How to Get Better Muslim Preachers

It was billed as the hottest reality TV show in years. Enthusiastic hopefuls strutted their stuff in front of TV cameras and millions of viewers at home, generating hearty praise or snorts of derision by turn. At the end of every show, the studio lights would dim and a row of young wannabes – standing hand-in-hand – would step forward in anticipation as they waited to find out who was being sent home that night. Newspaper columns and thousands of Facebook fans gushed over the show's judge, who became known for choking back sobs as contestant after contestant was eliminated. Only, instead of Wagner, Cher, Katie et al, this show's participants have names like Hazran, Taufek and Sharafuddin. And instead of vying to become the latest chart sensation, these contestants are aspiring clerics on top-rated Malaysian programme, "Young Imam," which has brought religious knowledge to new audiences in an innovative and entertaining way. Hasan Mahmood, the former grand Mufti of Malaysia's national mosque, presides over the proceedings. There is no record deal for the victor, but they have to fight just as hard to charm the public once the series is over, and a winning post as an imam at a Kuala Lumpur mosque beckons.