Obabiyah Aishah Ajibola of Nigeria crowned World Muslimah 2013, a Muslim beauty pageant held in Indonesia

The newly crowned Muslimah World 2013 Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola (C) of Nigeria speaks to the audience during the Muslimah World competition in Jakarta on September 18, 2013. (AFP)

 

 

 

Muslimah World pageant contestant Dayangku Rabiatul Adawiyah (L) of Brunei talks to other contestants while they prepare backstage for the grand final of the contest in Jakarta on September 18, 2013. The finale of a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women took place today in the Indonesian capital, in a riposte to the Miss World contest in Bali that has drawn fierce opposition. (AFP)

 

 

 

 

Contestants of the Muslimah World pageant take part in a rehearsal for the grand final of the contest in Jakarta on September 18, 2013.

 

JAKARTA (AFP) – A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.

The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.

But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.

After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.

While the event in a Jakarta shopping mall paled in comparison to Miss World on the resort island of Bali, in which scores of contestants are competing, Ajibola was nevertheless overwhelmed.

Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic verse.

She said it was "thanks to almighty Allah" that she had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes.

Ajibola told AFP before the final that the event "was not really about competition".

"We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," she said.

Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently.

Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World".

"This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women," she told AFP.

"But it's about more than Miss World. Muslim women are increasingly working in the entertainment industry in a sexually explicit way, and they become role models, which is a concern."

Hosted by Dewi Sandra, an Indonesian actress and pop star who recently hung up her racy dresses for a headscarf, the pageant featured both Muslim and pop music performances, including one about modesty, a trait the judges sought in the winner.

The pageant, which also featured bright Indonesian Islamic designer wear, is a starkly different way of protesting Miss World than the approach taken by Islamic radicals.

Snowballing protest movement

Thousands have taken to the streets in Indonesia in recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as "pornography" and burning effigies of the organisers.

Despite a pledge by Miss World organisers to drop the famous bikini round, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed.

The government eventually bowed to pressure and ordered the whole pageant be moved to the Hindu-majority island of Bali, where it opened on September 8.

Later rounds and the September 28 final were to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence.

But there are still fears that extremists may target the event -- the US, British and Australian embassies in Jakarta have warned their nationals in recent days of the potential for radical attacks.

More than 500 contestants competed in online rounds to get to the Muslimah World final in Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the headscarf.

The contest was first held in 2011 under a different name and was only open to Indonesians, Shanti said, but after the media began comparing it to Miss World, it was rebranded as a Muslim alternative to the world-famous pageant.

Because of its popularity, organisers accepted foreign contestants this year for the first time, with Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Nigeria and Indonesia represented.

 

 

 

 

#foxnews



Just look what giving up drink for a month can do to your face!

Many modern women enjoy a drink with an evening meal or have a glass of wine at home to unwind after a busy day, with large numbers of women exceeding the Government’s daily drinking guidelines of two to three units a day.

But would many cut down if they knew that, as well as affecting their health, alcohol could also damage their looks, making them look years older than their age?

Dailymail challenged Laura, a 40-year-old mother-of-two, to give up her 15 units of alcohol a week And she didn't just notice the change in the mirror...

WEEK ONE


At week one Laura clearly has skin which is red and flushed

Laura says: ‘Urgh, this picture looks horrific. I look awful. My skin is red and flushed, all the way down my decolletage. My forehead and nose are shiny and there are rough, dry patches across my cheeks.

‘More worryingly, I don’t remember thinking my skin actually looked this bad.


WEEK TWO


By week two Laura says she was sleeping for longer in the mornings and getting up less frequently in the night

Laura says: ‘What a miracle! I’m sleeping for longer in the mornings and getting up less frequently during the night.

‘Before, I might have woken up once or twice — whether I’d had a drink or not — but now I am sleeping like a baby. It might have helped that it was also the school holidays, so the children were sleeping in as well, but I am definitely waking up feeling brighter and more alert.

‘I’ve also noticed that in the evenings I’m not snacking as much. Normally I’d crave crisps with my usual glass of wine, but sipping a glass of lime and soda means I don’t feel like junk food. The urge just isn’t there.


WEEK THREE


Laura began noticing a difference in her skin's dryness after week three

Laura says: ‘By now I’m noticing a difference in my skin’s dryness, and not just on my face.

'It sounds unpleasant, but when I used to take off leggings or trousers I often noticed dry flakes of skin left behind. Now there’s hardly anything.

‘Equally the backs of my hands are looking less dry and — unless I’m imagining it — marginally less wrinkly.

‘When my mother visited this week, she said how less blotchy I was looking — success! A friend also said my skin tone looked more even.


WEEK FOUR


Laura lost 3lb and her face was slimmer by week four

Laura says: By week four I’m feeling invigorated and so much better in myself.

