11 April 2006

Iraq's Beauty Queen Resigns After Four Days

Miss Iraq shown here during the swimsuit portion of the pageant.
On April 9, the 23-year-old, who was the first Armenian Iraqi to win the Miss Iraq pageant, announced her resignation after receiving threats by a group of religious extremists who referred to her as "the queen of infidels" for participating in the contest.
Pageant organizers had hoped to pass the crown to the runner-up..... However, the second and third runners-up also withdrew from the competition for security concerns. They had not received specific threats.
The pageant organizers are hoping to send the winner to the Miss Universe pageant in an effort to promote a positive and modern image of Iraqi women.

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