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The founder and CEO of a Christian satellite network that reaches out to refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq, is reporting that many Muslim families are turning to Christianity, where they encounter a message of peace and love.
“It’s surprising just how much damage the Muslim world has done to itself due to this schism between Sunni and Shiites,” SAT-7’s
Terence Ascott said, according to Mission Network News Monday. “It raises serious questions. People were really losing trust in organized religion.”
He added that ongoing attacks instigated by the Islamic State and other terror groups are only part of the long-standing conflicts in the Muslim world, along with the age-old divide between Sunnis and Shiites.
“It’s quite a huge problem for Islam in general — this conflict that is going on — because it has turned people away from Islam,” Ascott said.
“In the wake of that, comes Christian broadcasting with a message of peace, reconciliation, love; and we’re presenting a God who makes sense to people who turn their back on violence being done in the name of God by one faction of Islam to another.”
SAT-7 produces various programs that reach Arabic-speaking audiences, from Bible-based inspirationals, to educational programs targeted at young children at refugee camps to teach them Arabic, English and Math.
Rita El Mounayer, the chief channels and communications officer at SAT-7, told The Christian Post back in February, “We feel that this is the time that we can contribute to the well being of a human being, no matter if he’s Christian, or a Muslim. Our mission is to present God’s love to many, to present Jesus’ salvation to many, and at the same time to try and work
for the well being of a person.”
“To try and give them a second chance in life. And this second chance, we believe, is in education. Because when you educate a child, they will grow up to think, to analyze, to have opportunity to go to university, find a job, get married, have kids, and have dignity in their own societies.”
Ascott said SAT-7’s programming goes out in areas that are served mostly by Islamic-friendly
stations, calling it a “battle for hearts and minds” among satellite television services.
“It is quite amazing how aggressive the different stations are and this battle of the airwaves is reflected in the growth in numbers of channels,” he said.
There have been numerous stories of Muslims converting to Christianity in the ongoing refugee crisis, which has seen millions of people from Syria and the surrounding region make their way toward Europe.
Back in September, a church in Berlin, a city with a notable refugee intake, said its membership jumped from 150 to 600 in a short time due to new Muslim converts.
Pastor Gottfried Martens of Trinity Church in Berlin said at the time that some people might be converting to bolster their chances of staying in Germany, but he welcomed all regardless.
“I know there are people coming here because they have some kind of hope regarding asylum,” Martens said. “I am inviting them to join us because I know that whoever comes here will not be left unchanged.”
