Seminar 1: Response to "A Reality Show where Islam is the Biggest Star"

In spite of its provocative title and dramatic opening hook, the article on the New York Times on the Malaysian reality show “Imam Muda” comes across as being pleasantly neutral. Upon drawing its reader in, it offers little more than an outline of the main features of the show, in comparison to other reality shows like “American Idol” which the writer assumes most readers to be more familiar with. In fact, most other articles and responses to the show online have read very briefly and neutrally, sticking to facts and details of the show, such as National Post, Taipei Times, and even Al Jazeera.

Only Guardian had an opinionated response, written by Nazry Bahrawi (who works at the Middle East Institute in Singapore and whom I happen to have had the pleasure of getting in touch with on a previous occasion). The article is much more blatant about the social and political implications of this Islamic reality show, highlighting the dangers of Malaysia shaping a culture of interest in Islam based on the popularity and personal charisma of the show’s contestants. It leaves the reader to wonder as to whether despite so-called avenues of free speech, most people are still unwilling to put forth an opinion on matters of religion, especially in relation to its adoption by a state, on any reputable forum. (There may be personal blogs that address this, but I have been unable to find any!)