Nigerian wins World Muslim beauty pageant


JAKARTA (AFP) – A Nigerian woman tearfully
prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a
beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.

The newly crowned the Muslimah World 2013 Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola (C) of Nigeria speaks to audience during the Muslimah World competition in Jakarta on September 18, 2013. The finale of a
beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women
was set to take place in the Indonesian capital
on September 18, in a riposte to the Miss World
contest in Bali that has drawn fierce opposition
from Islamic radicals. AFP PHOTO

But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.

After a show in front of an audience of mainly
religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of
judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria
as the winner.
While the event in a Jakarta shopping mall paled in
comparison to Miss World on the resort island of
Bali, in which scores of contestants are competing,
Ajibola was nevertheless overwhelmed.
Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down
and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic
verse.

She said it was “thanks to almighty Allah” that she
had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah
($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes.
Ajibola told AFP before the final that the event “was not really about competition”.

“We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is
beautiful,” she said.

Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of
beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World
pageant, and also showed that opposition to the
event could be expressed non-violently.
Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years
ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for
refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest
as “Islam’s answer to Miss World”.
“This year we deliberately held our event just before
the Miss World final to show that there are
alternative role models for Muslim women,” she told AFP.

“But it’s about more than Miss World. Muslim
women are increasingly working in the
entertainment industry in a sexually explicit way,
and they become role models, which is a concern.”
Hosted by Dewi Sandra, an Indonesian actress and
pop star who recently hung up her racy dresses for a headscarf, the pageant featured both Muslim and
pop music performances, including one about
modesty, a trait the judges sought in the winner.
The pageant, which also featured bright Indonesian
Islamic designer wear, is a starkly different way of
protesting Miss World than the approach taken by
Islamic radicals.
Snowballing protest movement
Thousands have taken to the streets in Indonesia in
recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as “pornography” and burning effigies of the organisers.Despite a pledge by Miss World organisers to drop the famous bikini round, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed.
The government eventually bowed to pressure and
ordered the whole pageant be moved to the Hindu-
majority island of Bali, where it opened on
September 8.
Later rounds and the September 28 final were to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is
considerable hardline influence.
But there are still fears that extremists may target
the event — the US, British and Australian
embassies in Jakarta have warned their nationals in
recent days of the potential for radical attacks.
More than 500 contestants competed in online
rounds to get to the Muslimah World final in
Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders
comparing stories of how they came to wear the
headscarf.
The contest was first held in 2011 under a different
name and was only open to Indonesians, Shanti said, but after the media began comparing it to Miss World, it was rebranded as a Muslim alternative to the world-famous pageant.
Because of its popularity, organisers accepted
foreign contestants this year for the first time, with
Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Nigeria and
Indonesia represented.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/nigerian-wins-world-muslim-beauty-pageant/

Good news

Positive news coming from naija.



MOD...front page things

How does the pageant look like ? I can give them the benefit of dressing modestly but apparently I won't expect hijab-wearing models. Kudos to the Nigerian lady for representing us well.

No pishure?

Her picture is elsewhere on the forum.

Topic

I cant comment until i know people's opinion.

The Picture

Jamey Maxwell: The Picture

below is the picture of nigerian representative and the runner up!

aren't they pretty?

tpia@:
Topic

I cant comment until i know people's opinion.

but you just commented?

Sunny_bobo: No pishure?

She emerged the winner.

May Allah forgive these ignoramus from their effort of wanting to immitate the kuffars. They are only fulfilling the hadith of the prophet, at the end of time muslims will copy the people of the books even when they enter a hole some ignoramus like this will do the same acts. May allah forgive them and show them the true teaching of islam away from this show of shame. Lastly glad tiding to the strangers.

all i cn say is lol....

Tolexander: below is the picture of nigerian representative and the runner up!

aren't they pretty?

I parole the Left one, yhu toast the Right one. Don't dull

berem: She emerged the winner.

She looks like a middle aged woman

berem: She emerged the winner.

WTF?

Tolexander: below is the picture of nigerian representative and the runner up!

aren't they pretty?

this one na ojuju?

payless: WTF?

Why? it's a Muslim thing so you shouldn't expect chicks with hot bikinis. she's cute though!

Jamey Maxwell:
She looks like a middle aged woman

that's what you think! she's beautiful!

Tolexander: below is the picture of nigerian representative and the runner up!

aren't they pretty?

dies

berem: She emerged the winner.

no pants, no laps.. are you f""cking kidding me!

Is married? I wished she was 14yrs old, Yerima_ _ _. Complete the sentence

Is married? I wished she was 14yrs old, Yerima_ _ _. Complete the sentence. Meanwhile Yoruba lady, your parents and progressive Nigerians are proud of u

iterator25: no pants, no laps.. are you f""cking kidding me!

where you expecting to see that? sorry o!

Jamey Maxwell:
I parole the Left one, yhu toast the Right one. Don't dull

i no be like the man wey dey picture below. You fit parole both, i leave am for you.

Tolexander: i no be like the man wey dey picture below. You fit parole both, i leave am for you.

Yhu kon dey lie 4 me say dem fine.

maxwello.yg:
but you just commented?

No, i havent yet.

1radioguru1: May Allah forgive these ignoramus from their effort of wanting to immitate the kuffars. They are only fulfilling the hadith of the prophet, at the end of time muslims will copy the people of the books even when they enter a hole some ignoramus like this will do the same acts. May allah forgive them and show them the true teaching of islam away from this show of shame. Lastly glad tiding to the strangers.

No vex

Jamey Maxwell:
Yhu kon dey lie 4 me say dem fine.

bro, dem fine o. Don't you see them?