JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia said Saturday the final of the Miss World pageant later this month would take place on the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali instead of near the capital, after days of Muslim hardline protests.
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| Miss World Malaysia 2013 Melinder Bhullar (C) and her runners-up: Kim Low, Tanisha, Melinder, L’Oreal Mok & Rubini |
The announcement is the latest sign in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation of fringe Muslim groups’ growing influence on authorities and their power to stymie events they deem un-Islamic.
Last year, pop sensation Lady Gaga axed a concert after a series of protests, where radicals dubbed her “the devil”, threatened to burn down the venue and criticised her for wearing only “a bra and panties”.
Although the Miss World organisers had already promised to replace the contest’s trademark bikinis with Balinese sarongs for its beach fashion segment, thousands have taken to the streets this week to denounce the decision to hold the contest in Indonesia. - AFP
