CAIRO (AP) — The worlds of religion and Michael Jackson collide in "Sheikh Jackson," Egypt's first feature film to focus on the religious movement known as Salafis, followers of one of the strictest interpretations of Islam.
The main character, a Salafi preacher, is thrown into a crisis of conscience by his teenage obsession with the pop start, mirroring how Egypt's conservative society is pulled in conflicting directions in a world of global pop culture and social media.
The film goes beyond examining Salafis, says the director, Amr Salama. He says: "It's about humanity ... It tells you that one's identity is not a single dimension or an unchangeable thing."
"Sheikh Jackson" premiered in the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month.