'Imam Idol' to put friendly face on Islam Aug 01, 2010 at 07:02
By Beh Lih Yi
Malaysia's top 'Young Imam' Muhammad Asyraf (R) is being greeted by the audience on his success at the end of the competition in Kuala Lumpur on July 30, 2010. Photograph: AFP
TV reality show picks top 'Young Imam'
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's top "Young Imam" has vowed to soften the stern image of clerics and energise young Muslims after winning a hugely popular TV talent show search for a top young Islamic leader.
The show, which attracted worldwide attention, saw 10 finalists tackle tasks such as reciting verses from the Koran, washing corpses and slaughtering sheep according to Islamic rules.
Following the reality TV formula of shows such as "American Idol" and "The X Factor," one contestant was eliminated each week until the series drew to a close on Friday night.
Religious scholar Muhammad Asyraf Mohammad Ridzuan, who saw off nine rivals to win the "Young Imam" title, said he wanted to reach out to youngsters to spark their interest in the religion.
"I want to be an imam who is friendly to the youth, cool, relaxed, able to play with children and engage the elderly," the 26-year-old said after the finale, as he hailed the show as a "victory of Islam".
"I want to play football with the kids in my neighbourhood and still be a spiritual leader among them," said the soft-spoken Asyraf, clad in a black long robe over a suit and wearing a white Islamic skullcap.
Religious authorities in Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of its 28 million population are Muslim, regularly make headlines with morality raids on hotels and nightclubs, looking for illicit drinking and sex.
In a development that alarmed rights activists, three women were caned in February for having sex out of wedlock -- the first time the punishment under Islamic law had been carried out on women in Malaysia.
But there is a debate even among Muslim leaders over whether the punishment-based approach is appropriate, or whether they should instead seek to persuade and inspire.
The shows' creators said a main reason for the success of the programme was that it has sought to make Islam more appealing to young people.
"I think it's because it's breaking a lot of traditions and a lot of stigma about the religion partly because of the title itself, 'Young Imam'," said Zainir Aminullah, editor of pay-TV operator Astro which airs the show.
"There is a certain image of an imam, but these boys are handsome, they are well-groomed, they speak well, they are extremely articulate," added Zainir, who said he would consider continuing the show next year.
Imams play a broad role in Muslim society, including leading prayers at the mosque and counselling troubled individuals.
The 10 finalists, who were chosen from 1,000 candidates, faced written and practical tests on religion each week. They were quarantined in a mosque dormitory and banned from using phones, the Internet and television.
They also had to persuade youngsters away from sex and drugs.
Even as the show ended, the popularity of the programme continues to rise. Its official Facebook page added 7,500 fans overnight to nearly 60,000 after Friday's finale.
"People always tend to associate Islam with terrorism, jihad (holy war) or something very rigid, but look at these young imams and you will realise that perception is wrong," said Fadhilah Salleh, a 25-year-old student.
"This is a new phenomenon and it is taking us to somewhere positive," she told AFP.
For winner Asyraf, whose immediate plan is to set up a "Young Imam" club to engage the youth through arts and motivational classes, also promised to ditch the traditional, stern image that youths often shy away from.
"We represent the first generation of young imams. We want to attract the young, we want to be more open, flexible and approachable as young imams," he said.
"All of these are now my new objectives," Asyraf added with a smile.
Edits:
In Islam there is no adoring of Idols or hero worship, which conflicts with the fndamental believes and theaching in Islam.
Islam is Pure and is a Natural growth of human intellectual and physiological progress, and the flaw of human being as a social animal cannot be attributed to the Divine Laws of God.
Nature does not change it Laws to suit or adapt to human rather it is almost reverse condition unless the man rises above its animal instinct and rise above the angles who bowed to be able to command Nature to change. Prophetic Examples in Islam are many, after that the best example could be taken from life of Umar Bin AL Khattab’s life – the 2nd Caliph of Islam..
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this example done in Malaysia can be duplicated in other parts of Muslim populated regions of World. ( I shall not use Islamic world/Islamic, as the whole World belongs to Allah and there is no division in Allah sight. and Islamic countires are no where near to Islam then non Islamic countries.)
