Egyptian singer cum preacher gets coveted invite from al-Arabiya reports that Egyptian singer and preacher Yasmin al-Khayam whose father knew President Obama's father will be at the president's speech at Cairo University.
An Egyptian singer turned preacher whose father knew American President Barack Obama’s father has been invited by the American embassy to attend the president's much anticipated speech at Cairo University Thursday and she plans to attend.
Yasmin al-Khayam, Egypt's singer turned preacher who stirred controversy in the 1980s for joining the singing industry despite being daughter of a famous Quranic reciter, said she received an invite to attend Obama's speech.
The daughter of Quranic reciter Mahmud Khalil al-Husary told Al Arabiya her late father knew Obama's father Hussein Obama, and had given him a tape recording of his recitation when they met on one of the reciter's trips to Africa.
"I think Obama is still influenced by his father's heritage," the singer, who went by the name Ifrag al-Husary before her vocational change, told Al Arabiya.
Al-Khayam sees in Obama's speech to the Muslim world a "respectful gesture that I hope will be the beginning of better relations between Muslims and the west," she said, urging Americans to take the opportunity to put Sept. 11, 2001 behind them and Muslim preachers to likewise reach out and explain Islam's tolerant message.
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