Reality TV has burst upon the Arab world, drawing huge audiences but firing up conservative outrage over the spectacle of young men and women flirting, hugging and dancing under one roof.

　　Young people from Iraq and Syria to Egypt, Kuwait and Yemen love these variations on "Big Brother" and "American Idol." Some religious scholars and politicians say they're sacrilegious.

　　Things got so heated this week that Saudi-owned MBC TV bowed to pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and the Bahrain Information Ministry and said it will suspend "Al-Rayes," its version of "Big Brother," less than two weeks into the show.

　　"Al-Rayes" featured 12 contestants living in a villa on Amwaj, a small island in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Each week one person was to be evicted from the house, with the last remaining tenant winning US$100,000.

　　The critics weren't assuaged by the fact that male and female contestants slept in separate quarters and had prayer rooms.

　　The shows are testimony to the power of satellite television and slick Western production methods to overturn societal norms. The success of such imported shows exposes a widening gap between a younger generation and its conservative Muslim elders.

　　First through the Arab reality door - and into the teeth of conservative protest - was the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation with "Star Academy," launched in December. It's based on a French show of the same name.Next up will be LBC's version of "Survivor."

　　In "Star Academy," 16 Arabs share a house north of Beirut and can be viewed 24 hours a day on a satellite channel as they cook, eat, sleep (in sexually segregated quarters) and attend sports, singing, music and dance classes.

　　Each week, one of two participants are voted out by viewers. The winner will be crowned on April 2 and get a recording contract.

　　(The Associated Press)