RELIGION BULLETIN-BANGLADESH: Planned Beauty Contest Revives Fundamentalism

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Tabibul Islam

DHAKA, May 17 1998 (IPS) - Islamic fundamentalists have not only got a planned beauty contest postponed but also used it as an opportunity to show off their muscle.

The ‘Miss Bangladesh,” contest would have taken place two weeks ago except that Islamic and social organisations decided to turn it into an issue and mobiise people to demonstrate on the streets against it.

By whipping up religious sentiment, the fundamentalists used the issue to good effect to score political points against the government of prime minister, Sheikh Hasina which believes in ‘secularism,’ and peace among different religious groups.

But with mounting street agitatations, spearheaded by the Jamaat- e-Islami, against the beauty contest, the government had little choice but to back down and order postponement of the contest.

It did not help that the contest, organised by Model Watch, an advertising firm and Lever Brothers, was in aid of mentally retarded and physically handicapped people and also promised to promote local culture and tradition.

The threats were unambiguous. Political parties led by the Jamaat warned that the site of the pageant would be burnt to ashes unless the events dubbed “anti-islamic and anti-humanity” was called off.

Pro-Islamic groups wanting to make Bangladesh an Islamic republic formed an alliance called Islamic Action Council, specifically to oppose and resist the Miss Bangladesh contest,

The Council held a rallly in Dhaka city on April 21 and organised country-wide demonstrations against the beauty contest on april 25. It also held a grand rally in the city on April 27.

Addressing the rally, Maulana Delwar Hossain Saidee, memeber of parliament and leader of the Jamaat, said the beauty show was nothing, but vulgarism and a ploy to earn money by showing off the “biological structure” of women.

Terming the contest as “repugnant to Islam and humanity,” he said it would never be allowed in Bangladesh, the second largest Muslim country in the world.

“Muslims of Dhaka city will not stay in their houses if the organisers continue their efforts to hold the beauty show,” Maulana Saidee warned.

Maulana Zainul Abedin, chairman, Islamic Action Council, said the pageant was a part of a “Jewish conspiracy.” to distort and destroy Islamic culture and tradition in a very subtle way.

According to the maulana (teacher) youths were the precious wealth of the country and squandering it in the name of beauty contests was a sure way to lead them astray.