It's no mistake, Shaima Qassem became Iraq's first beauty queen in over 40 years. Steve Harvey may have announced the wrong winner of Miss Universe on Sunday night, but we assure that this is legit: the Miss Iraq competition has returned to the war-torn country after it went on hiatus in 1972.
The 20-year-old beauty braved entering the Baghdad competition, even after two other competitors pulled out after receiving death threats earlier this year, and was crowned queen in a gala on Saturday evening, according to Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada.
Image: Facebook
Qassem's passion for the contest is to prove "Iraq is still the country of beauty and culture in the face of terrorism and violence," she is quoted as saying.
The pageant's artist director Senan Kamel told the Guardian: “What we’re hoping to accomplish is to make Iraq’s voice heard, show that it is still alive, that its heart is still beating.
Photo: AFP
Organizers plan to make the event an annual one, and we can only hope that the contest announcers will never crown the wrong queen like Steve Harvey did.
Check out the #awkard Miss Universe clip here.
