Last Saturday, 20-year-old economics student from Kirkuk, Shaimaa Qassim Abdelrahman, created history by becoming Iraq’s first Miss Iraq after 43 years by outshining more than 200 contestants. The pageant took place amidst intense protests from religious fanatics. However, Shaimaa’s happiness is short lived.
As per the latest reports, the dreaded terrorist outfit ISIS has threatened Shaimaa over a telephone call and gave her an ultimatum to either join ISIS or be kidnapped. However, a resilient Shaimaa, whose cousins who used to work for Iraq federal police and were killed while fighting ISIS terrorists, is determined to not bow down to the terrorists’ demands.
“I am afraid of nothing, because I am confident that what I am doing is not wrong. I want to prove that the Iraqi women have their own existence in society and that they have their rights like men,” said the courageous beauty queen.