Amr Mohamed Helmi Khaled (; born: 5 September 1967) is an Egyptian Muslim activist and
television preacher. ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...
'', in reference to Khaled's popularity in
English-speaking countries
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...
, described him in 2006 issue as "the world's most famous and influential Muslim television preacher." In 2007, Amr Khaled was chosen as one of the world's 100 most influential people by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine. His message appeals to a large number of Muslims who want an easy way to understand Islam.
Early days
Amr Khaled was born in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, on 5 September 1967. He graduated from
Cairo University
Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...
in 1988 with a degree in
accounting
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
. In 2001, he received a diploma from an
Islamic studies
Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...
institute. He received his
Ph.D. at the
University of Wales, Lampeter, in May 2010 with a grade of A. He began preaching in
mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
s in 1990 while still working as an accountant. In 1998, he moved to full-time preaching, primarily on
satellite television
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...
. Khaled's popular lectures, which can be seen on the
Iqraa TV channel via the
Nilesat direct broadcast satellite
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...
s, are also distributed over the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
and on
audio and
video
Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
cassette tapes.
Ministry and audience
Amr Khaled rejects
extremism and strongly denounces the actions of
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
. He announced that
Arab Muslims want to live peacefully in coexistence with the West. His main teachings remain the same as those before him in more modern media, talking about everyday actions to get closer to
Allah
Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
such as honesty, humbleness, and being polite. He believes that for society to improve it must change from the grassroots (from the bottom up).
Khaled promotes
community development in the
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
nation
A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...
based on what he terms "Faith Based Development" (Arabic: التنمية بالإيمان). The idea is for people to develop their communities and countries with
faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
as their motivator and guide.
Khaled's primary audience consists of Arabs ages fifteen through thirty-five. Khaled believes these are the ones most capable of changing the
Islamic world
The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
. He is noted for his natural everyday language and his friendly approach, even joking at times during his lectures.
In 2008, in an open online poll, Khaled was voted the 6th topmost intellectual person in the world on the list of top 100 public intellectuals by
''Prospect'' magazine (UK) and ''
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
'' (United States).
Shows
Khaled has many shows which were aired on TV in the holy month of
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
:
* ''Call for Coexistence'' (Arabic: دعوة للتعايش) in 2007.
* ''Life Makers'' (Arabic: صناع الحياة) aired from 2004 to 2005.
* ''On the Path of the Beloved'' (Arabic: على خطى الحبيب) for Ramadan in 2005 in which he discussed the hagiography (
''sira'') of
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
.
* ''In Thy Name We Live'' (Arabic: باسمك نحيا) for 2006, aired live at 7:30 GMT every night from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
in Saudi Arabia, about the
names of God in the Qur'an
Names of God in Islam () are 99 names that each contain Attributes of God in Islam, which are implied by the respective names.
These names usually denote his praise, gratitude, commendation, glorification, magnification, perfect attributes, ...
.
* ''Qur'an Stories'' (Arabic: قصص القرآن) for 2008.
* ''Tomorrow is Better'' (Arabic: بكرا أحلى) for 2011. In this show he is on the streets of Cairo.
* ''Journey to Happiness'' (Arabic: رحلة للسعادة) for 2011.
* ''Omar: The Maker of Civilization'' (Arabic: عمر صانع حضارة) for 2012. He spoke about the second caliph,
Umar ibn Al-Khattab.
* Qisat Al Andalus "The Story of
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
"
In December 2010, Khaled was invited by
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i president
Ali Abdullah Saleh to preach and broadcast in Yemen, to counter the growth of
Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
and other extremist groups in the country causing
chronic instability there.
Criticism
Critics have called his approach "air-conditioned Islam", where hijab is a fashion purchase and televangelists talk about personal success and getting rich, more akin to
Joel Osteen and
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
than traditional Islam. Many scholars, including
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, have questioned whether he possesses appropriate qualifications to be a preacher.
The British
''Sunday Times'' reported on 30 May 2004, that
Andrew Turnbull, the cabinet secretary and one of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
's closest aides, intended to seek Amr Khaled's aid in furthering the British government's agenda regarding Muslims.
He is also criticized for the significant amount of money he makes from his television shows. His annual income in 2007 is estimated to be $2,500,000.
Politics
After the
25 January 2011 revolution in Egypt, Amr Khaled shared in establishing a political party called the
Egypt Party and was elected as its president; however, he resigned one day after the
2013 Egyptian coup d'état.
Bibliography
Books by Amr Khaled include:
* ''Rafi Barakat'', 2014 novel.
See also
*
Tareq Al-Suwaidan
*
Moez Masoud
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khaled, Amr
1967 births
People from Alexandria
Cairo University alumni
Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter
Egyptian religious leaders
Egyptian television personalities
Living people
Egyptian Muslims
Muslim reformers
Islamic television preachers