Wahab Hesso, a Yazidi male beauty contestant, is the latest to receive death threats in Iraq, following a series of assassinations of prominent figures in the recent few months.
The 23-year-old Wahab is a Yazidi who has been living in Netherlands as a refugee since 2012. He had been a finalist at the Mister World 2018 pageant. He announced his withdrawal after receiving death threats from Iraqis who will target Wahab’s family back in Iraq.
According to Wahab, he has been receiving death threats to his family since 2017, when he was participating at the final of Mister World 2017, before he secretly walked out of the contest. This year, the threats followed the assassination of Tara Fares, the Iraqi model who was shot dead in her car last month.
His withdrawal sparked public outcry in Iraq and the Middle East amid fears that Iraq might turn to an absolute chaos with assassinations being carried out randomly in streets.
Translation: “Wahab Hesso, an Iraqi decides to pull out from Mister World pageant. He reached the finales of top two prominent beauty pageants; now he is pulling out secretly from the contest that is being held in Netherlands where he has been living for years as a refugee after receiving death threats to his family in Iraq.”
Translation: “Which is more important? Your life or your the beauty pageant? And you know how the government is not controlling the current situation!”
Some social media users dismissed the fact that Wahab received threats, accusing him of riding the wave of the assassinations to become more famous.
In response, others went to mention Wahab’s activism and efforts to help Iraqis and Yazidis as a proof of his credibility and love for his country.
Translation: “I see most comments are irrelevant. First of all, his nomination for the pageant was not because of his look, but because of his effort to establish an organization that helps refugees who crossed Europe from the Middle East without talking about it. Also he was able to speak the Dutch language is a very short period of time in addition to the English. On top of all of this, his love for his country and talking about it in every occasion and interview.”
Lately, Iraqis has been witnessing random assassinations targeting beauty models and prominent figures in the political scene. Starting from Suad Al Ali, who was shot dead with her husband by masked gunmen in Basra. It was followed by Tara Fares killing and the latest was a horrifying murder of the 14-year-old Mohammed al-Motteri who has a “feminine” look. He was brutally killed in the street with the crime videotaped and documented on social media by his murderers.
