Shatu Sani Garko (born 23 November 2003) [1] is a Nigerian model and beauty queen who was crowned the 44th Miss Nigeria in 2021. [2] [3] Winning at the age of 18, she is notable for being the first Muslim to win the pageant. [4] [5]
Garko is an indigene of Kano State, Nigeria. [6] Although raised a Muslim, she attended a Catholic secondary school where she faced bullying. As a model, Garko was advised to ditch her hijab to succeed in the industry, which she refused. [7]
In 2021, Garko became the first Muslim to win Miss Nigeria in the pageant's 64-year history, and the first hijabi alongside pharmacist Halima Abubakar. [8]
Garko's Miss Nigeria victory was met with opposition from Hisbah, a Muslim purist group in Northern Nigeria. Hisbah criticised Garko's participation in the pageant, describing her actions as "illegal" and a bad example to young Muslim girls. In an interview with BBC Hausa, the Kano state Hisbah board chairman, Muhammad Harun Ibn-Sina, confirmed Garko's parents had been invited to a meeting with the Hisbah board for questioning. [9]
A beauty pageant is a competition traditionally focused on judging and ranking the contestants' physical attributes. Pageants have now moved towards including inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. Pageant titles are subdivided into Miss, Mrs. or Ms., and Teen – to clearly identify the difference between pageant divisions.
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
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The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria – often abbreviated as MBGN – is a pageant organised by Silverbird Group with the main purpose of sending representatives to international competitions. Originally known as Miss Universe Nigeria, it was renamed Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria after news publishers Daily Times lost their license to send delegates from rival contest Miss Nigeria to Miss World. Since 2005, the pageant has produced multiple representatives, but the MBGN World recipient is considered the overall winner. Miss Universe Nigeria was reestablished in 2023, breaking away from MBGN and operating as an entirely different pageant.
Rana Raslan is an Israeli former model who won Miss Israel in 1999. With the cancellation of the pageant in 2022, she remains the only Arab and Muslim to have won the title. Following her crowning as national beauty queen, Raslan represented Israel at Miss Universe that same year.
Miss Nigeria is an annual pageant showcasing positive attributes of Nigerian women, and awarding university scholarships. The winner is expected to portray exemplary qualities whilst serving as a role model to young women in the country. The pageant is currently organised by Daily Times.
A child beauty pageant is a controversial beauty contest featuring contestants under 16 years of age. Competition categories may include talent, interview, sportswear, casual wear, swimwear, western wear, theme wear, outfit of choice, decade wear, and evening wear. Depending on the type of pageant system, contestants may be found wearing anything from makeup to fake teeth, known as flippers, as well as elaborate hairstyles and custom-designed fitted outfits to present their routines on stage.
Miss Pakistan World is a beauty pageant for women of Pakistani descent from around the world. The event used to be held in Toronto, Canada but has moved to Pakistan and is held annually in Lahore, Pakistan.
In Nigeria, Sharia has been instituted as a main body of civil and criminal law in twelve Muslim-majority states since 1999, when then-Zamfara State governor Ahmad Sani Yerima began the push for the institution of Sharia at the state level of government. A "declaration of full Sharia law" was made in the twelve states in that year, and the states created Islamic legal institutions such as a Sharia Commission, and Zakat Commission, and a hisbah. According to some critics, the adoption of Sharia law violates Article 10 of the Nigerian constitution guaranteeing religious freedom.
Miss Universe Malaysia is an annual national beauty pageant and an organization that selects Malaysia's representative to the annual Miss Universe contest. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify, a runner-up is sent.
Islamic religious police are official Islamic vice squad police agencies, often in Muslim-majority countries, which enforce religious observance and public morality on behalf of national or regional authorities based on its interpretation of sharīʿah. Modern Islamic religious police forces were first established in the late-1970s amidst the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Islamic revival that the event brought to the Muslim world; prior, the administration of public morality in most Muslim-majority countries was considered a socio-religious matter, and was enforced through application of civil laws and/or through more informal means.
This is a list of the Philippines' representatives and their placements at the Big Four beauty pageants. The Philippines, widely considered a beauty pageant powerhouse, has won in all four pageants, with a total of 103 placements and 15 victories:
Ariana Mamiko Miyamoto is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Japan 2015. She represented Japan at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant and placed in the top 10. In 2015 she became the first hāfu or multiracial woman to be Miss Japan.
The Kano State Hisbah Corps is a religious police force in Kano state, Nigeria responsible for the enforcement of Shari'a to only Muslims in Kano state and other parts of the northern Nigeria. Malam yahaya faruk chedi is the first commander General of Hisba, followed by Sheik Ibrahim Mu'azzam Maibushra and then Sheik Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa. Sheikh Daurawa resigned as commander of Hisbah Kano in 2019, as of 2022, its commander is Haruna Ibn-Sina. Sheikh Daurawa was reappointed by Kano State governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in 2023 as its commander.
Miss USA 2017 was the 66th Miss USA pageant. It was held on May 14, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Terrence J and Julianne Hough served as hosts, while Ashley Graham also returned as backstage host, all for a second consecutive year. Brett Eldredge, Pitbull, and the cast of Michael Jackson: One by Cirque du Soleil performed.
Maryam Elisha is a Nigerian model, beauty queen, and fashion designer. She founded the Rikaoto by ME fashion brand in 2009, two years after being crowned Miss Valentine. Elisha was named one of the 20 most influential pageant personalities in Nigeria.
Halima Aden is an American fashion model. She is noted for being the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA 2016 pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. Following her participation in the pageant, Halima received national attention and was signed to IMG Models. She was also the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Yetunde Barnabas is a Nigerian model, beauty queen, actress and film producer. She initially gained recognition as the winner of The Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja pageant in 2017 and was crowned Miss Tourism Nigeria in 2019. She is best known for her role as Miss Pepeiye on Nigeria's long-running sitcom, Papa Ajasco and Company, as well as several leading roles in the Yoruba movie industry.
Miss Africa Great Britain is a beauty pageant open to African women resident in the United Kingdom. The winner becomes a goodwill ambassador for Miss Africa Great Britain, charged with designing and implementing a charity program based on her Pageant Platform.