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.