Islam and a swimsuited Miss Indonesia<\/p>\n
Michael Mathes, Agence France-Presse\/Phuket, Thailand<\/p>\n
Indonesia has not sent a contestant to the Miss Universe pageant
\nin almost a decade, since its last competitor dared to show up at
\nthe swimwear event, incurring a ban from then dictator Soeharto.<\/p>\n
But Artika Sari Devi, a 25-year-old law graduate and this
\nyear's Indonesian ambassador, says that despite vocal opposition
\nfrom religious groups back home, she believes the world's largest
\nMuslim nation is ready to compete once again.<\/p>\n
When she slipped into a swimsuit on a Phuket beach with other
\ncontestants last week, Artika knew was stepping into uncharted
\nterritory.<\/p>\n
The demure beauty-queen was happy to hug the sidelines of a
\nrisque seaside dance number featuring all 80 other contestants
\nbeing filmed for the pageant's final broadcast, all too aware
\nthat critics had her in their sights.<\/p>\n
Clad in a one-piece swimsuit, far more modest than the skimpy
\nbikinis worn by the other contestants, Artika was upbeat about
\nher participation -- including Thursday's jaunt on the beach.
\nA masters student and a practicing Muslim, she believes things
\nhave changed since the 1996 ban.<\/p>\n
\"I'm so lucky. This is the right time for a young lady from
\nIndonesia to join in this great competition,\" she told AFP in an
\ninterview on Thailand's largest tourist island.<\/p>\n
When she parades in front of the judges and an estimated 800
\nmillion television viewers on May 31, she knows she will be
\nrunning the gauntlet of Muslim critics and fierce
\ntraditionalists, who say the event goes against both Indonesian
\nculture and Islam.<\/p>\n
\"The big problem is still the swimsuit competition,\" she
\npointed out as she wrapped a towel around her waist. \"But today
\nin Indonesia, we can see many people wearing swimsuits at the
\nbeach.\"<\/p>\n
When asked if she felt the political winds had shifted to
\nallow her to compete, she was guarded.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, but I don't want to talk about the opinion of my
\ngovernment, because it's sensitive,\" she said. \"I just appreciate
\nthat I'm a citizen who is part of a young generation.\"<\/p>\n
Not everyone back home is behind her. On Friday some 70
\nprotesters from the radical group Front for the Defenders of
\nIslam staged a noisy but peaceful protest outside the Jakarta
\noffice of the Miss Indonesia Foundation.<\/p>\n
Soleh Munawir Nasution, the group's leader, said Indonesia's
\ninvolvement in the pageant would \"invoke God's wrath and bring
\nnew disasters\" to the country.<\/p>\n
\"The foundation has degraded the dignity of Indonesian women,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Pictures of Artika in her swimsuit were on the front page of
\nIndonesian newspapers on Friday, drawing criticism from
\nconservative Muslims.<\/p>\n
\"We reject her participation because such an event is not
\ncompatible with our culture, not to mention religious values,\"
\nsaid Syamamah Suratno, head of the women's wing of Muhammadiyah,
\nIndonesia's second-largest Islamic group.<\/p>\n
\"We should not be judged by our physical appearance. If we
\nwant to take part in a competition it should be about brains,
\nintelligence and skills,\" said the French-educated activist.<\/p>\n
While critics have focused on Artika, she is not the only
\ncontestant from a Muslim nation, with Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and
\nMalaysia also among those competing and to have entered the
\nswimwear contest in past years.<\/p>\n
But Islam and beauty pageants have a history of conflict. In
\n2002, the Miss World competition was moved from Nigeria to
\nBritain after riots sparked by an article on the competition left
\nmore than 200 people dead.<\/p>\n
Tom Kruesopon, chief organizer of Miss Universe in Thailand,
\nacknowledged the sensitivities of Artika's presence but said the
\npageant was thrilled to have her competing.<\/p>\n
\"Understanding the religious aspects of Indonesia and knowing
\nhow difficult the decision of sending her may have been, I'm
\ncertain it was the right thing to do,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I was a bit skeptical of her participation, knowing there
\ncould be a tremendous outcry back home ... but her taking part
\nputs the pageant in the right light.\"<\/p>\n
mlm\/pjl\/jah
\nAFPLifestyle-Thailand-Indonesia-Universe-beauty-Islam
\nAFP<\/p>\n
GetAFP 2.10 -- MAY 25, 2005 09:43:54<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/islam-and-a-swimsuited-miss-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }