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Miss World Finals Move to Bali After Protest

The coronation night of Miss World 2013 was supposed to be held near the capital Jakarta in Indonesia but after increasing protests from Muslim activists, the country was forced to hold the pageant on the Hindu-majority island of Bali.

Jakartapost

THE JAKARTA POST:

Increasing protest from hard-line groups over the 2013 Miss World beauty pageant – which is slated to be held in Bali and Sentul in West Java from Sept. 8 to 28 – has seemingly forced the government to drop Sentul as one of the event hosts.

Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono announced on Saturday that now all of the pageant events, from the opening ceremony to the coronation night, would be held in Bali.

However, contestants, he continued, would be allowed to visit other provinces, but not as part of the program series.

“We take this decision after considering the pros and cons of the event for both the public and the organizer,” Agung said on Saturday.

In the initial schedule, after the first week of events came to an end in Bali, all 129 contestants from around the globe would then travel to Jakarta, where they would compete in different events culminating with the final on Sept. 28 in Sentul at the Sentul International Convention Center (SICC).

The contest, however, has drawn protests from Islamic hard-line groups across the country in the days leading up to the pageant. The groups protested the decision to host Miss World in the country, calling it as an “immoral event”. The absence of a bikini round in the contest has failed to appease the hard-liners.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), for instance, has conveyed its disagreement with the event, saying that the pageant was not in line with Islamic teachings. Radical groups the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islamic People’s Forum (FUI) have also demanded the government cancel the event.

West Java is a Muslim majority province, which is reported to have the highest number of cases of violence against minority religious groups.

The sudden decision shocked the Miss World committee, as it came a few hours after the committee had held a separate press conference in Nusa Dua, Bali, where they expressed their optimism that the event would run smoothly despite mounting protests from hard-liners.

“This is an unexpected decision. Can you imagine it? It’s only three weeks before the finale then suddenly there is such a change,” Arief Suditomo, head of media affairs for the 2013 Miss World, he said.

1 Comment on Miss World Finals Move to Bali After Protest

  1. well they should never accepted INDONESIA too be the host for that event let the Muslim in they own little world ,has long the security in BALI hes very strict cause with those addict MUSLIM you never know what they are cooking next then be careful for all the pageant do not carry any drug cause the very fat LAWYERS there will love you ,they smell big money too be made they even try too set you up never trust a lawyer from that country.

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