"Koran Idol" - Reality TV Afghanistan style

Reality TV has been exported to the most unlikely of places. But on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, it is not singing or dancing that provides for riveting television viewing, but reciting the Koran.

Here is how the London Times describes it:

As the three finalists walk before the cameras and packed audience there is no clapping or cheering. Instead, a Saudi cleric intones a long passage from the Koran. For this is Koran-Star and, rather than sing, the contestants must recite long passages from the Islamic holy book. It may not look like gripping viewing but the programme secured an impressive 80% audience share.

Read the story here.