Miss India wins Miss Universe 2021 pageant held in Israel despite boycott calls

Eilat, Israel

HARNAAZ Sandhu, a 21-year-old model from India, was crowned the new Miss Universe in the Israeli city of Eilat on Monday (Dec 13), with several contestants defying pressure to boycott the event in support of the Palestinians.

The 70th edition of the annual pageant, held in Israel for the first time, has also faced complications from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Sandhu took the top prize in the Red Sea resort with Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira named first runner-up and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane taking third place.

Singapore, represented by 21-year-old Nandita Banna, made it past the opening round for the first time in 34 years.

The model and dancer is currently pursuing a double degree at the Singapore Management University, and previously studied at Raffles Girls School and Raffles Institution.

The last time Singapore's representative made it this far was back in 1987 when the Republic hosted the competition. That year's representative, Marion Nicole Teo, reached the second round.

During a segment at the pageant, Sandhu called on young people in the world to "know that you are unique and that's what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourself to others".

"I believed in myself, and that's why I'm standing here today," she added to cheers from the crowd.

In the interview round for the top 5 contestants, Sandhu was asked for her views on climate change.

"This is the time to take action and talk less. Prevent and protect is better than repent and repair," she said.

South Africa's Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts had urged its contestant to stay away from Eilat, citing "atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians". The call echoed Palestinian groups who pleaded with contestants to avoid the event.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel had urged all participants to withdraw, "to avoid complicity in Israel's apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights".

The 80 contestants also included Miss Morocco Kawtar Benhalima and Miss Bahrain Manar Nadeem Deyani, whose majority Muslim nations normalised ties with Israel last year.

In an interview in Jerusalem late last month, the outgoing Miss Universe Andrea Meza of Mexico said the pageant should steer clear of politics: "Miss Universe is not a political movement nor a religious one. It's about women and what they can offer."

Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, did not send contestants but both cited complications related to the pandemic, not Israel's rights record.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which also normalised ties with Israel last year and where Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made a historic visit on Sunday, also chose not to send a candidate. But the UAE said that was "due to time constraints" in selecting its national winner.

Contestants for the pageant landed in Israel in late November and have since toured various sites, sometimes coming under criticism for cultural insensitivity. In one stop in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the candidates wore robes with traditional Palestinian embroidery while rolling grape leaves - which Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez tweeted was a "Day in the life of a Bedouin".

The Bedouin are a traditionally nomadic people who belong to the community of Palestinian citizens of Israel. They have long complained of discrimination in housing and education.

"Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place," tweeted Ines Abdel Razek of the advocacy group the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.

Participants in the pageant, which was co-owned by Donald Trump before he became US president, had to be between the ages of 18 and 28 and must not have married or had a child.

According to organisers, the coronation ceremony was watched by an estimated 600 million viewers in 172 countries. AFP