All the swimsuits and suicide belts might have been interesting to see, but it ain't happening. There is, after all, no fun in Islam (the Ayatollah Khomeini said that).
Sharia Alert: "Mideast: West Bank; Miss Palestine Pageant Cancelled," from ANSAmed, December 21 (thanks to C. Cantoni):
(ANSAmed) - RAMALLAH, DECEMBER 21 - The 2009 Miss Palestine pageant, scheduled to take place on December 26 under the aegis of the local administration of Ramallah, on the West Bank, has been postponed indefinitely, the MAAN press agency reports today. Muslim groups had called the competition an "offence to traditional values" and to women's decency. The decision was announced by the governor of the city upon orders of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which opted for an indefinite delay - in practice a cancellation - to avoid disputes and protests. The Ramallah governorate, in a statement quoted by MAAN, announced that "according to the requirements of the public interest, we decided to freeze and delay indefinitely the coronation of Miss Palestine 2009 that was scheduled to be held on December 26 in Ramallah". The statement said the decision was made out of respect for the anniversary of the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza - Operation 'Cast Lead' - which will be marked on Sunday, December 27. The operation ended on January 18 with a death toll of around 1,400 Palestinians. This anniversary was apparently no problem when scheduling the event, and it is probably not the real cause for its cancellation. MAAN underlined the heavy criticism that has rained down on the PNA - and its officials of the ministry of culture who were to help judge the contest - from the side of the Muslim clergy and Muslim politicians. (ANSAmed).
"Muslim groups had called the competition an "offence to traditional values" and to women's decency. "
Everything normal offends Muslims.....
Hmmm . . . Where are all the American women's rights groups that should be fighting for women's rights? Always silent on such issues aren't they?
I am surprised this event was even scheduled in the first place.
I am not surprised it was cancelled though.
It is hard to imagine a Muslim cleric as a beauty contest judge...........
"Haram! Haram! That one is showing too much eyebrow!"
This article is particularly interesting being next to the subsequent article about the pageant sale of women for marriage by their fathers and brothers. This article on the cancellation of Palestinian beauty pageant does not mention whether despite the cancellation of the beauty pageant the regular sale or girls at the square will nonetheless go on as scheduled.
Perhaps they could change the rules to make the contest more appealing and acceptable to moslems. At the end of the competition why not auction them all off as wives? The one that sells for the highest price is the winner. Good for the economy too.
http://www.youtube.com/user/LipstickOYC#p/u/10/0eaRM4OIyU4
Why not make "Palestine" a brand name?
Considering the success of the kaffiyeh, it is a waste not to develop this into a line of shoes, or designer jeans.
There is already a Hizbollah cologne, why not a "Palestinian" scent?
There are as many as 10 different kinds of rye bread, but not one Palestinian rye.
Additional funds should be sent for the development of a Palestinian Philharmonic Orchestra.
It is not to soon to be talking about "Palestine - the Musical".
Palestinian childern's vitamins, amusement parks, casinos, and Gran Prix racing also come to mind.
It's not as if we were talking about something sacred here.
We are talking about, raising money, getting the message out, and paying off the right people which is something that did not appear to happen in this case.
What a farce.