Egyptian television preacher's message goes fowl

Amr Khaled has apologised after sparking overnight criticism from the Muslim world over his advertisement

The preacher Amr Khaled has come under fire for his Ramadan commercial. Khaled Abdullah / Reuters

An Egyptian preacher has come under fire after appearing on TV and claiming that a specific brand of chicken would help “connect people to God” during Ramadan.

During a paid advertisement by Al Wataniya chicken, Amr Khaled interviewed a celebrity TV chef, Asia Osman, about different recipes.

During the video he said fasting was a full body experience and that “the soul cannot function unless the body is coordinating [and] with Asia’s recipes, it will bring you closer to God when you pray at night”.

The preacher has since apologised in a post on his Facebook page, saying he “was misunderstood and that God will understand me”.

The advertisement has since been pulled from networks. But the apology has not deterred online criticism, with some Egyptians calling for his TV show to be cancelled.

Ibrahim Fayek, a sports TV broadcaster said, "It's hard for me to understand people who don't regard their influence on other people and make advertisements that detract from their status."

Some began drawing connections between Mr Khaled and KFC.

Others took a harder line, making fun of how the internet can blow things out of proportion.

This is not Amr Khaled's first time at the sharp end of social media, having been lampooned before for his social media videos.