Bikini Ban in Effect for Upcoming Miss World Pageant in Indonesia

Miss World contestants won’t walk the Indonesian runway in bikinis this year after protests from Muslim groups led the organization to adapt its policies and ban the barely there swimsuits. The 137 Miss World contestants will wear Bali’s traditional sarongs instead.

The Sept. 28 event will be held on Bali and in Sentul, which is near the capital of Jakarta.

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Fox News reported that Julia Morley, chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, said Indonesia is designing beautiful one-piece beachwear for the contestants to wear.

Adjie S. Soeratmadjie, an official broadcaster and local organizer of the pageant, told The Associated Press, “There will be no bikini in this year’s Miss World pageant to respect our traditional customs and values. This is a sensitive issue in Indonesia.”

The Miss World pageant is well-known for its sexy bikinis, an issue which has caused controversy for some time in Indonesia.

“That contest is just an excuse to show women’s body parts that should remain covered,” said prominent cleric Mukri Aji, the AP reported. “It’s against Islamic teachings.”

Other groups were planning protests of the pageant, and some have said they would request the president cancel the event.

Despite a conservative take on bikinis and other behavior many in the country consider immoral (Lady Gaga cancelled a concert there after protesters called her a messenger of the devil), the country is still looking to be seen as a fashionable nation.

A story in the Sacramento Bee recently wondered whether Indonesia might be the “Paris of Muslim?” as fashion shows there promote colorful, beautiful clothing.

The women on the runways for those shows might be more covered than models in Paris, but their clothing is equally stunning. Islamic fashion fairs are part of the Indonesian government’s efforts to turn the country into an Islamic fashion capital by 2020, the Sacramento Bee reported.

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