Moez Masoud
Moez Masoud is an Egyptian scholar, public intellectual and international producer who focuses on the fields of existential questions, challenges to global co-existence, and identity in the modern world.
In November 2011, he was described by The Economist as one of the world's five most influential public presenters of the Islamic tradition. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and a research affiliate with the Psychology and Religion Research Group at the University of Cambridge, from where he holds an MPhil degree, and is currently pursuing a PhD there in the philosophy of science.
Personal life
In April 2018, Masoud married Egyptian actress Shery Adel, who starred in Masoud's 2018 Ramadan television series entitled “al-Seham al-Mareqa”.Education and Academic Background
Masoud is a graduate of the American University in Cairo and has studied Islamic Theology & Sciences under the tutelage of numerous prominent scholars for over ten years. His studies have taken him to many cities in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries in search of all authentic sources that convey the inner, esoteric spirit of Islam as well as the orthodox understanding of its Sacred law. Masoud also holds an MPhil degree in Psychology and Religion from the University of Cambridge, and is currently pursuing a PhD there. Masoud is also known as M. W. Zackie in some academic publications and productions.Masoud is well-respected by his peers as a Hafiz of the Qur'an. During his university years, Masoud began to become popular as a discussion group leader. This led to his first TV show; the English language Parables in the Qur'an which garnered wide global viewership, including significant audiences in North America, Europe, Malaysia and Australia. His episodes were seen as encouraging Muslims to live a fruitful and successful contemporary life while embodying their religion's core spiritual teachings, properly understood. Various sequels were produced after that.
Global Influence
Masoud is featured as the 31st most influential Muslim in the world by "The Muslim 500". Masoud was also named "Egypt's most influential religious figure of the year" in 2008, and was featured in Georgetown University's "The 500 Most Influential Muslims of 2009," published by the Georgetown Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. After the Egyptian revolution, Masoud participated in the first post-revolution Egyptian National Dialogue and has since become a key player in the social, political and economic reformation of Egypt.Acamedia Global
Masoud founded the 'al-Tareeq al-Sahh' Institute in 2007 which later merged into Acamedia Global in 2011, as a non-profit foundation established for the purpose of advancing knowledge through the various communication media available today. Acamedia also has a production and publishing subsidiary, which collectively aims to " together the most compelling discourses of contemporary ideas and the timeless wisdom of sacred knowledge...in the fields of media production and broadcasting, publications, and other educational innitiatives." Acamedia is headquartered in Dubai with Research & Development and Production bases in both the UK and Egypt.Acamedia Pictures has emerged as a regional leader in film and TV production and has produced both series of "Khutuwat Al-Shaytan", "A Revolution Within", "Journey to Certitude", as well as "Clash" and "Brotherhood" films.
Academic Publications
Masoud's work has been featured in a number of international academic publications.Publications by Masoud
Moez Masoud has written various dissertations and essays on religious identity and the interface between different strands of Abrahamic theology and cosmology, biology and neuroscience. His current research at the University of Cambridge focuses on the interface between evolutionary science in its various historical forms and both classical Islamic theology and philosophy.In 2013 Masoud wrote "An Analysis of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri's "Call to Global Islamic Resistance" which was published in the Journal of Strategic Security in Spring 2013.
Masoud was a contributor to the 'On Faith' online forum, hosted by The Washington Post and Newsweek in discussions centered around faith and religion.
Publications about Masoud
Journals
Masoud and his work have been referenced in numerous academic and scholarly works including journals such as, Arab Media & Society, Media, Culture & Society, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Critical Discourse Studies, People, Place and Region, Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, Nations and Nationalism, Arts & Culture, International Journal of Instruction, Journal of Islamic Studies, Northern Lights: Film & Media Studies Yearbook and the United States Institute of Peace.Books
Masoud has also been cited in various books including, "The Challenge of Political Islam" by Rachel M. Scott, "Global and Local Televangelism" ed. P. N. Thomas & P. Lee, "Igniting Thought, Unleashing Youth" ed. M. Nawab & F. Ali, "Maqasid al-Shari'a and Contemporary Reformist Muslim Thought: An Examination" ed. A. Duderija, "Revolutionary Egypt" ed. R. Abou-El-Fadl, "Modest Fashion" ed. R. Lewis, "Consumption and Spirituality" ed. D. Rinallo, L. Scott & P. Maclaran and "Politics of Modern Muslim Subjectivities" ed. D. Jung, M. J. Peterson & S. L. Sparre.Media & Television
Masoud's media work has included directing, composing, singing, writing and producing songs, documentaries, TV series and films. His efforts have attracted much critical acclaim and have contributed to an expansion of dialogue between activists in the Arab world regarding the various critical issues, including the need for formal religious discourse in the Arab region to encompass and attend to nuanced issues presented by the modern world.In 2007 Masoud launched his first Arabic television show "Al-Tareeq Al-Sahh" which was a pioneering and hugely successful series across the Middle East. The show was hosted by Masoud and was the first ever show on religion in the Arab world to be entirely filmed on location and on the streets. The series addressed poignant and largely taboo issues facing the Muslim world, including drugs, alcohol, gender relations, homosexuality and the roots of terrorism.
