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Miss Iraq beauty pageant marred by death threats
Source: Reuters
Miss Iraq beauty pageant marred by death threats
Reuters in Baghdad
Monday 28 September 2015 14.48 BST
The first internationally recognised Miss Iraq beauty contest in more than 40 years was supposed to present a gentler, softer side to a country whose name has become synonymous with violence and bloodshed.
Instead, organisers are facing a backlash from religious hardliners and conservative tribal leaders who say such pageants are un-Islamic and threaten public morality.
At least two women have pulled out of the contest after receiving death threats. Organisers have dropped the swimsuit section of the competition and postponed the televised finale in an attempt to deflect some of the criticism.
However, the organisers and most contestants, backed by many members of the public, remain determined to press ahead with an event they see as a step towards normality in a society still deeply divided 12 years after the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
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Reuters in Baghdad
Monday 28 September 2015 14.48 BST
The first internationally recognised Miss Iraq beauty contest in more than 40 years was supposed to present a gentler, softer side to a country whose name has become synonymous with violence and bloodshed.
Instead, organisers are facing a backlash from religious hardliners and conservative tribal leaders who say such pageants are un-Islamic and threaten public morality.
At least two women have pulled out of the contest after receiving death threats. Organisers have dropped the swimsuit section of the competition and postponed the televised finale in an attempt to deflect some of the criticism.
However, the organisers and most contestants, backed by many members of the public, remain determined to press ahead with an event they see as a step towards normality in a society still deeply divided 12 years after the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/miss-iraq-beauty-pageant-marred-by-death-threats
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