The Uzbekistan mystery of 18-year-old Rakhima Ganieva is not the story of an 18-year-old trying to deceive the world but rather the story of an 18-year-old girl being caught between two worlds.
Rakhima Ganieva, also spelled as Rahima Ganieva, has in fact become a pawn between two major players; -- the Muslim world who opposes the Miss World 2013 contest -- and the non-Muslim World who appears to have accepted a Miss World 2013 contestant without checking her educational background or her country’s endorsement. (But who wants to check too closely if it means another new country can be added to its repertoire of countries participating in the Miss World 2013 contest.)
Uzbekistan is Muslim and most Muslims oppose the Miss World 2013 beauty contest. "Beautiful contestant Rahima Ganievs (18), claims to be the representative of the Muslim Uzbekistan. The problem is that the beauty queen in this country does not count."
In response to the Miss World 2013 contest in Indonesia, the
Muslim world has conducted its own beauty contest - the Muslimah World contest -
in which the contestants recite the Quran and share “how they can wear the
headscarf, which is a requirement of the show. … The finalists will wear
fashionable yet Islamic garments in what Shanti says is an opportunity to show
young Muslim women that they do not need to show their hair and bare shoulders
to be considered beautiful.”
The Muslimah World contest will be held in Jakarta in
Indonesia this week while the Miss World 2013 contest was moved to Bali, which
has a Hindu majority population who do not oppose the contest.
Listening to Rakhima Ganieva’s introduction of herself in
her Miss World 2013 video below shows that Rakhima considers herself to be a
girl who enjoys wearing a bikini more than a headscarf.
Unfortunately, while she is not allowed to represent her
Muslim-oriented country Uzbekistan the way that she would like to, Rakhima
Ganieva is also raising doubts in the western world about her eligibility of
participating in the Miss World 2013 contest because no one seems to want to
know her in her own country.
So what is a modern 18-year-old Muslim girl to do?
The above video is Ganieva Rakhima's introduction as posted on the official Miss World Indonesia 2013 website.
18 year old Rakhima loves to play the piano. Born and Raised in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, Rakhima is a talented musician, who hopes to continue with her skill of making music long into the future. Currently a student, she has aspirations of further studies in the field of International Relations & Law, which she hopes will aid her in a career in this field. Describing herself as “Cheerful & serious at the same time” Rakhima enjoys many activities, including playing tennis, travelling, and learning history.
In Her Own Words...
You can see more pictures of Rakhima Ganieva with the other Miss World 2013 contestants on her Facebook page.
To see pictures and an introduction for all Miss World 2013 contestants, you can visit the official Miss World 2013 website.
To read the latest news provided by Miss World 2013, visit the Miss World 2013 News website.
In Her Own Words...
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Rakhima Ganieva. I am from a beautiful and sunny city Tashkent famous for its architectural monuments and its hospitable and friendly people. Tashkent is not only the capital of Uzbekistan but also an important historical and cultural centre.
As for me, I am 18 years old. I have graduated from Tashkent Professional College of Tourism and I plan to enter the university, probably the law faculty.
Like most young people of my age, I have a lot of hobbies and interests. First of all, I am fond of music, classical as well as modern. I can also play the piano. Besides, sport plays a very important role in my life. I had been going in for callisthenics for 4 years but now I prefer playing tennis. I lead a healthy life style. When I have some free time, I like to read a good book. For example, my favourite Russian writers are Chekhov, Dostoevsky,Tolstoy.
I like travelling as I am very interested in the cultures and life styles of other countries. I have been to Russia, England, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus. And now I am very excited and happy that I am taking part in this significant event, namely the 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant which will be held in a very amazing country Indonesia.
Finally, I’d like to thank all the people who help me and support me."
You can see more pictures of Rakhima Ganieva with the other Miss World 2013 contestants on her Facebook page.
To see pictures and an introduction for all Miss World 2013 contestants, you can visit the official Miss World 2013 website.
To read the latest news provided by Miss World 2013, visit the Miss World 2013 News website.
