2024-05-09 00:26:40
Until a few years ago it was unthinkable but for the first time Saudi Arabia, an ultra-conservative Muslim country, could have a representative in the Miss Universe 2024 beauty pageant.
Miss Universe “is carrying out a rigorous selection process for a possible candidate in Saudi Arabia,” María José Unda, international relations coordinator for the pageant organization, told AFP.
A decision is expected “very soon” and it is “possible” that the Gulf monarchy will have a representative in the next edition scheduled for September in Mexico, he added.
Rumy Al Qahtani, a model from Riyadh, announced in March amid controversy that she had been selected as a candidate for Miss Universe, which the organization denies.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in this international beauty contest, if confirmed, would be part of the country’s desire to soften its image to attract tourists and investors.
Cradle of Wahhabism, a puritan interpretation of Islam, Saudi Arabia launched a few years ago, through the young crown prince Mohamed bin Salman, social reforms that ease the restrictions imposed on women and open its economy to entertainment.
The world’s largest oil exporter has long been associated with the repression of women due to strict rules imposed on them, such as a ban on driving and the obligation to wear an abaya and veil.
These restrictions were lifted a few years ago but the personal status law, which came into force in 2022, still contains discriminatory provisions against women.
– Negative comments –
At the end of March, Rumy, 27, announced to her hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram that she was “honored” to have been chosen to represent the country in the contest.
The publication was accompanied by a photo of her in a tight, low-cut dress, holding the green Saudi flag, the color of Islam.
Less than a week later, Miss Universe published a statement in which she described the message as “false and misleading” and stated that no selection process had yet been carried out in the country.
At home in Riyadh, where he lives with his mother and sister, Rumy maintains that he was approached by the contest organizers. «The committee contacted me to represent Saudi Arabia. “We are still negotiating and I hope this leads to a happy ending,” she said in an interview with AFP.
But according to the person in charge of Miss Universe, the procedure foresees that the national representative organizes a contest in Saudi Arabia to choose the candidate who will travel to Mexico.
“We do not know why [Qahtani] announced her candidacy, but if she wants to participate in the contest in Saudi Arabia, she will have to go through the same selection process as everyone else,” Unda highlighted.
The model indicated having participated in several beauty pageants in the Middle East and Europe. She also claimed to have had to answer unusual questions about Saudi Arabia, such as whether she had barrels of oil at home.
In her country, the young model said she faced criticism, especially after the publication of her photo next to the Saudi flag.
“There have been negative comments,” he said, but “many athletes take photos with the flag in the same way,” he said.
“In beauty pageants each girl wears the flag of her country, I didn’t mean to offend at all,” he added.