London venue for Miss World
2002-11-26 15:56
London - The Miss World pageant, which was forced to relocate from Nigeria after a debate about the morality of the contest touched off Muslim-Christian rioting, will be held on December 7 at the Alexandra Palace exhibition hall in north London, organiser Julia Morley said on Tuesday.
The pageant will be screened in more than 130 countries, although currently there are no plans to show it on British television, Morley said.
More than 200 people have died in the rioting, which began on Wednesday after a Nigerian newspaper published an article suggesting Islam's founding prophet would have approved of the pageant.
The article deeply offended Muslims who had objected to the contest as promoting promiscuity. Though the newspaper, ThisDay, published an apology, riots broke out, first in the northern city of Kaduna, then in Abuja.
Morley, who arrived back in Britain on Monday, says the pageant is not to blame for the violence, although critics insist that the event is now tainted.
More than 80 women are competing to become Miss World. Morley said Tuesday she was confident of securing the participation of some of the women who had earlier boycotted the event because of rulings by Islamic courts in Nigeria sentencing women to death by stoning for having sex outside of marriage. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA