Neocons enraged by new Arab Miss USA 19, May 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in American ME Relations.Tags: Beauty pageants, Daniel Pipes, Debbie Schlussel, Hezbollah, Miss America, Miss USA, Right wing hysteria
trackback
Rima Fakih is the first Arab American Muslim winner of the Miss America title. Many congratulations to her. Alas, others do not share my sentiments. Indeed, some on the right wing in America see insidious plots afoot. Daniel Pipes – who else? – lists a number of recent winners of beauty pageants who are all – shock, horror! – Arabs or Muslims and asks if there is not some kind of affirmative action going on. He neglects the obvious; that Arab woman are frequently exceedingly beautiful.
Yet the best crazed, ill-informed and spurious rant goes to Debbie Schlussel who is aghast to discover that Fakih comes from Southern Lebanon and her family is – according to her ‘intelligence sources’ (!) – a veritable nest of Hezbollah supporters, soldiers and sympathisers. Of course, without quoting anyone by name, she reals off these ‘charges’ and comes out with a few classics along the way, such as how the barely clad Fakih is – somehow – promoting the subjugation of woman. I am sure that Germain Greer might well agree, but for wholly different reasons.
The Gulf blog 
slight correction: Miss USA (owned by Donald Trump) is a different competition than Miss America. The winner of Miss USA goes on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. Also, Miss USA is ostensibly judged on looks alone, whereas the Miss America pageant requires a ‘talent’ of some sort. As this is a gulf blog and not a gossip column, I forgive your obvious lack of expertise in this subject matter.
I stand corrected to your copious knowledge of Misses pageants.
I’d point out that Donald Trump – owner of this pageant – also rented space at his NY State mansion to the “Dear Leader” of Libya so he would have space to pitch his tent during a UN conference.
Mere coincidence or chilling confirmation of the plot to Islamize America – one beauty pageant at a time?
This would be a great basis for a conspiracy…if only it were true. From the New York Times:
“He (Qaddafi) has been trying to pitch his tent all over the New York area. But he has been turned down in Central Park, Englewood, N.J., and most recently, by the Westchester County town of Bedford, where tenants from the United Arab Emirates renting Donald Trump’s 213-acre estate were given a stop-work order after they began assembling a tent that would be used by the Libyan leader.”
Apparently one can try to bamboozle the tycoon, but if you do, be prepared for an immediate stop-work order once he finds out.
For AJK
I would disagree.
Conspiracy theories need not be founded on truth.
In fact all the best ones aren’t.
Touche. I don’t know how I managed to miss this overwhelmingly obvious point.
I’ve gotta blame my educational upbringing that rigorously stressed the importance of rational thinking and the pursuit of truth.
I like the blog and wonder if you could assist. I have a blog on American Political families and have come across a strange (to me I’m British) fact. A large number of members of Congress are ex beauty pageant winners. Well fine – odd but fine. But what really got me was they were almost exclusively Republican to a woman. I cant figure why that might be – apart from Dems being feminists and snobby about the whole show. Any suggestions?
http://www.theoligachkings.wordpress.com
Err….nope. Sorry. If I think of anything…