The Palestinian culture identity has been disrespected and degraded for as long as we can remember. Often times we like to think that people take it upon themselves to educate themselves and understand that which is happening in the world, but after recent images circulating the internet of the Miss Universe contestants, we have been proven wrong. With an amplitude of animosity, rage, and hurt Palestinians and Pro- Palestine supporters across the globe are very disheartened as pictures of the Miss Universe contestants blindly and mindlessly appropriate and directly contribute to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.
The Miss Universe organization has a mission to “provide the tools which help women to be their personal best." Every woman should have the confidence to stand up in any situation and declare, "I am secure and that’s what makes me beautiful!"" The one thing that this mission statement is missing is that beauty is that which is found from within and external beauty is nothing but an addition to that. It is quite odd to me that these women vow to encourage human rights and world peace, but mindlessly and ignorantly appropriated the Palestinian culture and identity in a reckless and highly disrespectful manner. They even went on to tag "Visit Israel."
The women were seen wearing Palestinian embroidery (tatreez), dancing to Palestinian music, as well as participating in making Palestinian cuisines and went on to ignorantly claim it as Israeli culture. Do they not know that Israeli culture is not a culture but rather a stolen appropriation of the people that they have exiled from their own land in 1948, or did the contestants decide they did not care about this fact? They had a beautiful example where the contestant from Greece dropped out in stance with the human rights of the Palestinian people, did that not encourage them to better understand where they were going and what they were doing that was so hurtful to our people/ Pro-Palestinian supporters. I find it VERY hard to believe that the contestants are not educated on the topic which is the execution of Palestinian people from their own land.
Enraged, many Pro-Palestine supporters have taken their frustrations to the internet showing solidarity alongside outright horror by the images posted of the Miss Universe contestants disrespecting and insulting the Palestinian people. A message to the Miss universe organization, do your due diligence and do not put these women in a negative spotlight for the sake of that which looks like a PR stunt and outright disrespect to the Palestinian struggle.