--- title: A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells | TIME description: Mona Eltahawy breaks down the controversy surrounding the first Arab-American and Muslim to be crowned Miss USA canonical: https://time.com/video/vMp36sd9/ og:title: A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells og:description: Mona Eltahawy breaks down the controversy surrounding the first Arab-American and Muslim to be crowned Miss USA og:url: https://time.com/video/vMp36sd9/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vMp36sd9/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells twitter:description: Mona Eltahawy breaks down the controversy surrounding the first Arab-American and Muslim to be crowned Miss USA twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vMp36sd9/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells [Watch (HLS stream): A Muslim Miss USA: Bikinis and Bombshells](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vMp36sd9.m3u8) (4:17)  _Published 2010-05-25. Mona Eltahawy breaks down the controversy surrounding the first Arab-American and Muslim to be crowned Miss USA_ --- Jul 27, 2023 2:16 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Scientist Kara McCullough Crowned Miss USA 2017](/video/6qb8FMQx/) ### Scientist Kara McCullough Crowned Miss USA 2017 [Miss Teen USA Will Keep Crown Despite Tweets with N-word](/video/KMeltvCA/) ### Miss Teen USA Will Keep Crown Despite Tweets with N-word [Army Officer Crowned Miss USA](/video/xHeh2PGu/) ### Army Officer Crowned Miss USA --- ## Transcript >> I could not have dreamed up Rima Fakih if I tried. When I imagine stereotype busting Muslim women, they're not usually being crowned the first Muslim, and possibly first Arab Miss USA. I have long fought to dislodge that media darling covered in black Muslim woman from her throne of cliché, and to give voice to the diversity of Muslim women out there. We're not all covered, we're not all in black, and some of us know how to have fun. Rima Fakih, complete with a bikini that had even me struggling to concentrate effortlessly embodied all of that. When the 24- year- old Lebanese- born, New York City- raised, resident of Dearborn, Michigan, told judges that health insurance should cover the birth control pill, she had already won this feminist's heart. Dearborn is proud of its queen, the media in Lebanon gushed, and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman publicly congratulated Rima amid reports the two would meet soon. What? Where are the scary fatwas when you need them? Besides that barely there bikini, there were pictures from 2007 of Miss Fakih's pole dancing, and not one of her relatives has tried to honor kill her. In fact, Rima thanked her mother, how American is that, for encouraging her Miss USA title. And Rima's aunt, who wears a headscarf, I might add, said that her Miss USA niece was an honor for all of Southern Lebanon where her family hails from. What's going on? What happened to the scary Muslims? What happened to the silent and invisible women? Who allowed them an opinion and sexy legs dammit. Rima almost tripped over her ball gown during the pageant, but that was nothing compared to how she wrong- footed quite a few Muslims who didn't know whether to celebrate or condemn a Muslim beauty queen. As allergic as I am to pageants, this Muslim and feminist, at least, is relieved to see a different type of Muslim woman in the news. Far from the usual miserable mélange of oppression, abuse and invisibility. I had barely recovered from news of Rima the beauty queen, when I was dumbstruck by news that Aziz Ansari, an American- Muslim comedian was going to host the MTV Movie Awards in June. Take that angry bearded Muslim man, if Rima is the anti- covered in black Muslim woman, then Aziz is most certainly the un- angry bearded Muslim man. As emcee of the MTV Movie Awards, he will effectively become Mr. Pop USA, following in the footsteps of Mike Myers, Sarah Silverman and Ben Stiller. What, Muslims this sexy and cool now? Oh, it gets worse. The promo for Ansari's upcoming MTV gig features him snuggling up on the couch with Kristen Bell as they watch the 'The Hurt Locker'. >> I have an improvised explosive device in my pants where my bing- bong is. >> Eeee. >> A disgusted Kristen walks out, and Ramona who can't help herself is in stitches as we see Aziz flat on his back on his bed, as 'The Hurt Locker's' explosive expert cuts the wire to the IED that was indeed right where Aziz's bing- bong is, underwear bomber anyone? Ever since the 9 / 11 attacks Muslims have been cornered into apologizing and explaining endlessly, why do they hate us? Is it our freedom? Well, surely Rima and Aziz are now both being held as the embodiment of that freedom as a victory for America, sexy and cool Muslims. Just as I could not dream up Rima, it's difficult to outdo the zany paranoia of the Right- wing which seeks conspiracies under the tiniest of bikinis. Apparently Rima, aka Miss Hezbollah, is an undercover, shouldn't that be underdressed agent of the Shiite militant group which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by the U. S. Administration. And silly me for wondering how we could be both sexy and cool in the same week on our own merit. Rima Fakih's victory is proof apparently that Muslims are at the receiving end of affirmative action and of a politically correct Islamo- pandering climate. 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