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X factor for Muslim preachers in Malaysia wows television audience A Malaysian version of X factor has forsaken the world of pop to conduct a search for the nation's next religious leader. Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur Published: 6:04PM BST 25 Jun 2010 Contestants on Young Imam chant passages from the Koran, not pop covers. While the concept is based on the hit British and American shows, the young Malaysian men are out to prove they are the best mullah in the land. The show, now in its third week, is fast becoming a hit in the Muslim-majority country. The judge who delivers their fate as the lights dim and contestant stand nervously is no Simon Cowell. Hasan Mahmood, the former grand mufti of Malaysia's national mosque, presides over the ten male contestants aged between 19 and 27. Instead of a lucrative record deal, the winner will be given a post as an imam at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, a Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and a full scholarship to the Madinah international university in Saudi Arabia. Just like their counterparts in the West, the Young Imam competitors are fast becoming icons to young viewers. The show's Facebook page has over 25,000 fans, including prospective mothers-in-law looking to marry off their daughters. The aspiring imams are given clerical tasks to complete each week. The first challenge was to bathe and bury a body that had lain unclaimed in a morgue for one month. The man had died of the AIDS virus. They washed the body, wrapped it in white cotton, offered prayers and buried it, with some contestants shedding tears at the grave. "Seeing and handling a dead body is the most difficult ritual they could face as an imam. The ten boys were brilliant, but the crew was not so good," said Izelan Basar, channel manager of Astro Oasis, which screens the show. "The producer fainted and several crew members vomited." Other tasks have included trying to teach young street racers caught by the police about Islam and visiting an orphanage. The group is secluded from the outside world in a dormitory on a mosque compound. Each contestants has to deliver a sermon in a mosque every Friday. Last week, 25-year-old Sharafuddin Suaut was sent home for a lack of clarity over finer points of Islamic theory. "The aim of the show is to get both the contestants and the audience to know, understand and practice their religion in an entertaining way," Mr Izelan explained. "The reactions to the show have been hugely positive and we are looking forward to many new seasons." With the youthful contestants dressed in fashionable, sharp suits, the show appears to be keen to move away from the stereotype of elderly imams in flowing robes. The television channel collaborated with the government to ensure religious sensitivities are not breached. "We have been very careful not to cross any lines or offend anyone and to take a middle path," Mr Izelan said. Malaysia's reputation as a progressive Muslim country has suffered recently, with the firebombing of churches in January, the caning of three Muslim women for adultery in February and news last week that al-Qaeda-linked extremists have been recruiting from Malaysian universities. -- Sesungguhnya, hanya dengan mengingat Allah, hati akan tenang. now surely by Allah's remembrance are the hearts set at rest. N'est-ce point par l'évocation d'Allah que se tranquillisent les coeurs. im Gedenken Allahs ist's, daß Herzen Trost finden können. >> al-Ra'd [13]: 28 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
