Helping Yemeni listeners cope with breaking news
Feba produces 90 minutes of Arabic programmes every day, tailored for Yemeni audiences using a Yemeni dialect where possible. These include bridge-building topics from health advice to persecution.
Saleh, one of the programme producers, reports: “We've been thinking how to present relevant material to help our listeners cope with and respond to the breath-taking change happening in Yemen and the Arab region… how we can equip our listeners to deal with challenges that are beyond their abilities or control.”
“We present a Bible story in our ‘as-live’ magazine programme (twice a week) about how people face and respond to crisis and manage to change their realities. Some are personal crisis, some family crisis and some national crisis. We tell the story (not read it) in an interactive way. As I tell the story, the rest of the team give short comments or questions.”
This summer Yemeni producer Souheil and Saleh were researching and writing 2 new programmes. One is a quick overview of the lives of Old Testament prophets: highlighting the time and sociopolitical circumstances when they lived, their message and impact and also their shortcomings/sins if any. “We're seeking to give listeners a Biblical account of the prophets, that will eventually lead them to faith in Christ,” says Saleh. “Muslims often have an incomplete or distorted view of the prophets.”
The other is a FAQ programme hosted by Saleh in which he asks Souheil to answer typical questions received from Muslims who call the programme. They also receive questions from Yemeni listeners that are unique to their culture. “What is new in this programme is that a Yemeni voice of a BMB [believer from a Muslim background] is giving the answers.”
Women’s conference: Longing to Call Them Sisters
This conference, in its 11th year in Northern Ireland, aims to raise awareness of what it costs Muslim women to follow Christ. William Mateer, Feba’s Ireland Ambassador, represented Feba at this conference on 21 October at the Newtownbreda Baptist Church in Belfast. Here’s what William had to say about the day…
§ Who attended? “It was attended by approximately 150 women from all over Ireland from many different churches and backgrounds but with one focus to link with Muslim women.”
§ Who were the main speakers? “Rita Elmounayer of SAT-7 was the main speaker with another lady (Revd Pat Mollen, Head of Prayer Ministry of Healing at CMS Ireland) who spoke on Reflective & Effective Prayer.”
§ How was Feba involved? “I was there exhibiting and talking to the delegates, some of whom are supporters of Feba and others who haven't heard about us as yet.”
§ How did you meet Rita? “I spotted her as the main speaker and thought I would like to speak with her. Rita Elmounayer started work with Feba in Lebanon back in 1992 when she wrote scripts for youth programmes and helped with follow up. She joined SAT-7 in 1996 and told me the best training in media she has ever had was when she started with Feba. She said it is a real challenge to ‘paint pictures’ with words over the airwaves rather than what she does now as an executive producer of television programmes for SAT-7.”
FM station in Iraq moving closer to the community
Noor and Yosef, from the Iraq FM project, recently attended a joint FEBC-Feba community radio workshop in south Asia. “It was good to work closely with them and hear first-hand about some of their encouragements in the midst of many challenges,” says John Sutor, Ministry Development Director. “The workshop provided opportunity for shared learning, and the experiences of other stations in the FEBC world in conflict situations was particularly helpful.”
“Yosef, the FM station manager, is very encouraged by the impact the station is having in the city and the quality of interactions they are having with listeners each day…about 30 phone calls and more than 60 SMS messages. As a result of the workshop, one of the major steps forward is to proactively seek out and work with others who are serving the city and have a greater focus on the needs and issues that the community are facing. We are also exploring the possibility of partnering with a Christian organisation that has been involved in peacebuilding in the country for many years, helping us to have greater focus on conflict transformation in a city that is divided on ethnic and religious lines.”
“Not surprisingly the team are facing many major challenges against the backdrop of ongoing violence, especially targeting the Christian community by groups that want them to leave Iraq. Christians have limited rights and limited protection. They played a major role in covering the bombing campaign that targeted Christian places of worship, which drew a large and mostly positive response from all sides of the ethnic divide, Sunnis, Shiites and Christians.”
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