Amr Khaled

Amr Mohamed Helmi Khaled is an Egyptian Muslim preacher and television presenter, born in Alexandria on 5 September 1967. He became known to Arabic-speaking audiences through satellite television, and his reach extended to Muslim communities in Europe and North America. The New York Times Magazine described him in 2006 as "the world's most famous and influential Muslim television preacher" in English-speaking countries, and TIME magazine included him in its 2007 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. ^{1 2}

His message, as the sources describe it, is addressed mainly to Arab young people between fifteen and thirty-five. It uses everyday language, often with humour, and rests on the idea of "faith-based development": that people should build their communities and countries with faith as their motivation and guide. ¹

He was born in Alexandria. He graduated from Cairo University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in commerce (accounting), and in that year he was president of the student union of the Faculty of Commerce and vice-president of the university's federation of faculty unions. In 1985 he played in the youth team of Al Ahly, the Egyptian club. ^{3 4}

He worked for seven years in an accounting office and then opened his own accounting office in Cairo. In 2001 he received a diploma in Islamic studies from the Higher Institute of Islamic Studies at Mit Uqba, Giza. ^{3 4}

On 19 May 2010 he received a doctorate in Islamic law (sharia) from the University of Wales, Lampeter, a campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The Arabic article gives the title of his thesis as "Islam and Coexistence with the West". ^{1 3 4}

He began giving lessons in mosques in 1990 while still working as an accountant, and moved to full-time preaching in 1998, working mainly on satellite television. ¹

His first lessons were held at the Dokki hunting club in Cairo, then at the Hassari mosque in Al-Agouza, then at the Maghfira mosque, also in Al-Agouza. When the crowds outgrew that mosque, he moved to the Hassari mosque in the 6th of October City, where his fame grew and young people came to his lessons from far away. His stardom across the Arab world began on the satellite channel Iqraa, whose lectures were carried on Nilesat and also distributed online and on audio and video cassettes. ^{3 1}

Between 2000 and 2002 he gave public lectures and meetings in Egypt. The Arabic article says attendance reached about 35,000 people. It also says he delivered specialised courses for more than forty Arab media professionals in Beirut in March 2003. The article does not confirm these figures from an independent source. ³

He left Egypt on 30 October 2002. The article reports that the Egyptian authorities gave him a choice between stopping his preaching and leaving the country. He remained in Beirut until February 2005, when the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri made him feel Lebanon was unsafe, and he then moved to Britain. ³

He later returned to Cairo. The article reports that in May 2009 the Egyptian government ordered that his programmes not be broadcast from Egypt, and that he was removed from Egypt a second time in June 2009. Reports of an unannounced decision conflicted. The article records his denial that he had received any official instructions or summonses from security bodies. It also cites the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, which linked the dispute to a disagreement with the ruling National Democratic Party over his "Insan" project. ³

His programmes ran from 2001 onwards. Among them, as the sources list them:

• "Wa-Nalqa al-Ahibba" (And We Meet the Beloved; Iqraa, 2001–2003), on the lives of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and their decisive moments. ³
• "Life Makers" (Sanaa al-Hayah; Iqraa, 2004–2005), his best-known programme of that period, which called on young Arabs and Muslims to work and join projects that would advance their countries. ^{1 3}
• "On the Path of the Beloved" (Ramadan 2005), a telling of the Prophet's biography (sira) that focuses on the difficulties of the early mission and what can be learned from them. ¹
• "In Thy Name We Live" (Ramadan 2006), on the Beautiful Names of God. Each night he took one name and treated it from four angles: the self, society, the universe and God. ^{1 3}
• "Call for Coexistence" (2007), on the lives of the four jurists of Sunni Islam (Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal), and a call to coexist with the West and with everyone. ^{1 3}
• "Paradise in Our Homes" (Ramadan 2007), on family life and how to resolve family problems, with the help of academics and volunteers. ³
• "Stories of the Qur'an" (Ramadan 2008), and part two (Ramadan 2009), which follows the story of Moses from his birth in Pharaoh's house, through his flight to Midian and return to Egypt, to the drowning of Pharaoh. ^{1 3}
• "Journey to Happiness" (Ramadan 2010), on happiness as a combination of several complementary parts. ³
• "Tomorrow Is Better" (2011), filmed on the streets of Cairo. ¹
• "Omar, Maker of Civilisation" (Ramadan 2012), on the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him). ¹
• "The Story of Andalusia" (Ramadan 2013). ³
• "Mujaddidun" ("Renewers"), a reality-television format in which young people from several Arab countries are given development, social and media tasks, with eliminations and a financial prize for leading a development project. ³

• "Insan" (Human) project. He announced it to tackle poverty and school dropout. He asked for 35,000 volunteers to help 7,000 poor families in Egypt, and the project then spread to Yemen, Jordan and Sudan. In November 2008 he announced that it had stopped in Egypt but would continue in other countries. Members of the "Life Makers" group said the reason was security pressure. No official body confirmed this. ³
• "Hamaya" (Protection) campaign (2008). A campaign to make five thousand Arab drug addicts begin a treatment programme, run within the programme "Paradise in Our Homes". The United Nations and Dubai Police took part. The article reports that the campaign itself estimated around five million young people had taken a "positive action" through it. ³
• "Life Makers" as a charity. The article says the television programme grew into a project to rouse the energies of young Muslims, and then into a charitable association helping poor families in Egypt. The article carries a "lacks citations" notice on this claim, and we have not yet found an independent source for it. It is therefore recorded as a lead, not as an established fact. ³
• "Al-'Ilm Quwwa" (Knowledge is Power) (2011). Launched after the January 2011 revolution to end illiteracy in Egypt within five years. Volunteers are tested, selected and assigned to classes. The article notes that reaching illiterate people and persuading them to attend is the initiative's main difficulty. ³
• "Iwa'" (Beware) campaign (spring 2012). An anti-drugs awareness campaign. ³

