Chic Islamic Televangelist Attracts Hordes of Admirers

Amr Khaled looks like an Egyptian pop singer, dressed in the trendy suits and sporting the same short hair and mustache favored by the young in Cairo.

His cassettes and videotapes are quickly snapped up like hit songs, although he's not a singer. He's an accountant whose hobby - preaching at mosques, private gatherings and on television - has made him into an Egyptian phenomenon, an Islamic televangelist with an appeal to the country's hip and young elite.

"What impressed me most is his style and the topics he chose. They're very practical and relevant to our lives," said Dina Dabbous, a 20-year-old student at the American University in Cairo. "He's not like the sheiks who scream and yell and say we're headed to hell."

Khaled has so far steered clear of extremism and politics, but his popularity among the young has the government worried about a potential challenge to their authority.

By Alt.muslim.com