Afghanistan’s First Dedicated Christian TV Channel Launches Despite Taliban Restrictions

Mozhda TV, described by its founders as the first Afghan Christian television channel, began broadcasting on October 24, 2026. Church leaders, mission partners, and Afghan believers gathered to mark the launch of the satellite channel, which will carry Christian programming in Afghanistan’s languages. This initiative represents the culmination of decades of prayer and collaboration among mission organizations and Afghan Christian leaders.

Christian programming for Afghan audiences has existed for many years, but no channel has been exclusively dedicated to this purpose until now. Organizers emphasized that Mozhda TV is the first television channel to go live as an Afghan Christian channel. “This day, for the first time in history, the first Afghan Christian satellite channel will start its broadcasting to Afghanistan and around the world,” said Shoaib Ebadi, executive director of the Afghanistan Bible Society, in a recorded video message.

Masoud Ghorbani, Mozhda TV’s executive director, delivered the main sermon shortly after the channel launched. He preached from Mark 6:34, where Jesus sees a crowd and has compassion on them “because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Ghorbani asked the audience what they see when they look at Afghanistan, then posed the question: what would Jesus see?

Afghans have endured years of suffering, he said. He pointed to separated families, persecution and discrimination against women, mothers who see no future for their children, and young people struggling with despair. The deepest tragedy for a nation, Ghorbani said, may be not its suffering but that it does not know its true shepherd. He told listeners that millions of Afghans now have an opportunity to hear the gospel.

“Jesus Christ is the good shepherd of Afghanistan,” he said, citing John 10:11. Ghorbani also noted that the channel could reach many different audiences. “We don’t know who is watching our program for the first time right now, perhaps even the Taliban,” he said. “We need to pray for them.”

In an earlier Finnish-language interview, Ghorbani and producer Mikael Tunér explained their choice of satellite television. After the Taliban took power in 2021, nearly all missionaries were removed from Afghanistan, and Christian materials were banned and destroyed. Internet access has also been cut at times.

“Almost everyone has a television and a satellite dish at home,” Ghorbani told Sansa. “The Taliban control the country, but they cannot control the satellites.” Tunér, a senior technical specialist and producer who previously spent nearly 20 years at the Persian-language Christian channel, highlighted the importance of reaching Afghans through a medium that remains accessible despite restrictions.

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