Ajibola, tearfully prayed and recited Koranic
verses as she won a world beauty pageant
exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian
capital yesterday.The 20 finalists, who were all
required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering
show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling
up and down a catwalk in elaborately
embroidered dresses and stilettos.
But the contestants from six countries were
covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty
they were judged on how well they recited
Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the
modern world.
After a show in front of an audience of mainly
religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel
of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from
Nigeria as the winner.
Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years
ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for
refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the
contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World".
"This year we deliberately held our event just
before the Miss World final to show that there
are alternative role models for Muslim women,"
she told AFP.
Aisha received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and
trips to Mecca and India as prizes.
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