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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters In the eye of the beholder
By Mohamed Al-Masry
Immediately after announcing the results of last week's beauty contest, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the selection of Rana Raslan, an Arab, as Miss Israel, proved that Israel was a democratic society in which Arabs enjoy equal rights.
Rana Raslan
However, Antoine Shalhat, a Palestinian journalist at Al-Itihad newspaper in Haifa where the 21-year-old Raslan comes from, said the kindergarten teacher might not have won the contest if it were for the fact that the Israeli elections were about to take place on 17 May. "This is clearly a political move, and choosing an Arab girl as Miss Israel will not end the inequality of Arabs in the country," Shalhat said.
Since the creation of Israel in 1948, Palestinians who were able to remain within its pre-June 1967 borders -- and who now make up about one million of Israel's 5.9 million population -- were forced to accept Israeli citizenship, yet they were never given equal rights or treated like the Jews arriving from all over the world to settle in Palestinian land.
According to local and international human rights groups, Israeli Arabs suffer various forms of racial discrimination, particularly in the fields of education, housing, health and infrastructure. They are also banned from joining the Israeli army since they have been traditionally looked at as prime security risks and are not allowed to hold key positions.
In the week following the crowning of the first Arab woman as Miss Israel, a number of Israeli journalists and writers commented that the choice of Raslan should not deceive Israelis or that Israel is a democratic country where Arabs and Jews enjoy equal rights. "An Arab beauty queen has been chosen, so am I supposed to be terribly impressed about what a wonderful and equality-minded country we have because the Arab sector has joined in this ridiculous celebration?" popular Israeli writer Irit Linor said in a radio interview. "But have Arab women made advances in their status?" she asked. She also questioned whether "an Arab girl in a swimsuit talking at the Miss World contest about closing the hole in the ozone layer would help the Arab feminist cause."
The previous Miss Israel, 19-year-old Linor Abargil, was crowned Miss World last November.
Raslan, talking to Al-Ahram Weekly, reiterated statements she made upon winning the contest last Tuesday, saying that she was elected simply because of her beauty and denied there were any political motives behind the decision.
"They chose the most beautiful contestant. They wanted a beauty queen, not a political queen," said Raslan. Asked about her identity and the controversy her victory caused in Arab circles, Raslan said, "I am totally Israeli and I don't think about whether I am an Arab or a Jew. We must prove to the world that we can live here in coexistence."
She added that she won a similar beauty contest last spring, "which means that I deserve this new title." When told that the contest she won in spring was exclusively for Palestinian women living in Israel, she said, "What's the difference. What I mean to say is that I am beautiful and my choice as Miss Israel should not be doubted or seen as a political decision. Why are some people insisting on questioning the fact that I won only because of my beauty?"
Raslan plans to represent Israel in this year's Miss World contest due to take place in New York. "I hope to win the world title, or at least to be one of the top 10. But even then, people will say I was chosen for political reasons."
Meanwhile, and like many winners of beauty contests, Raslan said she will now take part in fashion shows and appear in television commercials. She also plans to visit Egypt and Jordan as soon as she finishes "my busy schedule and all the interviews I have to give."
