Muslim Beauty Queen Barred From Malaysian National Pageant
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A state beauty queen has been disqualified from participating in the national Miss Malaysia World pageant because she is a Muslim, AFP reported Friday.
Norazlin Johari, the newly crowned Muslim Miss Sarawak will not be allowed to represent the state for the upcoming national Miss Malaysia World pageant, though she will retain her title.
National organizers barred Johari from contesting and picked another finalist to represent the state on Borneo island.
Alaric Soh, the state pageant organizer, said that Johari was the second Muslim to win the state title since 1990, adding that future contests would no longer be open to Muslims.
Hashim Yahya, a senior cleric, told AFP that several states have rules against Muslim women taking part in beauty pageants. The national pageant is only open to non-Muslims.
Islamic rulings do not allow women to display their beauty openly among men who are not family members.
More than half of Malaysia's 23 million people are Muslims.
