internet. One of the benefits of this project will be the empowering of young Arab Christians to easily be involved in this Internet-based media opportunity.

Our 24/7 Christian program website will go online by the end of this year, offering a daily 3-hour block repeated during the 24 hours. Effectively, this means that anywhere in the world, Arabs will be able to watch our programs at any time!

But it won’t stop there! New programs will be integrated into the schedule by early 2010, followed by a dedicated news program for Arab youth by the summer of 2011.

We need your help and support to make all this possible. Millions of Arab viewers will have the opportunity to watch our programs throughout the day, and unlike the high costs of satellite broadcasting, our Internet station will be streaming non-stop Arabic Christian TV programs for only US $186 per day. Would you consider supporting one day of this exciting new project? Click here to go directly to the section on our website where you can make this specific donation.

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One of our core values as an organization is based on our belief that an integral part of discipleship to Christ is a vision for a just society. This involves a commitment to human rights, to the poor, to minorities, to women, to refugees, to the powerless, and to those with special needs.

People with a physical handicap in the Arab World are rarely given their basic rights and opportunities to become viable and accepted members of their societies. It is a serious problem affecting many!

According to a UNDP Report, one of twenty children is born with a disability or becomes disabled during childhood. There is every reason to assume that in the Arab world, with many people in poverty and affected by war and conflicts, the percentage of handicapped is higher than the international average.

Arab Vision is producing a modern documentary-style TV program, comprising of 13 episodes, in which people with physical disabilities and their families will narrate their own stories and experiences. The production will stretch across six Arab countries – Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates – in order to represent the whole region and appeal to the millions of Arab viewers throughout.

The goal is to encourage tens of thousands of Arabs who are disabled or working with the disabled to demand the implementation of their rights in the political domain, and promote them in their societies.

The vast majority of the funding needed for this project has already come in, but we still need US $10,500 to complete the production of the 13 episodes. Contact us if you or your church would like to add your support to bring hope to the many physically disabled Arab men, women and children.

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Finally, allow me to once again highlight and recommend a special book for your library. The Ministry of Reconciliation is the second book in our Grassroots Mission Publications and focuses mostly on issues of reconciliation and mission in the Arab World.

For anyone with an interest in mission and the Church in the Muslim World, this is a very valuable book. The writers are all long-term mission practitioners in the Muslim World.

For more details, visit this website. You can order a copy of the book for US $18.95. Click here to send us your address details and order, and we will arrange the purchase and delivery.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. We value your support and prayers very much as we continue proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Arab World.

In Christ,

Abu Banaat
International Director