Mozhda TV Launches as First Christian Satellite Channel Made for Afghans

A new satellite channel called Mozhda TV began broadcasting Christian programs to Afghans on Saturday, Oct. 24, according to Christian Daily International. Its founders call it the first Afghan Christian television channel, and church leaders, mission partners and Afghan believers gathered for the launch.

The channel airs in Dari and Pashto, and its team plans to add Hazaragi, Uzbek, Turkmen and Baluchi. Its website, mozhda.tv, says the service was founded by Afghans for Afghans, streams online around the clock and offers all programs free of charge.

Mozhda TV executive director Masoud Ghorbani preached the main message from Mark 6:34, telling viewers, “Jesus Christ is the good shepherd of Afghanistan.” He said the team does not know who may be watching, perhaps even the Taliban, and added, “We need to pray for them.”

Programs for women are a central priority, Christian Daily reported, including series meant to be watched privately at home, health programs and material that supports continued learning. Ghorbani said the team wants to tell women that the Lord loves them and that they should hold on to hope.

Since the Taliban took power in 2021, nearly all missionaries have been removed from Afghanistan, Christian materials have been banned and destroyed, and internet service has at times been cut. Ghorbani told the Finnish outlet Sansa that almost every home has a television and a satellite dish. “The Taliban control the country, but they cannot control the satellites,” he said.

Mikael Tunér, the channel's senior technical specialist and producer, spent nearly 20 years at the Persian-language Christian channel SAT-7 PARS. He has said several thousand Christians live in Afghanistan and that underground churches exist there, though the Taliban claim there are none. Al Hayat Ministries founder Harun Ibrahim said the vision for the channel goes back to a youth camp near Tampere, Finland, in 1986.