Red-headed Russian spy Anna Chapman has made her debut as a television presenter, hosting a programme about unsolved mysteries in her latest career twist. Her weekly show, titled "Secrets of the World with Anna Chapman," aims to unravel unexplained mysteries, although the makers have confirmed that this will not include any mention of Chapman's spying activities.
Wearing a clingy red-and-black velvet dress in the Friday night debut, Chapman appeared stiff as she intoned cheesy catchphrases such as: "My name is Anna Chapman and I will reveal all the secrets." The first hour-long episode on privately owned Ren TV investigated the case of a baby in the volatile Caucasus region of Dagestan who attracted hordes of pilgrims in 2009 after verses from the Koran reportedly appeared imprinted on his skin.
The child's parents said that the Koranic verses began appearing soon after the birth of their son, Ali Yakubov, and showed red Arabic letters covering his arms, legs and cheeks. The show took a sceptical approach to the phenomenon, hailed as a miracle by some Muslim believers. A co-presenter attempted to reproduce the results using carrot juice and Arabic scholars pointed out spelling mistakes.
In her only admission that could refer to espionage activities, Chapman commented that she had "visited Arab countries," where she had seen traditions of decorating skin with calligraphy. Chapman posed in a headscarf to visit Moscow's central mosque and was filmed taking off her vertiginous heels to meet the chief imam.
But in a largely studio-bound role, she did not actually go to Dagestan, a volatile region where shoot-outs between security forces and Islamist insurgents are almost daily occurrences. "If the Caucasus gets peace and prosperity, that will be a true miracle," Chapman concluded during the programme. Ren TV channel used Chapman's enigmatic reputation to promote the show.
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