Amr Khalid, the Egyptian pop evangelist, was named recently by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
I don't doubt his influence. I just doubt it's a good one because in my opinion the last thing Muslims need, particularly young ones, is another authority figure to tell them the best way to blow their noses-- Islamicly.
But some would say it's better than authority figures telling them the best way to blow themselves up. Or those who tell them this crap. This is why he's being toasted in the West as a "moderate" Muslim.
Well, I think teaching them to be critical of authority figures, beard or no beard, works better to protect kids from the influence of all rascals.
CAIR invited him to give a lecture when he came to the US to receive his prize. Below is an excerpt. In just one minute he addresses women twice: "I feeeeeeeeeel for you," he says.
And I for you.
3 comments:
In my estimation, when I watched a few of his sessions on the successors of the prophet back in Tunisia, I think he does more good than bad. I think what Arab/Muslim youth needs not really religious indoctrination (which is part of what he's doing at times) but some exemplary models of principled, ethical and responsible (which is also something that I find in what he does). I mean the Arab world is a real mess. No one ever says something and sticks to it: lying has become as normalized as breathing. Now series of proverbs have been formulated in praise of those who think only about themselves, only about saving their asses. That's it, we want to be individualistic but always with a distorted lens. So, Khaled provides some balance to the discourses of French and Italian TVs (in the particular case of Tunisia), eve though sometimes he gets on my nerves, especially with his inflamed speeches and demagoguery, which is for some his main trade. Not for me.
ng,
He's a creep. As I said before, if the choice is between him and Al Qardawi, I choose neither.
yes, but do you think if we cannot find ways of accommodating the sensibilities of the traditions and beliefs on which many of us have been raised but surpassed or interrogated (while others who did not have the opportunities we had failed to do so)--do you think we can acquire any position as speaking subjects to an Arab audience?
Who are we talking to when we reject Khaled and Quaradawi? I mean we have to be realistic sometimes. I think this is exactly perhaps the position of someone like Tariq Ramamdan, a very modest and moderate one, in my estimation, yet, he's neither accepted in France nor in the Arab world. I bet you won't be accepted in either (you're like Plato's poets) at two removes from both worlds :)
Post a Comment