‘I’m getting fewer headaches and have much more energy. My lips are less dry, too — I usually get a cold sore almost every week — but since ditching the booze not a single one has appeared.

‘Better still, I’ve lost 3lb and my face definitely looks slimmer. I have to admit, it’s been far easier to abstain from alcohol than I’d feared. I said no to a few barbecues, just in case I was tempted, but I’ve enjoyed feeling healthier and brighter, especially in the mornings.



#dailymail#femail

 

On Court Trial: Mother who starved her 4 yr old son to death and kept his mummified corpse in her bedroom for TWO YEARS!

• Amanda Hutton accused of manslaughter of her child Hamzah Khan
• Police found the mummified remains in a cot with his teddy in her bedroom
• Four-year-old died in December 2009 but was found in September 2011
• He was dressed in baby-gro for 6-9 month baby and 'starved', court hears
• Hutton ordered pizza just after death and still claimed child benefit, jury told
• Police said carpet in home not visible because it was covered with rubbish

A mother starved her four-year-old to death and kept his mummified corpse in a cot in her bedroom for almost two years while claiming his child benefit, a court heard today.

Hamzah Khan's body was still dressed in a baby-gro when police made the 'dreadful discovery' at Amanda Hutton's house in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

His mother's manslaughter trial heard Hamzah died in December 2009 but was found 21 months later.

Instead of calling 999 when her son perished, unemployed Hutton had ordered a takeaway pizza, the jury was told.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Paul Greaney QC told Bradford Crown Court that the boy, four, was so small he fitted into clothes for a six-month-old child.

He was found dead next to his favourite teddy in the room where Hutton, a habitual cannabis smoker who drank a litre of vodka every day, slept each night.

Neighbours complained because of the smell from her house and when she started tossing soiled nappies into her garden.

'Hamzah's growth had been stunted,' Mr Greaney said.

'It had been stunted because he was malnourished over a lengthy period and that state of affairs resulted in his death.

'In short, he starved to death.

'How had a child starved to death in 21st century England?'

He said: 'Amanda Hutton failed to provide her child with the nourishment that he needed to survive and, in so failing, she killed him.'

Hutton watched the proceedings from the dock dressed in a black top, cardigan and skirt.

She was flanked by one woman security officer.

Mr Greaney said Hamzah's body was found after police community support officer Jodie Worsley spoke to Hutton and became concerned about the smell coming from her house.

Eventually, more police arrived and went into the property.

'What they discovered disturbed even hardened officers,' he said.

Mr Greaney said the officers were faced with "conditions of squalor".




Tragic: Hamzah Khan was found in his mother's bedroom by police after complaints about the smell

He told the jury: 'Furthermore, within a cot in the bedroom of Amanda Hutton, a police officer named Richard Dove made a dreadful discovery.

'Within that cot, beneath other items, he found the mummified corpse of a child.'



Accusations: The jury was told that Hutton ordered pizza within hours of her son's death and continued to claim child benefit for him

The prosecutor said Hutton was an abuser of alcohol and cannabis.

Mr Greaney said the jury will have to consider whether Hamzah 'became a secondary and less important consideration than those addictions'.

He said the defendant worked as care assistant in the past and there was evidence that she had undergone some first-aid training.

Mr Greaney told the jury he expects Hutton's defence lawyers to argue that Hamzah's malnutrition could have arisen through 'some naturally occurring condition'.

He said the prosecution case was that Hutton was guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence on two grounds - that she failed to feed him adequately and failed to seek medical assistance for him.

The jury heard that Hamzah's father, Aftab Khan, was separated from Hutton and lived elsewhere.

Mr Greaney said there is evidence Mr Khan was violent towards the defendant.

The jury was told that Hutton ordered pizza within hours of her son's death and continued to claim child benefit for him.

Mr Greaney said that in police interviews Hutton said Hamzah had become particularly unwell on December 14, 2009.

She said the next day she went to a supermarket to consult a pharmacist but got a phone call to come home.

Mr Greaney said: 'She explained that when she returned Hamzah was near to death. She sought to revive him but to no effect.

'She described placing Hamzah into his cot, making plain that she had treated his body with dignity, and it is right that we should observe that Hamzah's body was found, it was found with a teddy.'

Mr Greaney said Hutton told police that things deteriorated after her son's death and she began to drink a bottle of vodka a day.

The prosecutor told the jury: 'She made no call for assistance - for a doctor or an ambulance.
'What did she do? Within hours she was ordering a pizza. So, no call for assistance but a call, or even calls, for pizza.

'Moreover, she thereafter continued to claim child benefit in respect of her dead son.'







'Squalor': Hutton was arrested after the biy's decomposed body was found at a house in Bradford by police, who described the disgusting conditions inside

Mr Greaney said the jury will have to consider whether the pizza and the child benefit matters 'demonstrate anything about her attitude towards Hamzah'.

