Miss Iraq, Inundated With Death Threats, said she Is "Afraid Of Nothing"

As many as 200 Iraqi women entered the first Miss Iraq beauty pageant held in the country in decades, but death threats kept all but eight from appearing on stage when 20-year-old Shayma Qassim won the title over the weekend.

But the negativity barely lingered once the contest ended without incident. Days after being crowned Miss Iraq, Qassim’s Instagram page has picked up over 80,000 followers, and congratulatory messages have flooded her Facebook page as well. 

The economics major at the University of Kirkuk is the first woman to win the crown since 1972, and the celebrations marking her victory are also providing much welcomed relief as the country continues to struggle through the conflict with ISIS and larger political challenges.

Qassim’s supporters posted words of encouragement on her Instagram photos. “ISIS is threatened by her :),” read one comment Tuesday.

The pageant was originally meant to be held in October, but was postponed because of death threats to contestants, The Independent reported. Some participants said they were accused of “supporting Zionism” in Iraq.

Qassim said she entered the pageant in the name of women’s rights. “I want to prove that the Iraqi woman has her own existence in society, she has her rights like men,” Qassim told NBC News. “I am afraid of nothing, because I am confident that what I am doing is not wrong.” The contest was different to the traditional pageantry seen by millions around the world. 

These contestants weren’t allowed to wear headscarves, their dresses had to land below their knees, and there was no swimsuit category either.

Source; Vivian gist