THE TELEGRAPH: A Malaysian version of X factor has forsaken the world of pop to conduct a search for the nation's next religious leader.
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. X factor for muslim preachers in Malaysia wows television audience >>> Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur | Friday, June 25, 2010