Mr Greaney said Ms Worsley had only recently started work as a police community support officer but went back to the house a number of times after neighbours had raised concerns.

The prosecutor said: 'Her conscientious and tenacious approach to the situation would have done a seasoned detective credit.'



Bereft: Hamzah Khan's father Aftab Khan laying flowers after hearing about the death of his son

He said that when Ms Worsley looked through the letterbox of the house 'she could see nothing, but the smell from within made her gasp for breath'.

He said dead flies covered the windowsill.

When the PCSO and a colleague eventually got Hutton to open the door they 'were not persuaded by Amanda Hutton's claim that all was well.'

'On the contrary,' Mr Greaney said, 'they were concerned by Amanda Hutton's appearance because flies were hovering all around her and by the terrible smell emanating from the house.'

The jury of four women and eight men were shown pictures of the inside of Hutton's home.

The lounge was filled with rubbish including pizza boxes and empty bottles which was so deep the carpet was not visible. The kitchen floor was similarly covered in debris.

Mr Greaney pointed out to the jury how Hutton's bedroom was noticeably less cluttered. The blue travel cot where Hamzah's body was found was also visible.

Mr Greaney said a consultant paediatrician went to the house after Hutton's arrest and found it 'overwhelming to visit'.

He said: 'She discovered that there was a huge amount of rubbish, rotting matter, faeces and empty bottles.

'She described the smell of the property as offensive almost beyond description.

'There were also significant numbers of flies present.'

Mr Greaney told the jury that a police officer said to Hutton 'you know what's been found, don't you Amanda?' as the defendant was being taken to the police station.

The prosecutor said Hutton told the officer: 'He died two years ago on the 15th December.'

He told the jury they will hear from a number of experts who have been working with police to try and work out what happened to Hamzah.

He said Julie Roberts, a forensic anthropologist, concluded Hamzah's development 'was comparable to a child aged between one year and 18 months.'

The trial continues.




#dailymail

Home surveillance shows the moment 'Facebook killer' stares at the body of his wife moments after shooting her ...looking calm and composed

Chilling footage of the 'Facebook killer' who shot dead his wife then posted a picture of her body online and declared 'I'm going to prison' shows him calmly get his coat and phone and look at the body immediately after the shooting.

Derek Medina, 31, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder after he shot his wife Jennifer Alfonso, 26, six to eight times at their South Miami, Florida, home on August 8.

He confessed the shooting to police, but claimed that he killed her because he was tired of suffering abuse at her hands. He is expected to claim self-defense.



Smoke and debris: Clouds of gun smoke and debris can be seen on home surveillance footage in the Derek Medina murder trial, in which Medina, who has confessed to shooting his wife, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder

The home surveillance footage, released yesterday by prosecutors, does not show the fatal exchange which happens out of the frame.

But Medina claims he shot her in self-defence after she started hitting him 'several times with a closed fist,' according to police documents see by the Miami Herald.

The video shows Alfonso in the kitchen at the sink. When Medina enters, the couple move out of the frame, but at one point Medina's head is seen flinching backwards.

Medina claims his wife had grabbed a knife and he had disarmed her and put the knife back in a drawer, but then she started punching him.

Click to watch video:

 

Moments earlier, Jennifer Alfonso, far right, was seen at the sink close to the entrance of the kitchen





Medina is seen coming into the kitchen shortly after Alfonso moves away from the sink. A brief exchange is seen in the corner of the frame, before the debris flies past the camera lens





Several clouds of debris fly past the frame. Police documents reveal Medina shot Alfonso six to eight times

Then the footage shows Medina leave the kitchen and come straight back. He told police he went upstairs to get a gun, according to the Miami Herald.

Moments later white particles fly past the lens in several clouds, a sign of gunfire.

Medina then walks out of the kitchen, comes back holding his phone and pauses in the doorway.

As he walks away again the light from his phone is on. This is when, police say, he took the photo of the body. All the while Alfonso's ten-year-old daughter from another relationship was upstairs. She was unhurt.





He then walked away from the scene, and came back with his phone, paused in the doorway, before walking away again, his phone light on




After calmly putting on his jacket, Medina then left the property, captured on a different camera

He then gets a jacket and returns to the kitchen entrance and looks again in the direction of the body as he puts it on.

Calmly, he leaves the property. The next frame is of police and paramedics arriving at the couple's home.

A Facebook post from Medina read 'Rip Jennifer Alfonso' alongside a picture of her slumped backwards on the kitchen floor.

He wrote on his Facebook page: 'I’m going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife. Love you guys. Miss you guys. Take care. Facebook people you’ll see me in the news.'



A tattooed Derek Medina, pictured in court on Thursday, pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered his wife - despite posting pictures of her body on his Facebook page





It is thought that Medina could argue self-defense in the case, claiming that his wife cut him with a knife before he killed her




Turbulent relationship: According to Medina's father, Derek and his wife got a divorce after three years of marriage, but then tied the knot again

Prosecutors said they will ask a grand jury to upgrade Medina's charges to first-degree, premeditated murder - which could carry the death penalty.

Three South Florida attorneys are now representing him; they took over from the Public Defender's Office, which initially represented Medina.

Medina claims his wife was abusive. He wrote on Facebook: 'My wife was punching me and I am not going to stand anymore with the abuse so I did what I did I hope u understand me.'

Medina's lawyers have asked to photograph markings such as cuts and bruises on Alfonso's body. It is presumed Medina will claim the killing was in self-defence.

The diary of his late wife has also been been seized by police. Some entries are happy while others highlight the difficult nature of their relationship, the news service said.

She described the first day in their new home as 'beautiful'. She also wrote of their relationship: 'When we love each other it's GREAT. But when we hate each other we HATE each other,' according to the Miami Herald.

She admits she struggled with feelings of jealousy and believed he was looking at other women. Her entries also reveal how she struggled with her confidence and one one occasion 'negative thoughts and memories plagued her mind'.



Gruesome: Derek Medina was arrested after admitting to killing his wife on Facebook and posting a grisly photo of her body lying on the kitchen floor


According to the Miami-Dade affidavit the couple had been squabbling since they woke up on the morning of the shooting.

At about 10am, Alfonso was upstairs, and Medina threatened her with his .380-caliber pistol. The shooting happened later when Alfonso was in the kitchen.

Medina's father, Derek, to whom he confessed to shortly after the shooting, told the Miami Herald: 'They are making my son out to be a monster and it was the other way around. She pushed him to the point of insanity.'

The victim's family however, described Medina as controlling, claiming that he pressured her to leave her job.

One man, who would give his name only as Joe, said Medina was prone to violent outbursts.





Domestic abuse: There is speculation Medina's legal team will claim the killing was in self-defense





Denied: A Miami-Dade Circuit court judge denied Medina bail earlier this month after he allegedly admitted to murdering his wife on Facebook on August 8

He claimed he once saw Medina threaten a woman with a gun after she accidentally spilled beer, and said Medina used to stalk members of a softball team they both played on.

Medina was denied bail by a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge.

In an interview with the local station WSVN, Medina's father, Derek Medina Sr., said that his son came to him at around 11am Thursday August 8 and admitted to shooting his wife.

‘He just said that his wife picked up a knife on him, and they had a big fight, and he shot her,’ said the father.

The elder Medina drove his son to a South Miami police station, where the 31-year-old turned himself in.

Police at scene where man kills his wife and posts Facebook...

 

 

Concerns: The unsettling post left several of Medina's friends puzzled, asking him for an explanation of what happened


Derek Medina Sr. said that the girl who was removed from the apartment wrapped in a blanket is Alfonso’s daughter from a previous relationship.

According to the father, his son had a rocky relationship with Alfonso. He said that the two had gotten a divorce after being married for three years, but then remarried last year.

Medina was a part-time extra on the USA Network show Burn Notice.






This image was taken from the Facebook page identified as belonging to Derek Medina




Tragic twist: when police arrived at the couple's home, they found Alfonso's 10-year-old daughter and led her out wrapped in a blanket

The wannabe star boasted online about his tiny bit-part appearances and dreamed of fame that he never quite attained. He appeared only as a background extra with his head-shaved and pouting in two episodes in 2010.

He has also self-published a number of self-help e-books, one titled: 'How I Saved Someone's Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication.'

Alfonso was a waitress at Denny's.






Last post: Jennifer Alfonso was last active on Facebook on August 7, changing her profile picture to a photo of her kissing a man believed to be Medina

 

#dailymail

Yes, You Are Still Legally Allowed To Twerk In Louisiana

A press release claiming DeQuincy, Louisiana, has made twerking illegal was posted to the website 'PRLog ' on Tuesday.

Well, it's just a rumour and there is no such thing!

     




According to the fake press release, Mayor Maynard Wilkens said, “Twerking is a defiant act against Jesus,” and twerking would be punishable by 30 days in county jail. The actual mayor of DeQuincy is Lawrence Henagan, however, and he didn’t say that.

DeQuincy Mayor Lawrence Henagan said this statement regarding the hoax: "[The rumoured twerking ban is] a bunch of hogwash. There's nothing to it."

Yes, he said "hogwash."


     
The actual mayor of DeQuincy is Lawrence Henagan



DeQuincy is a town of less than 4,000, two hours east of Houston.

     


This isn’t the first fake story about the town. According to The Times-Picayune, fake press releases have circulated claiming the town banned Koreans from living there and gave all its students guns.

     




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