This year could see the first-ever Miss Universe contestant from Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Organizers said this week that Saudi Arabia could send its first Miss Universe competitor this year, after the claims of a fashion model and influencer that she had been chosen.
Maria Jose Unda, the organization’s coordinator of foreign relations, told AFP that the Miss Universe Organization “is currently undergoing a rigorous vetting process, qualifying a potential candidate to be awarded the Saudi Arabia franchise.

 

She said, “We’ll have a decision on the National Director for Saudi Arabia very, very soon,” adding that it was “possible” for Saudi Arabia to have a competitor before the competition’s September 2019 Mexico edition.

The announcement followed after Saudi model Rumy al-Qahtani, who has hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, made waves online in late March by posting on the platform that she was “honoured” to represent Saudi Arabia at Miss Universe.

The post included images of Qahtani, a 27-year-old Riyadh resident, waving the green Saudi flag with the Islamic creed, or shahada, engraved on it while wearing a sequined dress.

A response from Miss Universe was released less than a week later, denouncing Qahtani’s article as “false and misleading” and stating that no selection procedure had taken place in the Gulf state.

If a Miss Universe contestant is chosen, it would be another move in Saudi Arabia’s attempt to sooth its ultra-conservative image as the country attempts to attract businesses and visitors under the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia, the largest supplier of crude oil worldwide, has a long history of being linked to the oppression of women due to laws that formerly required women to wear abaya robes and be prohibited from driving.

Human rights advocates claim that even though those limitations have been removed, personal status legislation that went into force in 2022 still discriminates against women in areas related to marriage, divorce, and raising children.

In addition, a broad drive against dissent has picked up women, including well-known campaigners.

Among them are two women who were sentenced to decades in jail in 2022 for posting critical comments about the government on social media.

“Unfavorable remarks”
Speaking in the house in Riyadh that she lives with her mother and her three sisters, Qahtani insisted that she was in “negotiations” to compete in Miss Universe, but she would not elaborate.

“The Miss Universe committee has approached me to represent Saudi Arabia. She said to AFP in her first interview since her March Instagram image went viral, “Negotiations started, but it was during the month of Ramadan and I wasn’t able to respond.”

“We are still negotiating, and hopefully it will result in a happy ending.”

According to Maria Jose Unda, a representative of Miss Universe, in order to choose a delegate to be sent to Mexico, a national director must host a Miss Universe Saudi Arabia pageant.

“We ignore the reason why (Qahtani) announced her candidacy, but if she wants to participate in the Saudi Arabia pageant, she will have to go through the same selection process as every other candidate,” she said.

Qahtani told AFP that she has competed in pageants throughout the Middle East and Europe in the past and that she had multiple sashes from such events.

During her attempt to become the next big thing in beauty pageants, she spoke about having to deal with a lot of unexpected inquiries regarding Saudi Arabia. One such inquiry came from a competitor in Europe who wanted to know whether she had barrels of crude oil stashed in her home.

She has made an effort to control any possible criticism from conservative Saudis who may take issue with her attire or her choice to post a photo of herself draped in the Saudi flag on Instagram last year.

“There were some negative comments about the way I dress and when I pictured myself with the flag wearing what people considered immodest clothing,” she said.

But she clarified that she didn’t have any remorse.

“Many sports supporters picture themselves with the flag the same way I did,” she said.

“In beauty pageants also, each girl carries her own country’s flag, so I didn’t mean anything offensive at all.”

Rumy’s mother, Fawzia Ayed, expressed her optimism to AFP that her daughter will not give up in the face of criticism.

“As a Saudi girl, she has come a long way, and I constantly encourage her to keep going. “Before, society was rigid and closed off,” she said.

“Many females have been inspired by Rumy. I see that a lot of people get in touch with her to inquire how she accomplished this and to express their desire to join as well.”