Swimsuit poses problem for Miss Universe hopeful<\/p>\n
Michael Casey, Associated Press\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Artika Sari Devi looks the part of a beauty queen with her
\nmillion-dollar smile and hourglass figure. And she dreams of one
\nday becoming Indonesia's first Miss Universe.<\/p>\n
There is only one thing holding her back - a swimsuit.<\/p>\n
Like most international beauty competitions, Miss Universe
\nparticipants must appear in a swimsuit - either a one-piece model
\nor a bikini. But the 24-year-old Miss Indonesia is facing
\ncondemnation from religious leaders and government officials in
\nthe world's most populous Muslim nation, who say women in
\nswimsuits are offensive and violate religious tenets requiring
\nthem to dress modestly.<\/p>\n
\"Every country can join the competition so why not Indonesia?\"
\nasks Artika, who last month won Miss Indonesia, an event that
\ndoes not require contestants to parade in swimwear. \"I don't see
\na problem with the swimsuit. It's only to show my
\nproportions. ... So many Muslims wear swimsuits. I wear one
\nswimming.\"<\/p>\n
Battles over bathing suits would seem out of place in
\nIndonesia, where newsstands are filled with magazines featuring
\nscantily clad models and miniskirts. Prostitution rings operate
\nopenly in all major cities.<\/p>\n
But Islamic conservatives -- some of whom want to replace
\nIndonesia's secular system with one bound by Islamic law -- have
\nbeen emboldened since the fall in 1998 of ex-dictator Suharto.<\/p>\n
Under pressure from fundamentalists, the male-dominated
\nparliament is debating a law that would make kissing in public
\nand erotic dancing punishable by jail time. Legislation that
\nwould stiffen penalties for domestic violence and allow abortion
\nin certain cases have bogged down amid opposition from
\nconservatives.<\/p>\n
Last month, film censors banned Buruan Cium Gue (Kiss Me
\nQuick), a teenage romantic comedy, after protests by a popular
\nMuslim cleric who said the title could encourage promiscuity.<\/p>\n
Beauty contests, too, have long been a favorite target for
\nIslamic conservatives in Indonesia and other parts of the world.
\nIn 2002, the Miss World pageant was moved out of Nigeria after it
\nsparked riots that killed 200 people, and in 1998 the Miss
\nBangladesh beauty contest was canceled follow days of violent
\nprotests by Islamic groups.<\/p>\n
During his 32-year reign, Suharto banned women from
\nparticipating in the contests because he felt they were not
\ncompatible with \"Indonesia's culture.\"<\/p>\n
Alaya Rohali, now a popular television presenter, defied the
\nban in 1996 and competed in a Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas
\n-- only to return home to threats and media attacks.<\/p>\n
\"Beauty contests manipulate the rights of women for the sake
\nof commercial interests and that is not good for Islam,\" said
\nIrfan Awwas, a spokesman for the Islamic group Majelis Mujahidin,
\nwhich has vowed to launch protests if Indonesia sends anyone to
\nMiss Universe.<\/p>\n
Miss Indonesia organizers, led by 76-year-old cosmetics
\nexecutive Mooryati Soedibyo, have sought to win over a skeptical
\npublic in recent months, hoping to ensure Artika will be able to
\ntake part in next summer's Miss Universe pageant in Thailand.<\/p>\n
They brought Miss Egypt to Indonesia in July to demonstrate
\nthat other Muslim countries take part, including neighboring
\nMalaysia. They also arranged a meeting between Miss Universe 2004
\nJennifer Hawkins and President Megawati Sukarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Officials from Miss Universe, too, have tried to find a
\ncompromise -- proposing last year that an Indonesian participant
\nwear a one-piece like a few other contestants do. But Indonesian
\norganizers told them that the country \"was not ready.\"<\/p>\n
\"Every year, we give the women a choice of what swimsuit they
\nwant to wear,\" said Mary Hilliard McMillan, a spokeswoman for
\nMiss Universe in New York.<\/p>\n
\"But they have to wear a swimsuit,\" she said. \"Our contest has
\n54 years of history and in those 54 years the competition and
\nrules have been the same. At the end of the day, it's a beauty
\ncontest and being judged on physical fitness is one-third of what
\ndetermines that.\"<\/p>\n
The government has so far refrained from taking a side in the
\ncontroversy, possibly mindful of the protests that engulfed the
\nSuharto administration.<\/p>\n
\"I support the competition as long as it's in accordance with
\nour culture,\" said Sri Redjeki Soemaryoto, the women's
\nempowerment minister. \"But I only support it if she does not wear
\na bikini.\"<\/p>\n
Mooryati, a soft-spoken Javanese princess, admits her nearly
\n20-year campaign to send an Indonesian to Miss Universe has
\nstirred its share of controversy.<\/p>\n
But she says the opposition to the contest is shortsighted,
\narguing that Miss Indonesia's appearance could help the country's
\nbattered tourist economy. It was hit hard after Islamic militants
\nbombed two nightclubs in Bali in 2002, killing 202 people.<\/p>\n
\"The purpose of this competition is good ... to exchange
\nculture, to promote your tourist industry, your country's
\nproducts and arts,\" she said. \"By doing this, we are accepting
\nthat we have entered the globalization era.\"<\/p>\n
GetAP 1.00 -- SEP 5, 2004 08:09:29<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/swimsuit-poses-problem-for-miss-universe-hopeful-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }