The mysterious case of how a Canadian in Dubai became Miss Palestine and will compete in the Miss Universe pageant
A contestant in this year’s Miss Universe pageant will represent a country most nations don’t recognize, for a religious culture that rejects her, after winning a competition that apparently didn’t happen.Miss Palestine will compete in the pageant for the first time ever in November — represented by Nadeen Ayoub, 27, who is also listed as founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organization, the group behind her title.The Post could not find any record of a Miss Palestine pageant having been held, the names of any other contestants, or ways for them to have registered to compete.Remarkably, for a beauty queen, there is little official biographical information about Ayoub on her social media or the Miss Palestine Organisation website.She was reportedly born in the US and raised in Canada, and now lives in Dubai.With little fanfare, she announced on her website and social media posts she has been accepted to represent Palestine in the Miss Universe competition in Thailand on Nov.
21.“I am proud to walk this path, not just as Miss Palestine but as a voice for those who deserve to be seen and heard,” Nayoub told her 1.1 million Instagram followers, posting a photo of herself with a sash that reads “Miss Universe Palestine.”Nayoub first claimed the title of Miss Palestine in 2022, but says she postponed plans to go to Miss Universe after the Oct.7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas, according to an interview with The National, a United Arab Emirates newspaper.“We had the Miss Palestine beauty competition and I got the title,” said Ayoub in the September 2022 interview posted to YouTube.
“There hasn’t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide … I wanted to focus more on staying behind the scenes because the spotlight was supposed to be on the people in Palestine who are suffering, rather than me.”Her reference to “genocide” in Gaza has caused outrage in the Israeli press.Meanwhile, some beauty queens are confused by h...