Govt slams Maldives woman participation in Miss Universe

The Maldives government has condemned the participation of Mariyam Saina Naseem, a Maldivian woman, in this year's Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico.

This marks the first instance of a representative from the Maldives in the international beauty contest.

In a press release, the youth ministry stated that participation in such pageants is against the religious, cultural, and societal norms of the Maldives. The ministry emphasised that the participation of Maldivians in these events is deemed unacceptable due to non-compliance with the country's religious and cultural values.

The ministry’s statement outlined two key reasons for its position:

The government urged the organisers responsible for sending the contestant to the Miss Universe pageant to cease such activities.

“The government will not support or endorse the involvement of any Maldivian individual in these activities under the name of representing the country,” the statement read.

The Mexican embassy in India announced in a post on X on Tuesday that it had facilitated a visa for contestant Mariyam Saina Naseem to participate in the Miss Universe competition.