MUSLIM WORLD: Malaysian reality-show contestants compete to be 'next top imam'
Malaysia's new hit reality show, "Imam Muda," or "Young Imam," is a lot like Tyra Banks' "America's Next Top Model," except that instead of, say, posing naked with tarantulas, contestants must wash and prepare a body for burial according to Islamic tradition.
"Imam Muda" pits contestants against each other in a series of challenges to determine who will make the best spiritual leader, or imam. In the featured clip, competitors try their hand at divorce counseling in order to prove they have what it takes to serve their congregation.
The winner, to be announced in the finale on July 30, will be sent to Saudi Arabia to pursue his religious studies, Upon his return, he will be given a car, a laptop and a position as imam in one of Kuala Lumpur's main mosques.
The show has proved especially popular among young people, according to NPR, which aired an interview with the BBC's Jennifer Pak about "Imam Muda's" appeal.