Television preacher to help Yemen combat al-Qaeda

Yemen has enlisted the help of an Egyptian television preacher to help dislodge Islamic militants from within its conservative population.

The poor Arabian peninsula state, already juggling conflicts in its north and south, is struggling to combat al-Qaeda terrorists who experts say exploit Yemen's instability to launch attacks in the region and beyond. Yemen's security forces have launched several military campaigns, including air raids and blockades of cities, to root out suspected al-Qaeda militants in the country's south.

Amr Khaled, a populist Muslim preacher known for wooing crowds of upper-middle class Egyptian youths in a high-pitched voice, has now launched a campaign to win the hearts and minds of Yemen's young people. "The goal of this project is to uproot extremism and spread moderation, to show the true face of Islam, and show a bright picture of Yemen to the world," he said at an event marking the opening of his campaign in the southern port city of Aden.

"We can do this through partnerships to push (Yemen's] real leader to confront extremism… that leader is Yemen's youth."

Despite his apolitical approach, Mr Khaled has upset Egypt's leaders with his ability to sway the crowds. Liberal critics say his sermons caused many young women to ditch bikinis for the Islamic veil. He spends much of his time in London due to pressure from Cairo, wary of religious leaders.

Yemen, however, is partially funding his new awareness project, which aims to train 70 young preachers in every province as well as co-operating with current clerics to promote a moderate form of Islam.