Malaysia talent show picks 26-year-old as top 'Young Imam'

A 26-year-old scholar was late Friday named winner of a hugely popular Malaysian TV talent show search for a top young Islamic leader which has gained worldwide attention.

The "Young Imam" programme has seen 10 finalists hit the prime-time stage to recite verses from the Koran, wash corpses and slaughter sheep according to Islamic rules, and persuade youngsters away from sex and drugs.

Religious scholar Muhammad Asyraf Mohamad Ridzuan, 26, beat Hizbur Rahman Omar Zuhdi, a 27-year-old religious teacher in the finale, after the 10-week series which began in May saw eight other contestants eliminated.

The show, which is the first of its kind, follows the reality-TV formula of shows such as "American Idol" in the US and "The X Factor" in Britain, and has ignited new enthusiasm for Islam among Muslim youth.

"I feel good. Thanks to my parents, my wife and my fellow villagers who have been supporting me," an emotional Asyraf told the studio audience of more than 1,000 at the end of the show, which was aired live over Islamic lifestyle channel Astro Oasis.

Asyraf, clad in a black long robe over a smart black suit, hugged the runner-up on stage as soon as he was declared the winner, and was "crowned" with a white Islamic skullcap as his fans cheered his victory.

The winner gets a trip to Mecca to perform the hajj pilgrimage, a scholarship to al-Madinah University in Saudi Arabia, and a job at a mosque.

Imams play a broad role in Malaysia - where more than 60 percent of the 28 million population are Muslim - including leading prayers at the mosque and counselling troubled individuals.

The rising popularity of the show comes against a background of concern among Malaysia's ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities over rising "Islamisation" of the multicultural country and fears that tolerance towards Christians, Hindus and others is diminishing.