BALI, Indonesia (AP) — Security is tight ahead of the crowning of Miss World on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, where the event was moved following protests by Muslim hardliner groups.
Despite threats from the Islamic Defenders Front to disrupt Saturday night’s crowning, police say no rallies have been staged. The group has demonstrated for weeks, calling for the government to cancel the pageant because members say it goes against Islamic teachings.
Miss World organizers had earlier agreed to cut bikinis from the swimsuit competition, replacing them with more conservative sarongs. But pressure continued to mount, and more mainstream groups joined in and called for the show to be banned.
The government announced three weeks ago that the final would be moved to Hindu-dominated Bali from the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta.