Muslim women from six countries defy western beauty ideals, emphasize spirituality
Al-Jazeera - September 18, 2013
Muslim women from six countries wore headscarves and elaborately
embroidered dresses as they took to the stage Wednesday for the finale
of an Islamic beauty pageant in Jakarta, Indonesia, a riposte to the
Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.
Twenty contestants showed off the latest Islamic fashion trends in
the Muslimah World pageant and will also take part in other activities,
such as reciting the Koran.
"We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," said
Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, a 21-year-old contestant from Nigeria told
Agence France Presse. "We are free and the hijab is our pride." On
Wednesday, Ajibola was crowned the winner of the pageant.
Organizers of the event said they wanted to show Muslim women there
is an alternative to the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run
Miss World pageant. They also stress that opposition to the pageant can
be expressed non-violently.
Organizer Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after
losing her job as TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf,
bills the contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World."
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