Lebanese pop star-turned-Islamist militant Fadl Shaker, who in 2011 joined a militant organisation led by Salafist sheikh Ahmed Al-Assi, is planning a music comeback.
Social media channels had reported that Shaker will record a duet song with Mishari Al-Afasy, the prominent Kuwaiti Quran reciter and religious chanter, which was later confirmed in a tweet by Al-Afasy.
“Indeed, I am collaborating with my dear friend Fadl Shaker on an inshad (religious chant) song. May God forgive whoever leaked the news and revealed what was intended as a surprise,” wrote Al-Afasy in a tweet on 10 March.
The song lyrics are written by Al-Afasy with composition and music arrangement by Ahmed Al-Harami.
The privately-owned Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk reported that Shaker had announced his intention to make a music comeback a few months ago in what he described as a Palestine-themed duet song with his son Ahmed, but he later shelved the idea.
Last February, a Lebanese military tribunal sentenced Shaker to five years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Lebanese liras in absentia.
Shaker was charged with conducting an interview "aimed at damaging Lebanon's ties" with other Arab countries and inciting sectarian strife.
Shaker’s comments reportedly referenced former minister Michel Samaha, who was arrested in 2012 for smuggling explosives from Syria to Lebanon to carry out attacks in the country.
Shaker was initially sentenced to four-and-half years in jail in May 2015, but in June the cassation court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial, and he was released on bail in January 2016.
Fadl Abdulrahman Shamandar, better known as Fadl Shaker (born 1April 1969), is a former Lebanese singer of Palestinian origin who gained tremendous fame during his career.
His music career came to a halt in 2011 when he denounced music on religious a basis and joined sheikh Al-Assi's militant group.
With the Syrian crisis deepening, in 2013, the group reportedly attacked Lebanese army troops, killing 17 soldiers.
In March 2015, Shaker announced on LBCI news that he had distanced himself from sheikh Al-Assi and that he hopes to return to his normal life.
Egyptian pop star Sherine Abdel-Wahab called on her fans to support Shaker during her latest concert in Kuwait in February.
Her controversial statement provoked criticism from fans in different Arab countries, with some accusing her of "supporting a terrorist."
She dismissed the accusations and described Shaker as a friend. She has not commented on the latest developments.
