First came Rima Fakih, the first Muslim to win the Miss USA title – and, with her participation in the pageant’s swimsuit competition, to push the public’s perceptions of Muslim women. Then came Sila Sahin, a Turkish German woman living in Germany, who recently posed for a cover of Playboy Magazine. The stereotype of the…
Rima Fakih knew she had won the 2010 Miss USA title when she saw the look on Donald Trump’s face: It was the same one she’d seen him flash at the winners of “The Apprentice.” The 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant — Miss Michigan USA to the judges — beat out 50 other women to take the…
Rima Fakih, the Lebanese-American, ‘liberal Muslim’ Miss USA from Michigan, has a fascinating interview at the religion site Patheos revealing that she is — surprise surprise — pretty much like most 24-year-olds on the spiritual front. She’s a mash-up and she’s proud of it: “I’m Miss USA, not Miss Religion USA.”
By JOY SEWING As the first Muslim to be crowned Miss USA, Rima Fakih isn’t bothered by criticism that wearing bikinis and revealing clothing goes against the teachings of her religion. During a brief stop in Houston this week, the newly crowned Miss USA said she hopes her new profile will help expand the notion…
By RAY HANANIA This debate in the Muslim world, prompted by Lebanese-American Rima Fakih’s win of the Miss USA title, is hotter than the two-state vs. one-state debka. Rima Fakih, the new Miss USA, symbolizes everything that’s wrong with the Middle East. But not in the way you might think. The problems her victory raises…
