The third year of the Miss Earth beauty pageant ended last month in Manila.
A beautiful and striking young woman from Honduras, Dania Prince, triumphed
over fifty-six other
equally beautiful contestants each of whom articulated her vision of making the
world a better place to live. When Miss Earth started in 2001, there was not much
fanfare; several critics even panned the pageant claiming that it is a novelty and
that it would end in a few years time. Though it is hard to predict the longevity
of a pageant, it is easier to evaluate its purpose - to raise awareness of environmental
problems and to seek ways to resolve them - all this by assembling beautiful women
from all the over the world in glitz, glamour and yes, bikini.
During its second year, the Miss Earth pageant has gained enough popularity to
receive more participants, yet it still lacked the popularity associated with its
rivals Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. However, this year, the
pageant caught global attention when a young woman, Vida Samadzai, a former
refugee and now a California resident, represented Afghanistan and wore a red
bikini as a symbol of the newly liberated Afghan women. Samadzai did not win,
but pageant officials presented her with a special award called "Beauty for a
Cause" for "symbolizing the newfound confidence, courage and spirit of today's
women" and "representing the victory of women's rights and various social,
personal and religious struggles." Samadzai received the award in tears and
was warmly congratulated by her peers. Miss Earth officials claimed that the
award was not created especially for Samadzai, though it is not clear if it will
be presented again in future pageants.
Samadzai's participation in Miss Earth generated protests from conservative Muslims
in her country. Fazel Ahmad Manawi, deputy head of Afghanistan's Supreme Court,
told the Associated Press that Samadzai betrayed Afghan culture by wearing a bikini
and that she might face criminal charges should she return to Afghanistan. Habiba
Surabi, the Afghan minister for women's affairs, has condemned Samadzai for her
"lasciviousness" and declared that the beauty queen does not represent the Afghan
woman. To some westernized non-Muslims, such attitude may seem absurd; a bikini
is nothing more than a female garment designed to cover certain parts while the
rest of the body is exposed to the elements. It just so happens that some women
wish to wear a bikini on the beach and feel the rays of the sun. On the other
hand, some conservative Muslim women also go to the beach and bathe totally clothed
- a practice that may seem impractical and ridiculous to many people. What
is the point of enjoying the warmth of the sun and the pleasure of the sea if
you do not even take off your outer garments? What is even more ludicrous about
Surabi's comments is that Afghan women were allowed for many years to wear
Western clothing - shirts, blouses and even short skirts - before the Taliban
came into power. Surabi should actually be condemning the Taliban for re-imposing
the burqa instead of criticizing Samadzai.
Certainly it is not the first time that a Muslim contestant was condemned for
joining a beauty pageant or that beauty pageants are always welcome. Last year,
Neelam Norani, a young woman from Pakistan, was barred by the Pakistani government
to represent her country in the 2002 Miss International pageant in Tokyo. Noorani's
story made the front page of The News, a Pakistani daily. Noorani had already
arrived in Tokyo and begun her participation in the pageant when the Pakistani
government ordered her to remove the "Miss Pakistan" sash and to return home.
The Pakistani secretary for culture, sports and tourism, Tariq Januja, claimed
that Noorani's "shameful" participation is a total "contrast" to Pakistan's
Islamic-based cultural and religious values. (1)
Natasha Newcombe,
Miss Pakistan 2003, was supposed to represent her country in this year's Miss
International and Miss Earth pageants, but for unknown reasons, she failed to
participate in either one. It is important to note that not all Islamic societies
condemn pageants. Moderate Islamic countries such as Turkey and Malaysia have been
sending representatives to beauty contests for many years. One of the requirements
to participate in the national pageant is to parade in a swimsuit; this raises the
question. "Why are the Muslims in Nigeria and Pakistan so bothered by the sight of
a woman in a swimsuit, yet not the Muslims in Turkey or Malaysia?" This proves
that not all Muslims think alike and that many Muslims do not follow everything
in the Qur'an.
(1) http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2002-09/28/article09.shtml
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THE ISLAMIC DRESS CODE
DECEMBER 2003
