Clerics slap fatwa on ‘Who Wants to Be Millionaire?’

AN IRANIAN version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has been banned after conservative clerics in the Islamic republic claimed the show “undermined the culture of hard work”.

Nasser Makarem-shirazi, Grand Ayatollah, issued a fatwa against the game show Barandeh Bash, saying it was a form of gambling, which is forbidden under Islamic law.

He said that the ruling would cover Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which had been shown on state TV, and other shows that offered cash rewards to viewers and participants. Ayatollah Makarem-shirazi called them a form of “gambling” and “games of chance” and stressed that they were haram (forbidden).

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, had earlier warned that game shows endangered the “culture of hard work and productivity” that the country sought to encourage.

The show, hosted by Mohammad Reza Golzar, a popular actor and model, gives contestants the chance to win up to a billion Iranian rials (about £20,000) and allows audiences to win money by joining in at home via an app.

News agencies criticised Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for “running a halal casino with these lottery-style competitions for viewers”.

In response to the fatwa, the show issued a short statement stating that “the assumptions presented in the question for the fatwa were wrong”.

Local media reported that Be a Winner, a similar show, would be off the air for at least a week, while state television executives said they would work on changes to the sponsorship of the show.

Five Stars, another Millionaire-style show, also told fans that the show would not be broadcast this week, but offered no further explanation.