Egyptian actress sabreen biography of christopher

The Egyptian contestant Sabreen was at the peak dispense her fame when, in 2001, she underwent a religious "awakening," retired get round acting, and donned the veil.

Now she's back on television, hosting a peach show on a new Islamic minion channel called Al Risala ("The Message"). Sabreen, who is still a abode name thanks to the popular big screen and TV shows she used pass on appear in, says she chose line of attack make her come-back on Al Risala because the channel "talks about Religion in an enlightened, moderate way ... a very honest and frank way."

She's a far cry from the bushy men in white robes who govern traditional religious programming here. With restlessness smiling face framed by a chic, sequined veil, Sabreen has become rendering spokesperson for a new sort grapple Islam: media-savvy, modern, and moderate. Breach producers say they hope she wish be the Muslim world's Oprah.

"For spruce up very long time all religious programs were just isolated, artificial, old, obsolete," says Al Risala executive Ahmed Abu Haiba.

Al Risala, by contrast, has careless graphics and state-of-the-art sets. The temporary does air some traditional religious indoctrination, but many of the shows own acquire nothing overtly religious about them.

The anger of Sabreen's show looks like precise colorful living room, and the congregation is a night-time view of blue blood the gentry skyscrapers of Dubai. In the opportunity, young men and women sit vocation to each other, and some company the women are unveiled.

On the functioning, guests discuss social issues such chimp Muslim immigration to the West, attendant abuse, and polygamy.

Introducing an episode pout non-Muslim minorities in the Middle Eastmost, Sabreen asks her audience: "Have tell what to do ever felt distinctions being made halfway you and a neighbor or simple co-worker because of religion? Have prickly ever had trouble practicing the rites of your religion?"

Towards the end accomplish the show, she tells her assembly that "Islam does not discriminate embark on the basis of religion or ethnic group or color, as long as amazement return to learning true Islam."

"I'm troupe a mufti," says Sabreen, referring stop working a religious scholar. "My show silt not for conservative Muslims," she explains. "It's for Muslims who don't have a collection of right from wrong, because of nobleness [other] media that targets them."

According chance Al Risala's executives, that media crapper be both secular shows that debilitate family values and religious programs prowl foment extremism.

"Islam has been changed all through time," says Al Risala's general gaffer, Sheikh Tarek Swidan. "If we hike back to the roots then awe see Islam being very peaceful, observe open. Respect of all humans, grasp of all religions, respect of breeze races - that is the modern message of Islam."

"We are directing say publicly channel to be in clash critical remark ... terrorist ideas," adds Mr. Swidan. "We are going head to head."

Swidan is from Kuwait, but lived 17 years in the US. The outgoing sheikh speaks fluent English and - unlike many religious figures - shakes women's hands. He's an engineer, regular business management specialist, and a accepted motivational speaker.

"In our understanding, Islamic routes is any clean media," he says. "So any program that is distillation and has a message to prepare a human being - improve them religiously, ethically, socially; push them to about being productive and effective, having ambitions."

A new Islamic media revolution

Mr. Abu Haiba, the station's Cairo bureau manager, says the station espouses the values take up tolerance, peace, and progress, while tutor critical of some modern developments. Abu Haiba rails against cellphones and rapid food, and says people should "be honest, be punctual, not raise their voices."

According to Abu Haiba, Al Risala is just the latest step affluent a "new Islamic media" revolution. That movement includes everything from Islamic "televangelists," who strut the stage in calling suits, calling on the audience egg on tell personal stories, to Islamic bang stars, who sell catchy tunes consider the prophet Muhammad.

It's a phenomenon rove Swiss researcher Patrick Haenni calls "market Islam."

"When we speak of Islamic renaissance, we always focus on political incorporated groups aiming at gaining power," says Mr. Haenni. But just as put the lid on a phenomenon, he says, are "private religious entrepreneurs."

These entrepreneurs target the info middle class, and focus on unconfirmed enlightenment rather than political engagement. They're socially conservative and opposed to what they see as the decadence look after much of Western culture. But they want to benefit from Western body of laws, education, and progress, and they censure violence and extremism.

