Khaled el-Gendi: mindshifter of tomorrow … or not

Khaled El Gendi, or like his followers call him “sheikh,” has shown our conservative nation his true colors. In an interview with al-Youm al-Saba'a, Gendi released his intolerant and rigid ideology where he attacked Gamal al-Banna, calling the 87-year-old scholar “ill mannered” and someone who has a “bathroom ideology.”
Gamal al-Banna is one of the few remaining progressive Muslim scholars, in a sea of white Galabiyas, head scared sheikhs, the man stands out with progressive thoughts that shock those who are debating if teddy bears are Halal or Haram.
Gendi conducted a survey on his new channel asking viewers to send their thoughts on whether al-Banna should be a guest on the channel or not. When asked by the reporter why he said: “Because he is an ill-mannered man and insults Al-Azhar people and I am really hesitant in asking him to be a guest on the channel and conversing with him, despite the fact that I think what he says is not Islamic thinking, but toilet thinking.”
“لأنه رجل سيئ الأدب ويشتم ويسب فى رجال الأزهر وأنا فى حقيقة الأمر متردد بشأن صلاحيته للظهور فى القناة والتحاور معه وإن كنت أعتقد أنه لا يصلح لأن ما يقوله ليس فكرا )إسلاميا وإنما «فكر مراحيض
Gendi, who, as for some who is called a “Sheikh” and hence has a strong reference to the Qur'an, how dare he say that about a fellow Muslim; not a fellow scholar, as Gendi is as far from being a scholar as any of his listeners. Where is his Islamic compassion or even manners at the very least.
Gendi, who made headlines a few years back for a marriage overdose started the whole Islamic business ring tones with his Islamic company years back. Not just profiting from the attention of the simple-minded who listen to his words, he is now the proud owner of a satellite channel called “Azhari” (someone who belongs or has been associated with Al Azhar) where he claims the channel “will sort out those who know and those who don’t.”
In the same interview, Gendi insults women, saying “women are always after the biggest rewards possible” and “Islam gave women their full rights and now there are men who ACT LIKE WOMEN in asking for more rights.” How obscene.
Gendi, who has thousands of followers online and offline, said that Baha'is really belong to Israel and that he doubts they are truly Egyptians. To mount the hate cake, Gendi described his new channel's policy as “tolerant” and aims to unify the whole country and “protect the Egyptian unity cloths” a tone killed by Mubarak’s regime.
An obvious rival of anyone who is not a male Muslim, Gendi succeeds in dropping our jaws in confusion and disgust. Being that influential on others, educated or not, is a huge responsibility, one that Gendi is determined to make the best and the worst of. Besides having more one big “Islamic” company and a TV channel, there is no stopping the Gendi ideology now. An ideology that attacks those who disagree, minimize women, spread hate towards Baha'is and question their patriotism and more often make big bucks off his Islamic Empire.
The article got very angry responses from Baha'is, but even more hateful responses from Fundamental Muslims, fans of Gendi who applauded him for his “courage” and wise sense to go after al-Banna and Baha'is.
Was what Gendi said a publicity stunt to promote his new project? Maybe. But more dangerously, his words are echoed through thousands of followers, turning Gendi into the fearless hero who attacks and insults without a notion of shame or even some level of language intelligence.
I, for one, will never watch his channel or future channels and most probably will never listen to him preach, but those who will, are definitely in for a mindshifting scary ride.
**Manar Ammar is an Egyptian journalist and contributor to Bikya Masr. This article originally appeared on her blog.
BM