Sharia Alert from ABCNews, with thanks to Rogier Van Bakel:
(4/10/06 – BAGHDAD, Iraq) – Iraq’s newly crowned beauty queen, Tamar Goregian, has decided to step down — just four days after her election, making this the shortest reign in the pageant’s 60-year history.
On April 9, the 23-year-old, who was the first Armenian Iraqi to win the Miss Iraq pageant, announced her resignation after receiving threats by a group of religious extremists who referred to her as “the queen of infidels” for participating in the contest.
The pageant director said: “I respect her decision. The country is undergoing rough times, and we understand her desire to protect herself and her family.”…
During her acceptance speech, Goregian told the crowd, “Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace after all.” The Iraqis who disagree have forced her to give up her crown and flee her country.