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Abstract

This chapter investigates the rise of Amr Khaled, a globalized televangelist, through a neoliberal lens and suggests the privatization of the media in Egypt (and the rise of satellite television stations) as well as Khaled's gentle, positive, proactive, hope message of love and forgiveness offering social hope and mobility to predominantly young people while preserving class and status markers. It specifically describes the key themes and founding assumptions of the dominant piety (tadayyun), paying special attention to its influence on Muslim elites. It primarily concentrates on Egypt, but the patterns discussed are similar to dynamics in Muslim communities the world over. It starts by providing background and context about lived piety in Cairo and among its elites. It also shows Khaled's appeal for elite Arab youth. It briefly reflects on the key themes and assumptions of the dominant religious discourse and their roots in Islamist ideology. It then explains Khaled's relations with power at the national, regional, and global levels.