AFP, July 24, 2009
Saudi beauty queen Aya Ali al-Mulla trounced 274 rivals to win a crown, jewellery, cash and a trip to Malaysia, and all without showing her face, Saudi media reported on Friday.
With her face and body completely covered by the black head-to-toe abaya mandatory in the conservative Muslim kingdom, 18-year-old Mullah was named “Queen of Beautiful Morals” late on Thursday, newspapers said.
There was none of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and heavy media coverage of beauty pageants elsewhere when the contest was decided in the eastern city of Safwa.
Instead, the winner and the two runner-up princesses had to undergo a three-month test of their dutifulness to their parents and family, and their service to society.
This included a battery of personal, cultural, social and psychological tests, Al-Watan reported.
It was unclear exactly what Mullah did to pip her rivals in the huge field, but Al-Watan reported that the high school graduate had good grades and hopes to go into medicine.
She raked in a 5,000-riyal (1,333-dollar) prize, a pearl necklace, diamond watch, diamond necklace, and a free ticket to Malaysia with her win.
The 20-year-old first runner-up, one of triplets, had already won an education ministry-sponsored “I love you, my country” competition.
The second runner-up, a high school student aged 15, was cited for taking care of her home and family during the week because her mother works far from home and can only return on weekends.
Beauty contests focused on physical beauty are non-existent in segregated Saudi Arabia, where women can not mix with unrelated men, and must appear in public completely covered—even in photographs.
Miss Moral Beauty pageant organiser Khadra al-Mubarak kept the focus on inner beauty, as defined by Islamic standards of Saudi Arabia.
“The real winner in this competition is the society. The winners represent the culture of the society and its high Islamic morals,” Mubarak said, according to Al-Watan.
There she is . . . we think.
Original article
(Posted on July 24, 2009)
Comments
Most Saudi girls want nothing more than to GET OUT OF SAUDI and the muslim faith and be free women. The literacy rate of these women is high, the literacy rate of their men is very low along with their intelligence being on the respective par. Land of the Ninjas does indeed have some very beautiful, intelligent women though, just crying to be free.
So let me get this straight, they are being judged on their accomplishments as individuals? Not on the length of their legs and their perfect silicon bustline?
Islam is so twisted.
I don’t know what all else they have to do as winner besides enjoy the prize, but just think, if they had to do the ‘circuit’ like Western beauty pageant winners do, if she got sick and couldn’t make it, they wouldn’t have any problem sticking in a substitute to promote the high Islamic morals they speak of!
You know, like wife beating, torturing dissidents, jailing Christian proselytizers, executing homosexuals etc.
Most of us would disagree with some of the details (like the abaya) but, all in all, this is a great concept.
I used to participate in beauty pageants. It wasn’t something that I really wanted to do, but I did it to please relatives. I won more than my fair share of them. The whole scene is silly in my opinion. I am not just bitter about losing because I won nine out of eleven times. The expense of participating is more than the scholarships are worth. The clothes, the makeup, the whole deal is super expensive.
I do have a question though. If these Saudis are so concerned with inner beauty, why is the prize jewelry? If the Saudi culture is so interested in inner beauty, why are they putting ornamentation on their women?
Sonya,
I hear what you are saying and get your point. I also agree with it in some ways. However, look at what she is wearing. Nothing more really needs to be said.
I think the concept of having moral beauty is not to be scorned as some here have already noted. What is gross is that their morality is not a choice that women make freely, they are subject to the moral choices imposed by the men which includes wearing shrouds,being dutiful,beaten and accepting 2nd class status.
I see nothing wrong with this. Given a choice between today’s beauty contests held in the west and those held in Saudi Arabia, whom would our Victorain ancestors support?
Sonya has a point. I don’t think that our obnoxious and vapid beauty contests put us in any position to cast stones. Of course, the burqa is still oppressive and lame though.
1 — SKIPwrote:
a) How would you (an American male) know what Saudi women want?
a) How would you (an American male) know what Saudi women want?
Anonymous wrote: I do have a question though. If these Saudis are so concerned with inner beauty, why is the prize jewelry? If the Saudi culture is so interested in inner beauty, why are they putting ornamentation on their women?
Because Saudi women often LOVE jewerly. One can’t wear or talk about a cash prize. But a watch can be worn and admired by her friends and something she can cherish. Jewerly would be more fun for them and if they needed the cash they could sell it. In private they dress like any western woman (among their friends and family).
Why is everyone bothered about what happens in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia will still be Arab in a 100 years time. America will not be American.
Whatever floats their boat. Their culture. Just don’t come to foreign countries and demand everyone else go along with it.
As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do….
