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Miss Iraq forced to go into hiding after death threats
By Jerome Taylor
The Independent/UK
14 April 2006
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July's Miss Universe
competition.
"Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all," she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the "Queen of Infidels".
"I respect her decision," said the pageant's director. "The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family."
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC's Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding.
"This chance does not come to every girl. So I'm lucky to have that.
I'm not going to lose it," she told the programme on Tuesday. "I'll
take care. I will change my living space. I would like to take that
chance, I will do my best," she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria's competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week's contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion - previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July's Miss Universe
competition.
"Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all," she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the "Queen of Infidels".
"I respect her decision," said the pageant's director. "The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family."
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC's Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding. "This chance does not come to
every girl. So I'm lucky to have that. I'm not going to lose it," she
told the programme on Tuesday. "I'll take care. I will change my
living space. I would like to take that chance, I will do my best,"
she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria's competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week's contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion - previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.
By Jerome Taylor
The Independent/UK
14 April 2006
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July's Miss Universe
competition.
"Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all," she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the "Queen of Infidels".
"I respect her decision," said the pageant's director. "The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family."
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC's Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding.
"This chance does not come to every girl. So I'm lucky to have that.
I'm not going to lose it," she told the programme on Tuesday. "I'll
take care. I will change my living space. I would like to take that
chance, I will do my best," she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria's competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week's contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion - previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.
Tamar Goregian, a 23-year old Armenian Iraqi, stood before a small
crowd in a secret location in Baghdad last Friday and wept with
joy. She had just won the coveted title of Miss Iraq 2006 and was
hoping to travel to Los Angeles to take part in July's Miss Universe
competition.
"Maybe beauty is the final step to end violence and preach world peace
after all," she told friends and fellow contestants packed into the
heavily guarded nightclub. Four days later, Ms Goregian was forced to
renounce her crown and flee to Jordan after receiving death threats
from fundamentalists calling her the "Queen of Infidels".
"I respect her decision," said the pageant's director. "The country is
undergoing rough times and we understand her desire to protect herself
and her family."
It was never going to be easy to hold a beauty pageant in a country
where every day brings more violence and bloodshed. Almost half of the
20 contestants dropped out on the day of the competition and the
organisers had taken numerous precautions to keep the event a secret
even from the media.
The organisers had hoped that sending an Iraqi to the Miss Universe
competition would show a different side to the war-torn country, and
provide a welcome respite from the daily diet of atrocities that
dominates most news from Iraq.
On Wednesday, a fellow contestant, Silva Shahakian, a Christian who
originally came fourth in the competition, said she was prepared to
take over from Ms Goregian as Miss Iraq. Speaking to ABC's Good
Morning America, Ms Goregian confirmed she would keep her title but
said she would have to go into hiding. "This chance does not come to
every girl. So I'm lucky to have that. I'm not going to lose it," she
told the programme on Tuesday. "I'll take care. I will change my
living space. I would like to take that chance, I will do my best,"
she said.
Global beauty pageants have frequently fallen foul of traditional
sensibilities in the developing world as more countries try to cash in
on holding the contests, which bring with them money and publicity.
In 1996, riots erupted in India during the Miss World competition, and
in Nigeria's competition in 2002 more than 200 people were killed in
clashes when a local journalist suggested the Prophet Mohamed would
have approved of the Miss World competition that was being held there.
Last week's contest in Iraq was the first to be held inside the
country since the US-led invasion - previous hopefuls had been forced
to travel to Kenya and enter competitions there. The last time Iraq
sent a delegate to a Miss Universe competition was in 1972, when
Wijdan Sulyman represented her country in Puerto Rico. The pageant
organisers say they still hope to send Ms Shahakian to compete in Los
Angeles this July.