A bikini ban has taken place at the Miss World 2013 competition that is to be hosted in Indonesia this year, as the country is predominantly Muslim and scantily clad women offend conservative Muslims.
With the bikini ban in order, the Miss World contestants will instead cover up their bikini bodies with a slightly more conservative, long sarong, according to Adjie S. Soeratmadjie of the RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organizer, the Associated Press notes.
"This is a sensitive issue in Indonesia. We have discussed it since last year and they [the Miss World Organization] have agreed, said Soeratmadjie.
This is the first time that a bikini ban has occurred since the beauty pageant began in the 1950s with the first winner being crowned in a two-piece bathing suit.
"I don't want to upset or get anyone in a situation where we are being disrespectful," Miss World Organization chairwoman Julia Morley told Australia's Herald Sun. "We treasure respect for all the countries that take part in the pageant."
Most of Indonesia's Muslims are moderate, but an extremist minority has become more vocal in recent years, in particular now with the approaching Miss World competition in September. Clerics of the Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, said they would send a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to demand that the beauty pageant be canceled.
This year's Miss World will take place on the tranquil island of Bali where thousands of holidaymakers are allowed to wear bikinis.
