Malaysian TV talent show seeks its ‘Young Imam’

A talent contest to find Malaysia's top young Islamic cleric - a kind of Apprentice meets The X Factor - is taking the Muslim country by storm.

In Imam Muda (Young Imam), 10 earnest men are competing for the prize of a scholarship to the prestigious al-Madinah University in Saudi Arabia. They will also win a job leading prayers at a mosque in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and an all-expenses paid Haj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

The Friday night prime-time TV show attempts to separate the mullahs from the boys by setting elaborate tasks which test the competitors' knowledge of Islam.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one task involved preparing unclaimed corpses for funerals - "an essential rite in Islam", apparently. In another episode, the contestants joined a police raid on a biker gang during which they lectured the miscreants in the hope of persuading them to mend their ways. Competitors are also asked to sing verses from the Koran.

Imam Muda seems to be going some way to reversing the trend in recent decades towards a stricter interpretation of Islam in Malaysia. Fans have been logging on to the show's Facebook page to praise it for its progressive depiction of Islam. "These young imams are modern, and we need that. Muslims these days are very progressive," says Hafizul Fadly. "After 9/11, it's good for us to show the true picture of Islam."

And despite Islam's reputation for strictness, there is no Simon Cowell figure to harangue hapless competitors who stumble over their Muslim doctrine. Nor is there a glamorous former popstrel to keep the male viewers interested. The judging panel consists of one man - a former grand mufti of Malaysia's national mosque, Hasan Mahmood - and he's a real softy. When forced to tell one competitor he was fired, the esteemed cleric was almost in tears. ·