Now, an X Factor show to select best young Malaysian mullah

Kuala Lumpur, June 26 (ANI): A Malaysian version of the TV show X Factor has forsaken the world of pop music to conduct a search for an inspiring religious leader.

The concept is based on the hit British and American shows, but with a difference, where young Malaysian men chant passages from the Koran, not pop covers, to prove they are the best mullahs in the land.

Hasan Mahmood, the former grand mufti of Malaysia's national mosque, presides over the ten male contestants aged between 19 and 27.

In its third week, the show has become popular in the country.

The show's Facebook page has over 25,000 fans, including prospective mothers-in-law looking to marry off their daughters.

The aspiring imams are given clerical tasks to complete each week. Each contestant has to deliver a sermon in a mosque every Friday.

"We have been very careful not to cross any lines or offend anyone and to take a middle path," The Telegraph quoted, Izelan Basar, channel manager of Astro Oasis, which screens the show, as saying. (ANI)