Saudis' "Miss Beautiful Morals" Pageant

No Swimsuit Competition At Saudi Arabia's Only Beauty Contest

(AP)  Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she's a little on the plump side.

But at Saudi Arabia's only beauty pageant, the judges don't care about a perfect figure or face. What they're looking for in the quest for "Miss Beautiful Morals" is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents.

"The idea of the pageant is to measure the contestants' commitment to Islamic morals... It's an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman's body and looks," said pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak.

"The winner won't necessarily be pretty," she added. "We care about the beauty of the soul and the morals."

So after the pageant opens Saturday, the nearly 200 contestants will spend the next 10 weeks attending classes and being quizzed on themes including "Discovering your inner strength," "The making of leaders" and "Mom, paradise is at your feet" - a saying attributed to Islam's Prophet Muhammad to underline that respect for parents is among the faith's most important tenets.

Pageant hopefuls will also spend a day at a country house with their mothers, where they will be observed by female judges and graded on how they interact with their mothers, al-Mubarak said. Since the pageant is not televised and no men are involved, contestants can take off the veils and black figure-hiding abayas they always wear in public.

The Miss Beautiful Morals pageant is the latest example of conservative Muslims co-opting Western-style formats to spread their message in the face of the onslaught of foreign influences flooding the region through the Internet and satellite television.

A newly created Islamic music channel owned by an Egyptian businessman aired an "American Idol"-style contest for religious-themed singers this month. And several Muslim preachers have become talk-show celebrities by adopting an informal, almost Oprah-like television style, in contrast to the solemn clerics who traditionally appear in the media.

Now in its second year, the number of pageant contestants has nearly tripled from the 75 women who participated in 2008. The pageant is open to women between 15 and 25. The winner and two runners up will be announced in July, with the queen taking home $2,600 and other prizes. The runners up get $1,300 each.

Last year's winner, Zahra al-Shurafa, said the contest gives an incentive to young women and teens to show more consideration toward their parents.

"I tell this year's contestants that winning is not important," said al-Shurafa, a 21-year-old English major. "What is important is obeying your parents."

There are few beauty pageants in the largely conservative Arab world. The most dazzling is in Lebanon, the region's most liberal country, where contestants appear on TV in one-piece swimsuits and glamorous evening gowns and answer questions that test their confidence and general knowledge.

There are no such displays in ultra-strict Saudi Arabia, where until Miss Beautiful Morals was inaugurated last year, the only pageants were for goats, sheep, camels and other animals, aimed at encouraging livestock breeding.

This year's event kicks off Saturday in the mainly Shiite Muslim town of Safwa, and mostly draws local Shiite contestants. But it's open to anyone - and this year, 15 Sunni Muslims are participating, al-Mubarak said. "This is a beautiful thing," she added.

There have long been tensions between the two sects in the kingdom. Hard-liners in the Sunni majority consider Shiites infidels, and the Shiites often complain of discrimination and greater levels of poverty.

Al-Zayer, a 24-year-old international management student, said she signed up because she is the "spitting image" of her mother. "I'm proud of my devotion to my parents," she said.

What does she think of Lebanon's beauty contests?

"It's a matter of cultural differences," she said. "In Saudi Arabia, they are Islamically unacceptable."

Awsaf al-Mislim, another contestant, said if she does not win the crown, she will have won something more important.

"I will be proud to show everyone that I competed with the others over my devotion to my parents," the 24-year-old said.

[presjfk]

Saudi Arabia blows!

[KidJoey]

What a joke. These people are so backwards
Do all the ones who did not win get stoned to death by the elders?
Or maybe raped then put in jail for getting raped? These idiots are
barbarians.

[keithle1]

Who would win "Miss Beautiful Morals" if we had it in the USA?

[rrozsa]

"Miss Beautiful Morals" -- code word for "b u t t ugly"....

[Theysee]

It is refreshing to have a new Inner Beauty Contest that do not parade women in bikinis it is just about time but I would like to suggest a new tittle" BRIDE OF GOD " since they want high morals and character traits that befit the high Standards of Morality.I'ts good for soceity as whole.

[Regats]

But - will they pay for breast implants?

[JoetheDumbass]

Rednecks, don't forget we go to war for OPEC AKA The Saudi Royal family. They are our allies in the war of terror.

[briannorwood]

I wonder if any of them have had burka enhancement.

[U-R-So-Wrong]

Similar to having an Employee-of-the-Month at a convent.

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by rosesnpearls at 9:35 AM

Oh, so you belittle those who belittle.

I think you deserve a severe beating from the
Saudi enforcement patrol.

If you're a woman, prepare to give it up and
smoke a camel.

[rosesnpearls]

I believe the article stated that the purpose is to encourage their young people to be more respectful of their parents and that they are using a version of a western custom to get the attention of modern young people. Why are we mocking anyone who is trying to promote respect for parents in their young people? Oh, I know, because we no longer expect anyone her to be respectful of others and certainly cannot be expected to refrain from belittling others.

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by GreatWilliam at 9:29 AM

For the final test the contestants will each be strapped with dynamite,
sent out in the streets and be timed on how quickly they can find infidels
and blow themselves and the infidels up.

All judgements will be final.

[rushlimpdrug]

Fake Islamic morals.

They own half the prostitutes in America and around the world
and they stone young girls to death.

Yeah, this is one great culture.

So, who is that woman behind that mask?

I don't know, but she left a silver tampon.

[Solarrays247]

This is clearly a weak and feeble attempt to try to appease the world's criticism. It's to let us know why they are better than we are... because they have 'inner' beauty. I guess we don't.

You have to honor your mother and father or you will be killed. Take that burka off in public and you will be shot or beaten in public or a male member of your family has a right to kill you. And, if you disagree... you will be killed. That's their law.

What hypocritical male dominated society would blame the women for their own evil thoughts. I guess (and their whole religion is base on the thought) that you can't "desire" them if you can't see them. Women are treated as property to be bought and sold. They are not thought of a real human beings by their captors, only sacks of property. Making them wear sacks keeps them from being thought of as real human beings.

At least in other countries, the men are more subtle about their control. We're free to wander about in society as uncovered as we want and can do pretty much whatever we want. They just keep us in low paying jobs and don't pay us as much for doing the same jobs as men. The only thing we have over our heads that we don't like is a glass ceiling.

I guess that's not so bad by comparison... haven't gotten shot for that lately.
Posted by slantedview at 8:06 AM : May 7, 2009

Great post, thank you!

[taxchurches]

It will take some time, but the conservative Muslim is on the way out, unless they manage to cut off all contact with the outside world. Isolationism promotes tyranny (which is one of the many things that is wrong with those who support the idea in America). Freedom is insidious; once people get a hint of it, despite the best efforts of conservatives (again, this is true in America as well; after all that is what conservatism is all about -- preventing change and maintaining the status quo, and even rolling back the clock if possible), they want it for themselves.

[endurorob]

Saudi's religion is younger than the united states,
Posted by netjunkie1 at 8:31 AM : May 7, 2009

The United States as a nation is a little over 200 years old. Islam is about 1400 years old. How does that make it younger than the U.S.?

[pw08-2009]

What hypocrisy,

Saudis with morals....LMAO

[czhnder]

What's wrong with this world?! Miss Beautiful Morals?? Simply amazing....

[drputt45]

No swim suit equals no attendance. What a bust (I mean what a no bust).

[sly_64]

What a complete joke this is.