A Revolution Within
Masoud's 2011 television series was called "Thawra 'ala Al-Nafs", and aired on Egyptian state television for the first time. It also aired on CBC, a post-revolution popular Egyptian satellite channel, and as a radio segment on Nogoum FM, Cairo's no. 1 radio station, making it accessible to millions of viewers and listeners across the country. Both the TV and radio versions of 'A Revolution Within' continue to receive much critical acclaim. Masoud went on to make a sequel of that show the following year titled "Rihlat al Yaqeen".Khutuwat al-Shaytan
Starting July 10, 2013, Masoud released his latest show throughout Ramadan. The show was named "Khutuwat Al-Shaytan", which was predicted to be an exceptional success and therefore was requested by many channels to broadcast. The rights went to five channels such as Abu Dhabi Al Oula, Al Emirat, CBC, CBC+2, alongside the broadcast on Nogoum FM, considered the most popular station in Egyptian radio. "Khutuwat Al-Shaytan" was ranked as one of the top 10 most viewed series in Ramadan that year. Masoud also aired a sequel of "Khutuwat Al-Shaytan" in Ramadan 2014 which was also popularly received and aired on MBC 1.Music
As a musician himself, Masoud has produced, composed and co-written many 'hit' songs in the last decade, including most recently in 2016, the single "Ya Rehla" featuring Amir Eid. Masoud's previous songs have included the extremely popular "Tetgawezeeni", performed by Hani Adel, "Al-Tareeq Al-Sahh", performed by Mahmoud El Esseily as well as publicly composing and performing his own personal rendition of "Qad Kafani", a famous poem written by Imam al Haddad.Films
Clash (Eshtebak) at Cannes Film Festival
Masoud produced, alongside Mohamed Hefzy and Eric Lagesse, the Egyptian film "Clash" which was the opening film in the official selection of the Un Certain Regard category at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016. The film is set in a police truck and features a group of demonstrators from across the divisions of Egyptian society forced together during the violent protests in Cairo in June 2013. The film was hailed as "one of the most telling depictions of modern Egypt yet filmed", and was produced by EMC Pictures, a sister company of Acamedia Pictures. On August 31, 2016, Egypt officially selected Acamedia's film "Clash" to represent it in the Oscars' 2017 Best Foreign Language Film race.Brotherhood
Masoud also produced the film "Brotherhood" based on the storyline of the series "Khutuwat Al-Shaytan 2". The story is set in post-revolution Cairo where Malik, embroiled in an outlawed religious organization, falls in love with Nada who recently joined his work. However, he soon discovers that her brother and father are police members of the Ministry of the Interior, and whilst Malik increasingly feels uneasy with the organisation he is conflicted about leaving. When Nada's father, General Ibrahim, is killed, Malik is accused and violent conflict ensues between Malik and Nada's brother, Major Ramez.International Events
Masoud is regularly invited to give lectures and lead workshops and his travels have taken him from all over the United States, Canada and Europe to Malaysia and Australia, attracting substantial coverage by both Western and Arab media. At The Search for Mutual Understanding he gave a speech titled "Islam in the Modern World". It has been viewed on YouTube over 2 million times. Some other events from recent years include:UN Speeches
Masoud spoke at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Dialogue in Geneva, December 2015, representing the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. He addressed the current situation of refugees, focusing on root causes of ideological-based conflict based on his widely circulated academic journal article, "An Analysis of Abu Mus'ab al-Suri's "Call to Global Islamic Resistance", and offered insights into what the global community could do to help.In December 2016 Masoud gave the keynote address at the annual United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Dialogue in Geneva. He highlighted the importance of youth and children and the specific issues they face, particularly refugees, and proposed various radical solutions to engage and deal with these challenges.