Miss World starts in Indonesia after Muslim hardline protests

Miss World began
in Indonesia Sunday amid tight
security after days of Muslim
hardline protests that forced
authorities to order the whole
beauty pageant be held on the
Hindu-majority island of Bali.
As contestants took part in a
glittering opening ceremony on the
resort island, around 100 police,
including some armed with rifles,
patrolled around the building where
the contest was being held.
The ceremony saw contestants
perform a traditional dance using
fans, as well as a Balinese “Kecak”
dance, in which participants sit in a
circle and chant while throwing their
hands in the air.
Nana Putra, an official from MNC
media group, the local organiser
which is also broadcasting Miss
World, said organisers hoped the
event would “lift Indonesia’s image
to the world”.
But the 63rd edition of the pageant
has been overshadowed by a
snowballing protest movement, and
hundreds of police were deployed
across Bali as the event got under
way.
“So far there is no indication of a
security threat,” Bali police
spokesman Hariadi, who like many
Indonesians goes by one name, said.
“However we are still increasing our
alertness and security — all
entrances to Bali are guarded by our
personnel.”
Thousands of Islamic hardliners
have taken to the streets across the
country during the past week,
denouncing the show as “smut and
pornography” and burning effigies of
the organisers.
But the anger has not been limited
to radicals, with criticism also
coming from the country’s most
prominent Muslim clerical body,
rights groups, and a government
minister.
Organisers pledged months ago
there would be no bikini round
during this year’s pageant in a bid
to avoid causing offence.
However, this was not enough to
stop street protests, and on Saturday
the government bowed to the
mounting pressure by deciding to
move the final, on September 28,
and several other events to Bali.
While organisers always planned to
hold the opening of the show on
Bali, the final and other events had
originally been scheduled to take
place in and around the capital
Jakarta.
However, radicals threatened to
stage huge rallies in the area, where
there is considerable hardline
influence, to stop the events from
going ahead.
Although Bali has been hit by
deadly bomb attacks in the past,
hardline influence is almost non-
existent on the island nowadays and
locals are used to seeing hordes of
tourists sunbathing in their
swimwear.
Announcing the change of venue,
coordinating minister for people’s
welfare, Agung Laksono, said the
government had “listened to what
the people wanted”.
The organisers said they were
“disappointed” by the decision.
“There is the potential that we will
be seen as a country which always
bows to pressure from a noisy
Muslim minority group,” Arief
Suditomo, from the local organising
committee, told AFP.
MNC’s Putra said organisers would
try to meet the government next
week to discuss the decision to move
the final to Bali.
While most of Indonesia’s population
of more than 240 million practises a
moderate form of Islam, the
influence of the hardline fringe is
growing and they have succeeded in
getting events changed or cancelled
in the past.
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”