Ibrahim Essa

The new page-turner by bestselling opposition journalist and novelist Ibrahim Essa tackles the controversial widespread phenomenon of 'satellite TV sheikhs'. The novel unravels the secret relationships between the different sheikhs and their links to politics, the security services, and the business world. With the characteristic irony of its author, this engaging political thriller takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through the secret alliances between power, finance and the media in Egypt today.

Mowlana (The TV Sheikh)

«Is this the right time to talk about Hussein? Yes, we must always remember the year he died, 680 A.D., 61 h, and despite what has been written - and read - about Hussein, the Prophet's grandson, who was killed at the battle of Karbala, the Master (Sayyid) of the Martyrs and the Master (Sayyid) of the Youth of Paradise, few eyes or pens have seen or recorded what happened after he was killed... What happened in the name of his pure blood? This book reveals some of what I wanted to say, but not all that I wished to say... you'll have to read it and make of it what you will... But I can guarantee you two things: First, you'll love Sayyid Hussein even more... and second, you'll witness unbearable tragedy, blood as you never before seen it, and events too strange to comprehend; moreover, everything described here is true, and based on the chronicles of the Arab historians Ibn al-Kathîr and al-Tabari. When I re-read this book of mine, I decided to take out a lot, and to add a lot... But every time I tried, I saw once more the bloodshed, the huffing horses, the shining swords, the flames, the colours of treason, the streams of corpses, the mothers crying over the loss of their children, the heads of the slaughtered. So I didn't take out, and I didn't add...» I. Essa

Damm al-Hussein (Hussein's Blood)

Al Tareeq Ila Yanayer / The Road to January

Meet Egypt's top TV preacher Hatem el-Shenawi: a national celebrity revered by housewives and politicians alike for delivering Islam to the masses. Charismatic and quick-witted, he has friends in high places. But when he is entrusted with a secret that threatens to wreak havoc across the country, he is drawn into a web of political intrigue at the very heart of government. Can Hatem's fame and fortune save him from this unspeakable scandal?

A Novel

The Televangelist

In his Arabic Booker shortlisted novel, renowned Egyptian journalist, broadcaster, and political activist Ibrahim Eissa introduces us to Hatem el-Shenawi, a Muslim televangelist who has won fame and fortune through his regular television program explaining Islam to a mass audience. Affable, sharp-witted, open-minded, and now well-connected with the government and business elite of Cairo, Shenawi seems at the top of his game. But when the president's son contacts him to carry out a very delicate assignment, his personal and political skills will be tested to the limit. Mawlana takes us on a journey into the corrupt nexus of power, business, media, and religious performance that dominated the last years of President Mubarak's rule. Along the way, besides the action, the intrigue, and the surprise denouement, the book challenges many Muslims' conventional conceptions about their own religion and airs an alternative world view based soundly on reason and common sense.

Ibrahim Essa

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