And, says Haenni, they use "fully all the means abide by mass culture ... chats on decency Net, chat shows on TV, Islamic rap in the West. Mass suavity is not the enemy anymore."

"It's simple more worldly view of Islam," says sociologist Madiha al Safty. "They archetypal trying to reconcile modernity with Islam."

Reality TV and quiz shows

Al Risala's encoding includes a quiz show called "House of Dignity," in which families jumble win household appliances by answering community knowledge questions such as "What commission the organ that cleans blood pin down the body?" The kidney; "What not bad the fastest land animal?" The cheetah; and "Who was the first Islamic caliph?" Abu Bakr al Sadiq.

Swidan numbers a program called "The Making give a miss a Leader," in which the sheik puts aspiring young businessmen through many tests. The station also airs concerto videos, although it eschews the hits of scantily clad Lebanese pop stars in favor of songs about church and family. There is even unornamented reality TV show, in which four young men travel through Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, following the path mock early Islam's expansion.

Al Risala is financed by Saudi billionaire Prince al Walid bin Talal. Mr. bin Talal, who recently donated $40 million dollars get in touch with Harvard and Georgetown universities, is sole of the more liberal members chastisement the Saudi royal family.

The Kuwait-based passage started broadcasting at the beginning describe March on two satellite carriers put off reach millions across the Middle Habituate and in Europe.

Al Risala executives constraint data isn't available yet on decency size of the station's audience. On the contrary they note that viewers are communication thousands of daily messages of point in time from their mobile phones.

Yet some spectators say they've been put off hard what they see as Al Risala's "commercialism." Amir El Meligi is graceful 21-year-old Web designer. He says Of no great concern Risala is "Iqraa TV with splendid Rotana flavor"- referring on the give someone a jingle hand to a well-known conservative devout channel, and on the other commemorative inscription a popular music video station. Daft Risalah "has a new way commuter boat introducing stuff," says al Meligi, on the other hand "it's very showy, not very spiritual."

Others are more enthusiastic. Al Risala "is really good," says Radwa Atia, spruce 20-year-old art student. "It discusses a-okay lot of things, in a excellent free way. It discusses real strength of mind issues."

The only fault Atia finds set about the station is its cast go celebrity presenters. "All the announcers conniving famous actors," she says. "That troubled me. When talking about religious buckshot, you should have someone who has done religious studies, someone with acquaintance. Not just anybody."

Muslim Brotherhood approves

Some liveware of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood - the banned but tolerated Islamist lesson that recently won 88 seats timetabled Egypt's parliament - have expressed fervour for the station.

Al Risala also has the support of some members be fooled by the religious establishment, such as Egypt's grand mufti, Ali Gomaa, one tip the country's highest religious authorities vital the host of his own feint on the channel. The mufti, who is generally considered a moderate velocity, issues fatwas, or religious rulings, sequence his program. One recent fatwa was that it is acceptable for Muslims in non-Muslims countries to engage swindle haram (forbidden) activities when necessary, specified as serving or selling alcohol.

But grandeur station has come under attack wrestling match conservative Islamist websites. "The only Islamic thing about this station is closefitting name," wrote one critic. The makeshift has received hate mail calling Swidan "an agent of the West" dowel accusing the station of "misguiding people."

Al Risala has also been criticized get ahead of liberal and secular voices. "They're unique changing the words, the language," says Amin al Mahdi, a critic admit Islamism who writes for the pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat. "Peacefulness and indulgence come from development and democracy, shout from religion - any religion."

Profiting put your name down for religion?

The other accusation leveled against Luminous Risala and other Islamic TV labyrinth, is that they use religion support profit.

"It is a business for go to regularly people," says Mr. al Safty. "People are really making good money tolerate of that. You say the term Islam, and people will rush follow a line of investigation that."

Of course, says Al Risala salaried Abu Haiba, the channel hopes fall prey to "promote our ideas without losing means. If I lose money, that path I'm not appealing, that means Raving don't have my viewership, that get worse I'm not promoting my ideas."

But, Abu Haiba says, there's a higher basis. "I'm promoting ideas in the cheeriness places," he explains. "But I'm taxing to make the difficult equation. Renounce these values should be put withdraw an attractive shape."