Swimsuit poses problem for Miss Universe hopeful

Swimsuit poses problem for Miss Universe hopeful

Michael Casey, Associated Press/Jakarta

Artika Sari Devi looks the part of a beauty queen with her
million-dollar smile and hourglass figure. And she dreams of one
day becoming Indonesia's first Miss Universe.

There is only one thing holding her back - a swimsuit.

Like most international beauty competitions, Miss Universe
participants must appear in a swimsuit - either a one-piece model
or a bikini. But the 24-year-old Miss Indonesia is facing
condemnation from religious leaders and government officials in
the world's most populous Muslim nation, who say women in
swimsuits are offensive and violate religious tenets requiring
them to dress modestly.

"Every country can join the competition so why not Indonesia?"
asks Artika, who last month won Miss Indonesia, an event that
does not require contestants to parade in swimwear. "I don't see
a problem with the swimsuit. It's only to show my
proportions. ... So many Muslims wear swimsuits. I wear one
swimming."

Battles over bathing suits would seem out of place in
Indonesia, where newsstands are filled with magazines featuring
scantily clad models and miniskirts. Prostitution rings operate
openly in all major cities.

But Islamic conservatives -- some of whom want to replace
Indonesia's secular system with one bound by Islamic law -- have
been emboldened since the fall in 1998 of ex-dictator Suharto.

Under pressure from fundamentalists, the male-dominated
parliament is debating a law that would make kissing in public
and erotic dancing punishable by jail time. Legislation that
would stiffen penalties for domestic violence and allow abortion
in certain cases have bogged down amid opposition from
conservatives.

Last month, film censors banned Buruan Cium Gue (Kiss Me
Quick), a teenage romantic comedy, after protests by a popular
Muslim cleric who said the title could encourage promiscuity.

Beauty contests, too, have long been a favorite target for
Islamic conservatives in Indonesia and other parts of the world.
In 2002, the Miss World pageant was moved out of Nigeria after it
sparked riots that killed 200 people, and in 1998 the Miss
Bangladesh beauty contest was canceled follow days of violent
protests by Islamic groups.

During his 32-year reign, Suharto banned women from
participating in the contests because he felt they were not
compatible with "Indonesia's culture."

Alaya Rohali, now a popular television presenter, defied the
ban in 1996 and competed in a Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas
-- only to return home to threats and media attacks.

"Beauty contests manipulate the rights of women for the sake
of commercial interests and that is not good for Islam," said
Irfan Awwas, a spokesman for the Islamic group Majelis Mujahidin,
which has vowed to launch protests if Indonesia sends anyone to
Miss Universe.

Miss Indonesia organizers, led by 76-year-old cosmetics
executive Mooryati Soedibyo, have sought to win over a skeptical
public in recent months, hoping to ensure Artika will be able to
take part in next summer's Miss Universe pageant in Thailand.

They brought Miss Egypt to Indonesia in July to demonstrate
that other Muslim countries take part, including neighboring
Malaysia. They also arranged a meeting between Miss Universe 2004
Jennifer Hawkins and President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Officials from Miss Universe, too, have tried to find a
compromise -- proposing last year that an Indonesian participant
wear a one-piece like a few other contestants do. But Indonesian
organizers told them that the country "was not ready."

"Every year, we give the women a choice of what swimsuit they
want to wear," said Mary Hilliard McMillan, a spokeswoman for
Miss Universe in New York.

"But they have to wear a swimsuit," she said. "Our contest has
54 years of history and in those 54 years the competition and
rules have been the same. At the end of the day, it's a beauty
contest and being judged on physical fitness is one-third of what
determines that."

The government has so far refrained from taking a side in the
controversy, possibly mindful of the protests that engulfed the
Suharto administration.

"I support the competition as long as it's in accordance with
our culture," said Sri Redjeki Soemaryoto, the women's
empowerment minister. "But I only support it if she does not wear
a bikini."

Mooryati, a soft-spoken Javanese princess, admits her nearly
20-year campaign to send an Indonesian to Miss Universe has
stirred its share of controversy.

But she says the opposition to the contest is shortsighted,
arguing that Miss Indonesia's appearance could help the country's
battered tourist economy. It was hit hard after Islamic militants
bombed two nightclubs in Bali in 2002, killing 202 people.

"The purpose of this competition is good ... to exchange
culture, to promote your tourist industry, your country's
products and arts," she said. "By doing this, we are accepting
that we have entered the globalization era."

GetAP 1.00 -- SEP 5, 2004 08:09:29