In Malaysia, search for a telegenic imam

Kuala Lumpur

BY LIZ GOOCH

Participants in the “Imam Muda” reality TV show waited to hear the results of an
elimination round in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Credit...Rahman Roslan for the
International Herald Tribune

Bright studio spotlights illuminated the faces of four young men, arms
linked as they anxiously awaited their fate.
Cameramen stood poised, ready to capture the climactic moment. Finally
the chief judge broke the suspense.
Two of the contestants had been eliminated. The other two had taken a
step closer to their dream. Winners and losers, all clad in crisp, dark suits
and formal black hats, took turns hugging each other.

Welcome to "Imam Muda” or "Young Leader," Malaysia's entry into

religious-themed reality television.
The basic premise may replicate that of many reality shows around the
globe, but here, inside an auditorium at one of Kuala Lumpur's largest
mosques, are twists to a tried and tested formula.

Before each episode, the contestants gather to recite a prayer. Their

challenges have included washing corpses and ensuring that animals are
slaughtered according to Islamic principles. The prize pool, too, offers a
hint that the show takes a detour from the usual reality show script. There
are cash and a new car up for grabs, but the winner will also be offered a
job as an imam, or religious leader, a scholarship to study or at a
university in Saudi Arabia, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Mecca, Islam's
holiest site.

The prize pool for aspiring imams includes a full-time job and an
all-expenses-paid trip to Mecca.

The show, which started in May with, 10 contestants, whittled down from
more than a thousand applicants with backgrounds ranging from banking
to farming, has built an impressive following among young Malaysians. It
is the most watched show ever on Astro Oasis, a Muslim lifestyle cable
channel, and its Facebook page has more than 50,000 fans.
Viewership is expected to soar on Friday, when the winner will be
announced in a live broadcast from a Kuala Lumpur convention hall. The
two finalists have spent recent days in their hometowns,
giving sermons and organizing community events. During the final
episode, they will be required to debate religious and news topics as well
as recite the Koran.
Some say the show's popularity reflects the increasing Islamization of this
Muslim-majority nation of 28 million. But the program's creators, who are
planning a second season, maintain that "Imam Muda" provides an
entertaining solution to making Islam relevant to the lives of young
Malaysians and extending the role of religious leaders beyond the mosque.
A collaboration between Astro Oasis and a regional government's Islamic
affairs department, the show requires the contestants, 18 to 27 years old,
to master and demonstrate the duties of an iman through practical and
theoretical activities. In addition to preparing unclaimed corpses for burial,
a task that some contestants said was a highlight, the men have also had
to counsel wayward teenagers, console elderly people abandoned by their
children and display their skills in reciting the Koran.
Izelan Basar, the show's creator and Astro Oasis channel manager, said
his aim was to find a way to make Islam more appealing to young people.
"In every religion the toughest challenge is to attract the youth,", he said,
noting that most of the country's imams are older men.
In preparation for the show, producers surveyed young people about the
type of imam they would like to see in their local mosque.
"They said, 'We want someone who can talk on the same wavelength, who
can be one of us, an imam who can play football, can talk about the World
Cup, can talk about the environment and U.F.O.s, for example, " Mr.
Izelan said. While an imam's main duties include delivering Friday
sermons and leading prayers, Mr. Izelan said contestants were also
coached for the show in public speaking, suitable dress, how to talk with
children, even how to hold their cutlery, as well as studying the Koran.
The program has resonated with many Malaysians. Some of the
eliminated contestants have been offered positions as imams.
Malina Ibrahim, 32, a banker who watches "Imam Muda" at home with her
parents, predicted that the show would encourage young people to follow
Islam more closely. She said the contestants had impressed young women
as well as their parents, because Muslims believe that a man who is well-
schooled in religion will bring good family values to a marriage.
“If you have a husband in your family with that kind of knowledge, people
will look up to you," said Ms. Malina, who is single.
The judge who decides who makes the cut each week is Hasan Mahmood
al-Hafiz, a former national grand imam. He says he looking for someone
with a strong grasp of Islam, but also good general knowledge and
communication skills, "strong morality" and open-mindedness. There is a
shortage of young men with the necessary qualities to make a good
imam, he said, something he hopes the show will help change.
Through most of the show's run, the contestants have been confined to a
hostel, cut off from family and friends, newspapers, television and the
Internet. So the contestants have only heard snippets about the show's
success from the crew, and some seemed pleasantly surprised that their
performances had gained such a following, especially with female viewers.

Ahmad Hazran bin Ahmad Kamal, 25, a banker who was eliminated in
thesemifinal last week, confessed in an interview that while he had no
problem addressing a crowd, he became nervous when talking to girls.
"But if they want to marry me, why not?" he said, smiling shyly.

“In religion, the challenge is to attract the youth.”

On Friday, the show's fans will disco vr whether Hizbur Rahman bin Omar
Zuhdi, 27, or Asyraf bin Mohammad Ridzuan, 26, will be named Malaysia's
first "Imam Muda."
Mr. Hizbur, a religion schoolteacher, said he hoped to "use 'Imam Muda'
as a platform to become a model for teenagers and the community."
"The benefit of this program – fame - is an asset to attract youngsters to
live the religion," he said.
Mr. Asyraf, who has worked as an imam for four months, said he had
joined
the show because he wanted to reach more people and improve his
knowledge of Islam.
“I feel so happy and blessed," he said after learning that he had made it
to the finals.
Mr. Izelan, who said he had fielded inquiries from television stations in
Turkey and Egypt about producing similar shows, seems genuinely
surprised by the success of "Imam Muda."
He said that he would be sad on Friday once the curtain fell on this season
but that his only wish was for the contestants to "'be useful to society."
"We have provided a platform and some level of fame," he said. "Where
they go now is up to them."

Vocabulary
poised paraat
all clad allemaal gekleed
crisp fris
basic premise standard aanname/veronderstelling
to replicate dupliceren
a twist een wending, een draai
to recite opzeggen
a detour omleiding
for grabs voor het oprapen
a scholarship scholarship
to whittle down kleineren, afslanken
to soar omhoog vliegen, opstijgen
a sermon een preek
beyond voorbij
wayward eigenzinnig
to console troosten
to be confined opgesloten zijn