Outrage over Turkish TV's bid to make atheists 'experiment with God'

London, August 23 (ANI): Muslim leaders are ranting over the latest series of bizarre programmes on Turkish TV that will try to convert atheists with the help of a priest, a rabbi, an imam and a Buddhist monk.

The 12 skeptics will be involved in face-to-face talks and group discussions with holy men and will visit mosques, temples and churches in the 'Penitents Compete'.

Those who 'will find God' in the eight-week series, due to begin in September, will win a trip to their new favourite holy shrine, reports the Daily Express.

The proposed show has left many enraged, including Ali Bardakoglu, the president of Turkey's Office of Religious Affairs, who said it was a "fatal error" and a "debasement of religion", as per Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.

Mustafa Çagrici, the supreme mufti of Istanbul, also fears that experimenting with God will lead to friction and destruction of the Eastern world.

But Seyhan Soylu, the mastermind behind the programme, has defended the show, claiming righteous concerns.

The TV mogul said: "We want to help people find God. Where is the problem? We don't want to incite a religious war."

She added: "We are giving the biggest prize in the world, the gift of belief in God. We don't approve of anyone being an atheist.God is great. It doesn't matter which religion you believe in. The important thing is to believe." (ANI)