CAIRO - A lecture by renowned Egyptian preacher, sponsored by a society dominated by a Cabinet minister running in next week's parliamentary elections in the coastal city of Alexandria, is triggering controversy over his alleged support to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Since Amr Khaled, a veteran TV preacher with wide fame and appeal among Egyptian youth, announced he would give a lecture in the Alexandria Association for Growth, opposition groups have asked him to cancel his plan or delay it until after the elections. "Khaled is asked to give an explanation as his lecture at this time and in this association means nothing but for taking sides with Minister Abdel Salam el-Mahgoub, who is vying the parliamentary seat in this constituency," read a statement from the National Coalition for Change and Kefaya opposition groups. El-Mahgoub did not attend the lecture which was attended by thousands of Khaled's followers from Alexandria and other provinces. Khaled, who has been based in London for eight years, denied he was supporting any candidate, pointing out in a statement that his lecture had nothing to do with politics. "After eight years away, I decided to return to my home country with a lecture that never blends my role as a preacher with politics," Khaled's statement read. Alexandria is a stronghold for the banned Muslim Brotherhood whose key members contest eleven parliamentary seats. The outlawed group's members run as independents. "We are shocked at Khaled's plan to give a key lecture to support el-Mahgoub. To the moment, we think he will reconsider his position," a Brotherhood figure told The Gazette. As Khaled declared the date of the lecture on the social networking website Facebook, most of his followers asked him on the same website to abandon the idea, which could harm his history as a neutral cleric. "Do not be a tool, Amr," one subscriber wrote. Khaled is an Egyptian Muslim televangelist, activist and preacher. In reference to his popularity in Arab countries, The New York Times magazine described him as "the world's most famous and influential Muslim television preacher".
