Prisoners of Hope

He's lost count of how many converts call him "father." In this first episode of our Steadfast series on the Prisoners of Hope podcast, Salam, who serves in a closed country in the Middle East, opens up about the weight and the joy of ministering to former Muslims who have lost everything to follow Christ. From a tailor whose father-in-law tried to kill him, to a 10-year-old girl who wanted to join online church after her father was martyred, Salam shares stories that demonstrate what steadfastness looks like in some of the most dangerous places in the world to follow Jesus.

Iranian Christians Fares, Mahdi, Qasem, and Laith share firsthand accounts of the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on protesters, the resilience of the underground church, and what it means to be steadfast in faith when persecution and terror abound.

Joshua Youssef, CEO of Help The Persecuted, sits down with Field Ministers from Lebanon, Jordan, and Iran to talk about the unfolding conflict in the Middle East and how we can be praying. Give today to help persecuted Christians at: HTP.org/war

This week, Josh sits down with our Field Minister Salam to understand the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This time of Islamic prayer and fasting can be especially dangerous for Christians in the Islamic World. So what is Ramadan, and how can we be praying this month for Muslims to come to faith in Jesus, and for Christians who find themselves in increased danger?

In this follow-up episode, we sit down with Dr. Sasan Tavassoli again who describes the developments from the past two weeks. He emphasizes the brutality of the Iranian Regime, explains the danger for persecuted Christians, and invites us to participate in a time of prayer and fasting for Iran February 6-8.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sasan Tavassoli—a former Shi'ite Muslim from Iran, ordained Presbyterian minister, and co-founder of Pars Theological Centre—to talk about current political upheaval shaking the nation and the explosive growth of Christianity in Iran.

As Syria's regime change continues to send waves of refugees into Lebanon, Field Ministers Pierre and Laila share stories from the frontlines of ministry—Christmas gatherings where Muslim children hear about Jesus for the first time, families fleeing persecution who find refuge in our safe houses, and the quiet miracles that keep hope alive in chaos. This is a conversation about courage and how God continues to mightily move in the Islamic World.

In our final episode of 2025, Joshua Youssef interviews our Field Ministers across the Islamic World to hear how they celebrate Christmas and how our Winter Relief Outreach is making a difference in thousands of people's lives as winter sets in. Aseel shares the dangers associated with celebration in Libya, where she could be arrested any moment. Qasem talks about what it was like celebrating Christmas in his home country of Iran for the first time as a Christian. Salam ends with a word of encouragement to remember persecuted Christians this time of year.

In this personal episode of Prisoners of Hope, Joshua Youssef sits down with his father, Dr. Michael Youssef—Egyptian-born theologian, founder of global ministry Leading the Way, and author of many books—for a conversation about the faith that has shaped the persecution of Christians for over 1,400 years. Drawing from his PhD research on radical Islamic movements, his own family's survival as Egyptian Christians, and his escape from Egypt during the Six-Day War, Dr. Youssef explains what Islam is and how it has shaped the Middle East. This episode also previews his forthcoming book, An Unholy Alliance, which examines the troubling partnership between Western socialism and Islamist movements.