Malaysian Reality Show Tests Aspiring Imams' Corpse-washing prowess
If you've ever wondered what The Apprentice would be like if all the business stuff was replaced with the duties of an Imam, wonder no longer. Malaysia has a super exciting reality show based on this premise!
It's called "Imam Muda," and it's profiled in today's New York Times. Just like The Apprentice the contestants face challenges!
Before each episode, the contestants have gathered to recite a prayer, while the challenges they are judged on have included washing corpses in preparation for burial and ensuring that animals are slaughtered according to Islamic principles.
Oh, man, the corpse-washing episode! Remember when Mohammad Taufek bin Mohammad Noh got Ahmad Hazran bin Ahmad Kamal kicked off by splashing his corpse with water in a way displeasing to Allah? Devious.
And, there are of course the rewards!
Cash and a new car are up for grabs, but the winner will also be offered a job as an imam, or religious leader, a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia and an all-expenses-paid pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
The downside is the Imams who came up the old-fashioned way will never accept your legitimacy, and you'll be forced to open up a chain of discount corpse-washing stalls inside of Target.