“Young Imam” Is the Reality Show Creating All the Buzz in Malaysia

[Che -Guevara]

KUALA LUMPUR -- The U.S. has “American Idol.” Britain has “The X Factor.” Malaysia, one of the world`s more progressive Muslim nations, has something rather different -- a televised search for the country`s most eligible young religious leader.

 

“Young Imam” might look familiar at first glance. Ten good-looking male contestants in sharp-looking suits are assigned to sing and complete a series of complex tasks. At the end of the show, the studio lights dim, the music drops to a whisper, and a clutch of young hopefuls step forward nervously, waiting hand-in-hand to find out who will be sent home that night.

 

Instead of a record contract or a million-dollar prize, though, the last imam standing wins a scholarship to the al-Madinah University in Saudi Arabia, a job leading prayers at a Kuala Lumpur mosque and an expense-paid trip to Mecca to perform the Haj pilgrimage.

 

The sole judge who decides who stays and who goes each Friday in prime-time isn`t an aging pop star or talk-show host. He`s the turban-wearing former grand mufti of Malaysia`s national mosque, Hasan Mahmood. Last week Mr. Hasan stifled a sob as he eliminated 25-year-old Sharafuddin Suaut from the show for stumbling over some of the finer points of Islamic theory.

 

Aspiring Mullahs Show Their Stuff; Swooning Fans and a Free Trip to Mecca

[Che -Guevara]

[Chocolate and Honey]

Competition eh? I say if we can watch housewives decorating their houses as a reality show, surely we can watch uber educated Imam-Wannabes. My only regret is I cant watch it here. LOL!