Baghdad hosts first public beauty pageant
A country club in Baghdad has staged the Iraqi capital's first public beauty contest since the downfall of Saddam Hussein.
As Noor Samir sashayed on stage a round of applause rippled out among the 500-strong audience. Her outfit of knee-length skirt and knee-high boots, topped off with a long sleeve shirt was modest for a beauty contest, there was certainly no bikinis on display.
But the very fact one was being held in Baghdad at all was cause for celebration.
"It is a good thing we are doing this," Ms Samir, a 24-year-old IT worker, told The Sunday Telegraph with a smile. "It is my first time."
A year ago when sectarian violence in the Iraqi capital was at its peak, and girls were killed in the street for simply having their head uncovered, the openness of this contest would be unimaginable.
Although Iraq has a long history of beauty pageants, just one has been held, two years ago, since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. Its location was shrouded in secrecy and the media banned from the event for fear of putting the lives of contestants at risk.
The first public contest, held at Baghdad's Hunting Club, an exclusive private-members' establishment with two swimming pools, tennis courts, sauna and bar, complete with imported spirits and beer, drew guests from Baghdad's elite. Many of those gathered, such as Samara Mohammed, 23, a secretary and contestant who had fled the country to live in Germany, only returned in May this year.
"The security has improved and we hope it will get more and more. It's a nice thing that I am here. All my friends and family are supporting me," she said.
The five judges, who would vote for Miss Hunting Club, included a cigar smoking Tony Soprano-type and a chain-smoking female MP. They quizzed the contestants on their education and employment. In a scene unthinkable just a year ago, Shamss Tallal, an elfin 18-year-old, drew whistles of approval from the audience during the question and answer stage.
"She is very beautiful," said 20-year-old Salwan, his friend Hussain, also 20, red-faced with excitement. He clutched his chest and mimed his heart beating faster, as he looked at her longingly.
"I don't know her, but she is the most popular," a third friend, Ahmad, 19, said.
Miss Talla later won the contest, with a straw poll of audience members revealing she was also the people's choice.
"It's a good occasion for Iraq and the Iraqi people who have passed through some difficult times," said Mahar Kadiom, 32, an employee at the club.
Also in the audience for the event was Kassim Al-Sultan, one of Iraq's most famous singers and a favourite of Saddam. He only returned to the country from exile last week and will play is first concert in the country since 2003 in December.
"Iraq is like a person who has undergone surgery and is now recovering," he said.
I would welcome anyone to explain this, yourself included. If there is a logical and concise relation I would be more than pleased to have you point it out to me.
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
...figuring it out till you get it ...and experience the "relief".
didnt mean to be rude at any point.
cheers!
One, I get the message, just not the complete connection. Any circumstance can connect 2 things but I am completely baffled as to why you would bring up bombings in others countries to solidify your point. Reading between the lines seems to be the cause of much conflict in these forums, take the post for what it is.
I have seen the movie you are talking about, it didnt have much to do with world peace, just an ugly duckling turned swan undercover cop in a beauty pagent trying to catch a murderer?
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
...if im still to answer your comment coz i dont where to begin and im lazy enough to encode loads of words, because obviously you are not gettin the gist.
advice:
1. try to be LEVEL HEADED. (let not your age nor your race define your intellectual capacity)
2. READ BETWEEN the LINES. (people dont need to encode a novel to state their point)
3. watch SANDRA BULLOCK'S famous movie and you'll know the link between WORLD PEACE and BEAUTY PAGEANT. ( humor... instant connection... just see the movie.. google why the phrase has become popular since... or better... talk to people who are not from this side of the world)
4. disgregard this message is you still dont get it.
cheers!
Hmm, because I said that perhaps this may not be the best way to tell the world you are progressing I may automatically be supportive of the attacks in India, London and Bali? Where is the connection One? The beauty pagent has nothing to do with world peace.
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
...comes in different package(s).
for things like this, some, without any second thought, can already something negative about it...
...i wonder how harsh you can be when you posts your comments about bombings/attacks in Mumbai, Bali or London?
or you also see these things in a different perspective...
...rock on Iraq and I'll see you soon.
My apologies..
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
You didn't read the posting did you ?
"Her outfit of knee-length skirt and knee-high boots, topped off with a long sleeve shirt "
...and, I mean, how are they gonna select who's sexier or intelligent or beautiful if they're all covered with black?
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
why?? you dont consider urself a "beauty" ? ;P
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Emad =>
Beauty Contests are certainly not my thing, but more power to these girls. :)
I fully agree with britexpad, i do think this is a way of showing that life in Bagdad is getting normalized and a big victory to the Iraqui community.
Lets hope other matters will be improving, just like Amoud and Dawud stated, there are other important matters that should be solved but this is a litle step on the way to make Iraq to be establized.
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
I too wonderd about that. I think that they are basically saying that this went on before the war, then was stopped because of problems with "fanatics" and now that peace is returning, it has started again.
So the progress is from the side of community settling back to its old ways of living, enjoying etc.
i dont think its 100% safe to start such contests.. i hope no one gets hurt..
i totally agree with Amoud + Dawud_UK .
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Emad =>
in islam men and women are encouraged to be modest, to keep ourselves for our wives and husbands alone and not to make a specticle of ourselves like this.
saying that, there is no way you can justify attacks against such events or activities, give them naseehah (good advice) against the problems such things cause in society, dont do something stupid like bomb it like some would.
Abu Abdillah
Hmm, I dont know if this is what you can call progress. I am sure there are more productive ways to get things going in Baghdad than a beauty contest. Although it may be a little lighthearted fun after a rough go of things I dont really see this as being a good prescription to a war torn population which has just come out from under dictatorship and occupation.
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
Hard-line Muslim extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians move their trade underground.
Sunni and Shiite militants began blowing up salons roughly two years ago. They killed several stylists and bullied others into putting down their scissors and makeup brushes for good, all in an effort to stamp out what they view as the corrupting spread of Western culture.
This was the case sometime back!