As the Iranian government cracks down on what it considers “trouble makers” in the country’s capital, satellite dishes have been included to the list and are being confiscated.

|PIC1|At the end of last month, the government in Iran had confiscated over 3,000 satellite dishes in an effort to clamp down on “trouble makers” in Tehran, the country’s capital. In its endeavour, Iran has also arrested more than 12,000 “social polluters” and hundreds have been sentenced in recent weeks.

Although it is illegal to own a satellite dish in Iran, many people in Iran have satellites that allow them to view the world outside of country. Among the satellite stations viewed by Iranians is SAT-7, a Christian satellite television for the Middle East and North Africa.

“They’re trying to prevent sources of information coming into the country that the government considers to be anti-their government and we just happen to be one of those channels,” said SAT-7’s Debbie Brink to Mission Network News (MNN).

Satellite confiscation is one among a series of new government policies implemented to restore an "Islamic Government." On Aug.3, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guard, promised to restore an "Islamic government" in Iran.

The Iranian president's new policies include nominating military officials for 18 of the 21 positions for his cabinet members and enforcing laws against Islamic women who are improperly veiled and young Iranians with anti-government ideals.

Because the confiscation of satellites has a serious effect on Iranian Christians’ access to Christian programs and worship services, SAT-7 is concerned about the recent crackdown, MNN reports.

|TOP|Brink also wanted to explain that SAT-7 is not political, but simply a Christian channel presenting Christianity.

“We are not anti-government or anti-Islam or anything like that. We don’t discuss those issues on our programs. We just present Christianity and what the Bible has to say and legally we’re allowed to do that,” Brink told MNN.

Brink relates how important the station is to the Iranian Christians, who make up only 0.3% of 70.6 million Iranians.

“One pastor wrote and said that watching these programs is almost like a church service for these people. They stand when they sing and they take a collection when they’re watching.”

Moreover, SAT-7 is able to reach many Iranians because it is not only in Arabic, but also in Farsi, the common language in Iran.

“We have 24 hour (programming), but we give Iranian Christian Broadcasting, ICB, two hours a day of our 24 hours, to broadcast into Farsi,” said Brink.

Although SAT-7 began broadcasting two hours a week to audience in the Middle East and North Africa on May 31, 1996, it is now available 24 hours a day. SAT-7’s vision is to see a growing church in the Middle East and North Africa.






Michelle Vu
Christian Today Correspondent