Mawlana — master or servant?

The Televangelist
Ibrahim Essa
Translated by Jonathan Wright
Cairo — New York: 
Hoopoe/AUC Press, 2016
Pp. 481

This story could only have happened in Egypt, with its broad spectrum of public and secret religiosity, its glitzy television industry, and the security services’ all pervasive meddling. Yet, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Essa’s novel has near-universal resonance, for it addresses the volatile point at which religion and political power intersect and/or collide. At the heart of the story is the difficulty of an intelligent, open-minded individual remaining true to him/herself and simultaneously making a living, especially when the authorities are determined to stifle dissent and keep the population in ignorance.

The main character, Hatem Al Shenawi, is a voracious reader and life-long learner, a serious Muslim scholar approaching middle age. From humble beginnings preaching in a small local mosque, his charisma and ability to speak to the common man gradually propel him to prominence.

He becomes a sought-after television sheikh with a daily programme where he answers questions from viewers, something he is very adept at, due to his extensive study of the Koran, the hadiths and various sources on the life of the prophet and Islamic history. Still, he is unable to display the full range of his knowledge on television, as producers and censors are not interested in anyone delving too deep into all topics or interpretations.

So Sheikh Hatem, or Mawlana, as everyone calls him, walks the tightrope between his beliefs and what is allowed. (Incidentally, “Mawlana”, is the title of the Arabic edition of the book published by Bloomsbury Qatar in 2012.)

Sheikh Hatem is sceptical of his promoters’ intentions, and irritated by the limits imposed on what he says and the wilful ignorance of Islam’s real teachings which he sees all around him, but he is also complacent. He and his wife have become used to the comfortable life style which his televangelism finances. He has twinges of conscience about the hypocrisy involved but also finds self-justifications. “He had lived a two-faced lie — the scholar and the merchant of learning, the original thinker and the conformist — and he had never let either side win total victory, out of fear for his livelihood. He really was ‘Mawlana’ in both senses of the word: it could mean ‘our master or leader’, but can also mean ‘our servant or follower.’” (p. 431)

Sheikh Hatem’s balancing act is totally disrupted when Egypt’s ruling family assigns him to dissuade one of its young members who has allegedly converted to Christianity. While the sheikh views the conversion as a case of adolescent confusion or rebellion, the rulers see it as a security threat. If word gets out, it might spark widespread unrest and tarnish Egypt’s image. Failure is not an option; the security services are breathing down his neck, ready to manipulate his attempt to discuss the issue rationally with the boy. At this point, the novel starts to read something like a political thriller, but it is much more.

Sheikh Hatem is thrown into a crisis which is both personal and professional. He is forced to reassess his life, both his relationship to the state and society, and to his wife, for his marriage has been deteriorating ever since he failed to cope with his son being physically and mentally disabled by an accident.

The novel’s ending is both shocking and inconclusive; it could well serve as the prelude to a whole new story, but the ideas forwarded by Sheikh Hatem’s introspection and his discussions with the aspiring convert are far from inconclusive. As Sheikh Hatem insists that faith be based on knowledge and rationality, that there is room for doubt, interpretation and discussion, and that interfaith tolerance should not just be an exercise in public relations, he mounts a powerful argument against extremism, ignorance and hypocrisy.

Essa is no stranger to controversy, and has also had to tread a perilous path between the truth and keeping his job, but he seems to have shunned the compromises made by his character, for 10 of the newspapers he has edited or worked for have been shut down by the government.

In “The Televangelist”, he combines psychology, sociology, cultural critique and politics to create a fascinating plot and a number of complex characters, as well as shedding light on Muslim-Coptic relations, the persecution of Sufis and the disastrous consequences of manipulating religion for political purposes. 

He also drops more than a few hints as to why the democratic gains of the 2010-11 popular uprising in Egypt could be so soon reversed. All in all, the novel is a brave exposure of terrorism, whether promoted by state power or extremist groups. “The Televangelist” is available at the University Bookshop in Gardens Street.