news Da’i Syed’s sex scandal: a test from God for Malaysia’s reality TV Islamic preachers? Tashny Sukumaran in Kuala Lumpur An audience watches a live performance of the Malaysian reality TV competition ‘Young Imam’ in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP He is not the first reality television star to fall from grace and is unlikely to be the last, but when the young celebrity Islamic "preacher" Syed Shah Iqmal was charged with rape, unnatural sex and outraging the modesty of one of his female followers, it seemed like half of Malaysia had an opinion. Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohammad Shaiful, 25, more commonly known as Da'i (a term for those who invite people into the religion), had grown immensely popular following his stint in the show Da'i Pendakwah Nusantara ("Nusantara Preacher"), in which contestants competed to be the next big celebrity preacher.