IT is unimaginable that at a time when even conservative Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia can accept WWE’s female wrestling stars to perform at the recent Crown Jewel event in its capital Riyadh (modest dress code applicable), PAS is making a fuss about Malaysia hosting “25 beauty queens from the world over for the Miss World Noble Queen Pageant”.
The Islamist party’s Kelantan information chief Mohd Asri Mat Daud has expressed concern that such event will damage the Malaysia’s unique culture “which is a class of its own in the eyes of the world”.
“Additionally, the organisation of beauty pageants that showcase women’s bodies in front of the public is clearly against the Islamic Sharia, hence not compatible with Malaysia which places Islam as the federal religion,” justified Asri in a Facebook post.
“Above all else, the event is also seen to be in conflict with the National Cultural Policy which clearly outlines three main principles, namely (i) reflection of the culture of natives of the region; (ii) other cultural elements that are appropriate and acceptable; and (iii) Islam as an important element in the formation of the national culture.”
For the uninitiated, the sixth edition of the Miss World Noble Queen pageant is supported by Tourism Malaysia – an agency under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry – and is slated to take place from Dec 5 to 12 at the Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur.
A Malaysian-own franchise, the event was last held in Hong Kong in 2019. It is open to all “naturally-born females aged 18 to 29 years old” with a minimum height of 165cm, never been married or have children and “have beautiful face, good moral character as well as good physical and mental health”.
“The government through the Tourism Ministry is requested to re-evaluate its approval for the event for the sake of preserving the Malaysian culture,” asserted Asri. “There has already been a lot of cultural damage in the country due to the uncontrolled absorption of foreign culture. Over time, Malaysia’s unique culture will lose its identity.”
Interestingly, the Miss World Noble Queen organiser Jan Sit was reported to have lodged a police report at the Cheras police station yesterday (Nov 23) after a social media post alleged the event as a “transvestite pageant”.
“How could the event be an immoral competition given it is supported by Tourism Malaysia? I even advertised the event in Malay newspapers,” Sit who has been organising the pageant since 2015 was quoted as saying by Harian Metro.
“For me, their actions (the protesting parties) are inappropriate. They should have researched first before taking inappropriate actions … they are just playing with accusations. Hence, I’ve to make a police report because I’m worried that some people will come over to make a fuss when the event takes place later.” – Nov 24, 2023
