Egypt's senior religious body has demanded a new belly-dancing TV show be suspended for "corrupting morals" and serving "extremists" who could use it as a pretext to depict Egyptian society as anti-Islamic.

A statement by Dar al-Ifta, the top body that advises Muslims on religious and life issues, said that the Dancer show "serves extremists who take such matters as a justification to promote the idea that society is fighting religion".

The show was aired only once on the Cairo and People satellite television network. A famous belly dancer known as Dina was among a three-member panel to choose the most-talented dancers, many of whom were not Egyptians.