Amr Khaled

By Omar Abu Sa'ada, IOL Jordan Staff

AMMAN, January 26 (IslamOnline) - Amr Khaled is a charismatic Egyptian Islamic preacher whose sermons resonated with many of the Egyptian citizens. But his popularity has recently soared to extend to most of the Arab and Islamic countries.

A moderate former accountant with a  western-style suit and convincing discourse, Khaled whose base of support is mostly youths has just wrapped up his visit to Jordan where he gave sermons and, not surprisingly for a man nicknamed by Egyptian press as “preacher of the elite”, met with senior officials there.

But extending an official invitation to Khaled and even financing the costs of his trip raised eye brows high in the press circles.

Khaled was invited to the country by the Jordanian Ministry of Waqfs (Endowments) in a step seen by political experts here as attempt by the government to present to the Jordanians the moderate Islamic point of view of Khaled as the Jordanian policymakers are still gripped by the fears that the looming specter of a U.S. military offensive against Iraq haunting the region would breed an extremist vision of Islam within the country, the analysts said.

The Egyptian preacher had left his country for London, amid rumors that he was banned from preaching sermons after getting a wife of a senior figure to take up Hijjab (veil). 

Whatever the truth of Khaled's sudden leaving for London, he was able to prove endearing to most of his audience who kept following his words through satellite channels, tapes and his website carrying the texts of his sermons along with other religious stories on the same smooth approach.

Meeting royalties

In Jordan, Khaled has met with King Abdullah II, said an official source with no further details on even the date for the meeting.

The Jordanian Queen managed to squeeze her program for attending one of the Egyptian preacher's sermons, entitled "We Should Choose our Lifestyle". Also Prince Ali Bin Nayef, a member of the Jordanian Royal Family, was keen to enjoy attending Khaled’s lively and moving presentation in the Culture Palace.

Also, the minister of endowments Ahmed Hulayel attended a sermon for Khaled among the crowd who had flocked to the area just awaiting Amr Khaled's arrival.

To nobody's surprise, Khaled was met with standing ovation and captivating appeal.

"He enjoys the ability to delve smoothly in his preaching, touch uniquely and emotionally on morals and connect the religious words with happenings on the ground of the society," said Ibrahim al-Kilani, a prominent Shariaa scientist of the Islamic Work Front, the political wing of Jordan's Muslim Brothers.

Asked whether Khaled come to Jordan only to satisfy the country's Islamic political wing, al-Kilani, an opponent of the Jordan's strategic policy, answered in the negative.

“Not at all, We don’t realize the matter in this perspective, especially the government do things for our own satisfaction for time being” he added.

Khaled was taken by such marvelous and red-carpet reception in a country in which he was reportedly banned to step into before.

"I was indeed afraid when I found this ovation. I don't deserve all of this, " Khaled said modestly.

In a news conference in the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments headquarters, Khaled said he plans to tour United States, Australia and a number of European countries to deliver sermons to the Muslim expatriates there.

"The massive attendance of my sermons in Jordan left me hopeful that the Muslim people in general and youths in particular with their concerted efforts to learn more about their religion."

Khaled now writes a doctoral thesis in Wales University, England, which he said would carry a message to the West: "You have a supreme civilization, but its roots had been taken from our Islamic civilization."

He was quick to add he doesn't mean to trigger a clash of civilizations, but to leave them within a circle of integration.

Some sources said that  "certain authorities" in Egypt asked him to abandon all da'wa (preaching), including satellite channel broadcasts, for having "allegedly tackled issues that recently caused problems".

But he slammed these claims "slanderous" and that his sermons "are all there on tapes to prove it".

"I only left to study for a PhD at a UK university where I'll continue to preach" he added, leaving his large audience in a mixture of disbelief and outcry for his sudden PhD journey.