HISTORICAL: Saudi Arabian Woman, Rumy Alqahtani Joins Miss Universe Beauty Pageant
A Saudi Arabian woman, Rumy Alqahtani, will in a historic first, participate in the 2024 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant.
This signals a huge milestone in the reforms being promoted by the Saudi crowned prince, Mohammed Bin Salman.
The 27-year old Riyadh born Alqahtani, took to Instagram to express excitement at the opportunity while also highlighting the significance of the country’s landmark debut at the beauty pageant.
With this announcement, Alqahtani becomes the second after Baharain’s Lujane Yacoub, who was at the previous year’s Miss Universe pageant, marking the first appearance of a contestant from the conservative Gulf region.
The upcoming Miss Universe competition will take place in Mexico on September 18 and will also witness Iran’s debut.
Alqahtani holds a Bachelor’s degree in dentistry and is proficient in multiple languages, including English, French, and Arabic, The Independent reported. She has been crowned Miss Saudi Arabia, Miss Middle East (Saudi Arabia), Miss Arab World Peace 2021 and Miss Woman (Saudi Arabia).
She has also participated in numerous global pageants, with the most recent one being Miss and Mrs Global Asian in Malaysia in February.
The development has attracted outrage and open criticism among conservative Muslims, particularly in Nigeria.