The 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant opened on Sunday after protests by conservative Islamic groups confined the event to Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.
The opening ceremony, which was televised to 186 countries, featured Bali’s Kecak Dance and a parade of all 131 contestants.
The Indonesia Ulema Council, an umbrella organisation of clerics, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and Front for Islamic Defenders have urged the government to cancel the event. They have argued that the exposure of skin by women in a competition violates Muslim teachings, even after organisers agreed to cut the bikini competition and instead outfit contestants in more conservative sarongs.
The chairwoman of the Miss World Organisation, Julia Morley, has promised that none of the contestants will wear a bikini.
