Saudi could get first Miss Universe contestant this year

Saudi Arabia could have its first MissUniverse contestant this year, organisers said this week, after a fashion model and influencer claimed she had been selected. The Miss Universe Organization "is currently undergoing a rigorous vetting process qualifying a potential candidate to be awarded the Saudi Arabia franchise", Maria Jose Unda, the organisation's coordinator of internationalrelations, said in a statement to AFP.

"We'll have a decision on the National Director for Saudi Arabia very, verysoon," she said, noting it was "possible" for Saudi Arabia to have a contestant in place before the next edition of the competition, scheduled for September in Mexico.
The statement came after Saudi model Rumy al-Qahtani created a buzz online in late March when she posted to her hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers that she was "honoured" to represent Saudi Arabia at Miss Universe at the upcoming event.
The post included pictures of Qahtani, a 27-year-old native of Riyadh, in asequined dress holding the green Saudi flag inscribed with the shahada, or Islamic creed, reports BSS.
Less than a week later, Miss Universe issued a statement referring to Qahtani's post as "false and misleading" and saying no selection process hadbeen carried out in the Gulf kingdom.
Fielding a Miss Universe candidate, if it happens, would mark another step in Saudi Arabia's effort to soften its ultra-conservative image as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, tries to lure tourists andinvestors. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude oil exporter, has long been associated with the repression of women because of former rules such as a banon driving and a requirement to wear abaya robes.
While those restrictions have been lifted, human rights activists say apersonal status law that took effect in 2022 still discriminates against women when it comes to matters concerning marriage, divorce and child-rearing.
And women, including prominent activists, have been rounded up in a wide-reaching campaign against dissent.
Among them are two women who in 2022 received decades-long prison sentencesfor social media posts critical of the government.
- 'Negative comments' -
Speaking at the Riyadh home she shares with her mother and three sisters,Qahtani maintained she was in "negotiations" about participation in MissUniverse but declined to provide further details.
"I have been contacted from the Miss Universe committee to represent SaudiArabia. Negotiations started but it was during the month of Ramadan and Iwasn't able to respond," she told AFP in her first interview since her MarchInstagram post went viral.
"We are still negotiating, and hopefully it will result in a happy ending."
Maria Jose Unda, the Miss Universe official, said the procedure calls for anational director to hold a Miss Universe Saudi Arabia pageant to choose adelegate to send to Mexico.
"We ignore the reason why (Qahtani) announced her candidacy, but if she wantsto participate in the Saudi Arabia pageant, she will have to go through thesame selection process as every other candidate," she said.
Qahtani told AFP she had previously participated in various pageants in theMiddle East and Europe and posed with several sashes she said she obtained atthe competitions.
She described fielding a host of unexpected questions about Saudi Arabiaduring her bid to take the beauty pageant world by storm, including one froma fellow contestant in Europe who wanted to know if she kept barrels of crudeoil stored in her house.
All the while she has tried to manage the potential backlash back home,including from more conservative Saudis who object to her clothing or herdecision to pose on Instagram last year wrapped in the Saudi flag.
"There were some negative comments about the way I dress and when I picturedmyself with the flag wearing what people considered immodest clothing," shesaid. She added, though, that she had no regrets.
"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 Ididn't mean anything offensive at all."
Fawzia Ayed, Rumy's mother, told AFP that she hoped her daughter wouldpersevere despite the criticism. "I always tell her to carry on, and that she has come a long way for a Saudigirl. Before, (society) was closed and strict," she said.
"Rumy has encouraged a lot of girls. I see that many contact her and ask herhow she has reached this level, and that they would like also toparticipate."