Yesterday, we witnessed yet another Muslim-as-a-beauty-queen moral panic with the Herald-Sun reporting that
A MELBOURNE Muslim girl condemned by Islamic leaders for entering a beauty pageant has defied protests to be shortlisted for the Victorian final.
Ayten Ahmet, 16, advanced to the top 26 of Miss Teen Australia yesterday despite an outcry from some of Victoria’s senior Muslims.
Now, as the old adage goes, a dog biting a man isn’t news; but a man biting a dog is news. A modern version might be something like this: a woman in a beauty pageant isn’t news; but a Muslim woman in a beauty pageant is news (even if she doesn’t identify herself as Muslim, wear hijab, or mention Islam). And that is especially true if you can accompany it with a nice side serve of clerical outrage.
Here’s the recipe for others that are interested in reproducing the beat up: if a woman with a vaguely Muslim name or background enters a beauty pageant, then call Muslim representatives, tell them that a Muslim girl is in the contest and wait for their ‘condemnation’; call the girl or her family and relay the clerical condemnation; and then report that Muslims are ‘protesting’ her appearance or that there is some sort of ‘outcry’ against her participation. Publish the Muslim outrage on day one, and save the girl’s response for day two.
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What’s next? “Muslims condemn Muslim winery”? “Muslims don’t eat pork”? “Muslim leaders outraged at porn”? “Muslims are not Atheist!” Sheesh.
This is what one of the followers of Shaykh Omran had to say on aussiemuslims.com about the Herald Sun and how they used his comments:
the only community leaders to comment on it were afic, icv and yasser soliman. the aswj comments were taken from thin air. Abu Yusuf, the spokesman, clearly told the hsun reporter that it was a non-issue. The same reporter than admitted being pressured by those higher up to come up with a story. After half and hour of speaking with the reporter, the reporter replied, “I agree with all that you say, but I have to write a story”. Thats the bottom line with these guys, there is no moral drive in what they do, they just haveto produce to please their editors.
Mashallah, what a twist.
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