28 June 2009

Miss Universe 2009 in Dubai?

We all now know that the 58th edition of Miss Universe 2009 will be taking place in the Bahamas in August. But did you know that before it was decided to be staged in this Caribbean island, the pageant was almost acquired by Dubai, a city in an Arab country - the United Arab Emirates?


Why did it not push through? It's because of Israel's Adi Rodnitzki. So what was Adi's participation in this controversy? Read it from an article written by Debbie Schlussel.

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As longtime readers know I'm not exactly a fan of Donald Trump or his attached enormous ego. But I have to give him credit for doing the right thing. He moved the Miss Universe Pageant from Dubai, after Dubai said the country would not allow the pageant to go on with Miss Israel in it--something about not wanting pretty women to enter the Arab Muslim world.

On the other hand, Trump had no choice. Many of his business partners are Jews, as are many of the people with whom he socializes on the Manhattan rich people's cocktail circuit. Still, perhaps I'm giving both Trump and New York Jews too much credit. I doubt they'd shun him if he went on with the pageant excluding the Jew (although Miss Israel has been a Muslim Arab before, such as Rana Raslan). They really don't care a whit about anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment. Look who most of 'em voted for in the Presidential election.

Plus Trump shouldn't have considered Dubai in the first place. It's no secret the nation boycotts Israel, etc. That's not to mention Trump's good friend, Russell Simmons, who employs an anti-Semitic Muslim--Benjamin Chavis Muhammad--as head of his Hip Hop Summit Action Network. So, it's not like anti-Semitism really bothers Trump all too much.

Trump isn't exactly bothered by Dubai anyway. He was supposed to build a Trump International Hotel and Tower, there, which is now "delayed." And the cancellation of Miss Universe there might have more to do with that, then any moral stand against anti-Semitism in Dubai and the other United Arab Emirates.

Regardless, though, Dubai's anti-Israel policy has been publicly dissed by no less than Trump, and that's a good thing.

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SOURCE: Dubai Says No to Miss Israel, Trump Moves Miss Universe to Vegas

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