A. I know quite a number of them personally, in the U.S. AND in the Middle East
I totally agree with Skip. I used to teach at Kuwait University’s Medical School in the 1980’s. For the uninitiated, Kuwait University (fuelled by petrodollars) enoyed an outstanding reputation as a centre of academic excelllence in the Middle East. Faculty members were recruited from among the best in India and there were a number of Western professors from the US and the UK. By decree, first preference for student admissions went to Kuwaitis, next to students from other parts of the Arab world and finally nationals of other countries. In Med School (the most prestigious program), 80% of students were Kuwaitis. Of these, 9 out of 10 were women, many of them strikingly beautiful, and all of them decidedly intelligent. The Kuwaiti men were invariably incompetent, while the non-kuwaitis (Palestinian, Lebanese) of both genders were excellent too. Unfortunately, in the real world in Kuwait, women and foreigners had no real decision making authority and by convention, power was concentrated exclusively in the hands of incompetent Kuwaiti males. Were it not for their Indian, Palestinian and Western advisors, Kuwaiti males would have run the country to the ground. If only Kuwaiti women weregiven the chance, there would be no need for all these imported advisors.
I don’t find anything wrong with this contest at all.
As for the ‘dress standards’ over there; what can you say…”rules are rules.”
“Because Saudi women often LOVE jewerly. One can’t wear or talk about a cash prize. But a watch can be worn and admired by her friends and something she can cherish. Jewerly would be more fun for them and if they needed the cash they could sell it. In private they dress like any western woman (among their friends and family).”
Yes. They are not made out of plastic, of course they like jewellry.
This Saudi girl still has the same risk of being killed in an “honor” killing as the girls that didn’t win.
Terrorism, forced marriage, beheading, stoning and honor killing define the Muslim’s “high Islamic morals”. These psychotic primitives are frozen forever in the 14th century, as is their twisted medieval concept of morality….
http://www.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=35696
Could you please answer this question for me Sonya:
In private they wear whatever they want. Jeans, tight tops designer dresses, etc.. The wealthy Saudi women are known for going for expensive designer dresses. They have shopping malls with “women only” floors so the women can shop without the abaya.
Even in Iran (where the dress code is far more relaxed) I went into a lingerie shop and saw two young chador wearing women (sign they are ultra conservative) giggling and buying thong underwear.
Do you think their husbands would discourage it? The men look at abaya covered females all day, you think they would NOT want their wives to be attractive and beautiful? Of course they would, they are men!
Do you guys ever consider that maybe the competence of Saudi women has to do with their society’s social conservatism? They’re not spending all their time hungover from drunken orgies.
The Arabs have seen what happens when patriarchy breaks down. To their credit, they want no part of it.
Post #14 Alexandra, said it all in so few words. Thank you. I couldn’t care less and frankly I can’t understand this obsession with some Americans, as to how other people in the world are living, thinking, acting. It’s irrelevant to my life in my nation. We have so many problems here, that we need all of our energy to get straight on our situation. As Alexandra said, whatever floats their boat. Just don’t come over here, and teem up with the leftists and start demanding Americans live your way.We haven’t the slightest obligation to respect “your way”, case closed.
Reg. the award: she probably wants to look beautiful in front of her husband and family. So, the award makes sense - all women want to look beautiful ;)
Annon, partriarchy is alive and well in the United States. The so-called “sexual revolution” never meant sexual equality but more men expecting women to cater to them sexually at their every whim. I am not saying that just to be mean because I wish that I were wrong, but it is true.
I don’t have a problem with men occupying the planet, but I am not not sexually attracted to men and would like to have this respected. It isn’t. Even men who say that they don’t believe in marriage are enraged to hear that I have no interest in being married to a man. Why is that? I don’t want to date men either. Why should this bother men who resent any expense associated with dating? Yet it does.
Just like in Saudi Arabia, women’s sexuality is seen as something men own. It is so frustrating that I often avoid the company of men altogether, and their knowing that I do this seems to frustrate them.
Anonymous wrote: she probably wants to look beautiful in front of her husband and family.
Plus while their social scenes are typically segrated, the women do socialize plenty and show off in their own circles. Weddings and such have separate reception parties where the women dress to the hilt and show off to their hearts content.
Even in the west they say women really dress for other women, designer handbags and expensive shoes are for impressing other women, not men.
There is no doubt that women are much freer in the West than the Muslim world. They are free to wear what they want, go where they want and be with who they want. Western women have greater opportunities and legal rights as well. Are Western women happier than women in Muslim countries? This I’m unable to answer.
Annon wrote at 12:01 PM on July 26:
“Do you guys ever consider that maybe the competence of Saudi women has to do with their society’s social conservatism? They’re not spending all their time hungover from drunken orgies.”
Wealthy Saudi men are infamous for flying in prostitutes from other countries for drunken orgies. The Saudi men get infected with venereal diseases, which they then pass on to their wives. So much for “patriarchy.”
Real patriarchy is actually a good thing (men taking care of their families and acknowledging their paternity). Only in the West have we had real patriarchy. Islamic “patriarchy” is like a twisted fun-house mirror version of the real thing.
Stop posting as “anonymous” pick a name so we know WHICH anon is posting, ANON #1 ANON #2 etc, etc.
There she is . . . we think.