After the 25 January 2011 revolution he helped found a political party, which the English article calls the Egypt Party. He was elected its president, and resigned one day after the military coup of 2013. The Arabic article gives the party's name as "Misr al-Mustaqbal" (Egypt's Future) and dates its founding to 2012. The two names need a second source before either is used as the official one. ^{1 3}

After the coup he supported President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a symbol of stability, according to the English article. ¹

Asked by the presenter Amr Adib whether he would stand for the presidency, he said he preferred not to, because preaching and development work kept him closer to his audience. He did not rule out standing in the future. ³

• TIME (2007). He was named among TIME's 100 most influential people in the world in the group of "new thinkers". He attended the ceremony and gave a short speech. ^{2 3}
• Foreign Policy and Prospect (2008). In an online poll of intellectuals, he placed sixth among the top 100 public intellectuals in the world. ¹
• Newsweek (April 2008). He was included in Newsweek's "Superclass" list. ³
• Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (2009). He was ranked fourteenth among fifty influential Muslim personalities, from a list of more than five hundred. The centre is an official research body in Jordan. ³
• Yemen (December 2010). President Ali Abdullah Saleh invited him to preach and broadcast from Yemen to counter the growth of al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, according to BBC Newsnight. ^{5 1}

In 2008 Forbes Arabia reported that his net income in 2007 had been about two and a half million dollars. BBC Arabic reported the claim. He denied the figure, saying it was the advertising revenue inside his programmes, from which he did not profit, and called it a misrepresentation by the magazine. ^{6 3}

The article says he takes no fee for religious programmes he presents. He receives payment from the Iqraa channel for an administrative role there, and takes no fee for lectures, conferences or religious seminars. ³

This section sets out different positions as reported in the sources. It is not a verdict by the museum. The English and Arabic articles report these positions; the primary statements behind them have not yet been checked, and this is stated here so the reader can judge.

Supporters. Supporters say his message is close to young people and that it rejects violence and sectarianism and calls for coexistence. TIME and Foreign Policy both cited this side of his influence. ^{2 1}

Critics. Yusuf al-Qaradawi has questioned whether he has the qualifications to preach. A 2003 article in Le Monde diplomatique described his approach as "air-conditioned Islam", in which the headscarf becomes a fashion purchase and the preacher speaks of personal success and wealth, closer to American television evangelists than to traditional Islam. ¹

The Arabic article lists scholars and preachers who criticised him, among them Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni, Muhammad Hassan, Wagdi Ghoneim, Muhammad Hussein Yaqub, Fathi Gharib, Abdullah Badr, Mohsen Afifi, Muhammad Abd al-Maqsoud and Muhammad Mas'ad Yaqut. It reports that Wagdi Ghoneim issued a final statement after two meetings in Britain, and that Amr Khaled agreed to form a committee of scholars to review and revise his earlier materials. The article does not report the outcome of that review. ³

Other reported concerns. The Sunday Times reported in May 2004 that the British cabinet secretary, Andrew Turnbull, intended to seek Amr Khaled's help in the government's dealings with Muslims. The English article also notes the income reports above. ^{1 6}

He has written a number of books, which the Arabic article lists as: "Morals" (al-Akhlaq), "Worship" (al-Ibadat), "Reforming the Hearts" (Islah al-Qulub; Arij Publishing, 2004, translated into French), "Patience and Taste" (al-Sabr wal-Dhawq), "Joseph" (Yusuf), "Until They Change What Is in Themselves" (Hatta Yughayyiru ma bi-Anfusihim; translated into several languages), "Stories of the Prophets" (Qasas al-Anbiya'; translated into several languages), "On the Path of the Beloved", "Life Makers", "Paradise in Our Homes" (2008), "Caliphs of the Messenger" (translated into French), "Worship of Reflection" (translated into French), "Qur'anic Reflections" (Khawatir Qur'aniyya), "In Thy Name We Live" (translated into French), "Stories of the Qur'an", "Call for Coexistence", "Indeed I Will Place a Successor on Earth" and "Faith and the Age". ³

Among his later works, the English article lists a 2014 novel, "Rafi Barakat". The Arabic article gives the publisher as Dar Nahdat Misr and the year as 2015. The two dates disagree and need checking before either is used. The Arabic article also lists "Dhikr of the Living" (Hayat al-Dhakirin: Dalilak li-Tasfiyat al-Dhihn wal-Ruh; Dar al-Riwaq, 2020) and "Abodes of the Soul" (Manazil al-Ruh; Dar al-Riwaq, 2021). ^{1 3}

He is married and has two sons. The article does not name them, and this museum does not publish family details beyond what is needed to understand his work. ³

The sources report that his programmes reached millions of viewers, and that his YouTube channel has several hundred million views. These figures change constantly, so the museum records them only with a date. ⁴

• The defined source entities cited above, recorded in data/source/.
• Revisions of this article must be dated, and must name the source that changed each fact.