Religion has no role in the beauty stakes

THE Irish media recently devoted a lot of time and space to Rima Fakih who was featured as the first Muslim woman to win a beauty contest.

I find this very amusing because the first Muslim woman to win a beauty contest was Zeenat Aman of India who won the Miss Asia Pacific title way back in 1970.

In this respect, the USA is 40 years behind India.

In fact, Indian women from all religious backgrounds have been winning beauty contests for a number of years. Here is a list of the Indian women who have won beauty contests:

1. Sushmita Sen (a Hindu) became Miss Universe in 1994 and Lara Dutta (a Christian) in 2000.

2. Reita Faria (a Catholic) became Miss World in 1966, Aishwarya Rai (a Hindu) in 1994, Diana Hayden (a Catholic) in 1997, Yukta Mookhey (a Hindu) in 1999 and Priyanka Chopra (a Hindu) in 2000.

3. Zeenat Aman (a Muslim) became Miss Asia Pacific in 1970, Tara Anne Fonseca (a Catholic) in 1973 and Diya Mirza (a Zoroastrian) in 2000.

This goes to show beauty cannot be the privilege of a particular religion and no religion or country can be stereotyped.

Arun Mathur

Kingswood

Waterpark

Carrigaline

Co Cork