Egyptian preacher Amr Khaled became the laughing stock of social media after he filmed himself in the sacred mosque of Mecca praying for his Facebook fans.

Internet users in Egypt and the Arab world have raged against the famous tele-preacher Amr Khaled for his use of social networks during his pilgrimage to Mecca. A storm of discontent and sarcasm that brings together conservatives and protesters.

A video posted by the Egyptian “telecoranist” on social networks has provoked a wave of protest. It shows the man in tears praying God to the wishes of anyone who would comment on his Facebook page.

Hands cupped to the heavens, face up and eyes closed, the controversial preacher repeats over and over in a quivering voice: “May Allah bless my followers, I swear as Allah is my witness that I love all the followers of my [Facebook] page, may Allah answer their prayers.”

Khaled goes on in the same tone: “Dear Allah I beg of you to answer the prayers of my followers this holy Eid.”

Khaled’s prayers were indeed heard, but did not appear to have the desired effect. For social media users, the preacher’s “performance” was overly exaggerated. Some even went as far as accuse him of “trading with religion” to gain more followers.

With more than 8 million people subscribed to his Twitter account and 28 million followers on his Facebook page, these legions of disciples, usually young, did not prevent thousands of Internet users from attacking Amr Khaled accused of taking advantage of the naivety of his faithful to present himself as the mediator between man and God.

Some went as far as call him a charlatan who seeks only power and accused him of presenting a soft version of Islamism. There were indeed some who defended Khaled, but their number was far less than that of its detractors who quickly turned him into a viral meme.

source:MoroccoWorldNews