Latest news with #KarmenAnastasya
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Miss Indonesia contestant removed from pageant after pro-Israel video
JAKARTA: A Miss Indonesia contestant has been removed from the pageant after a video showing her waving the Israeli flag went viral, sparking backlash in a country that has long stood in solidarity with Palestine. Merince Kogoya, who was set to represent the province of Highland Papua at the Miss Indonesia finals on July 9, was dropped from the competition last week after the video from May 2023 gained traction on social media. The clip, which shows Kogoya dancing with the Israeli flag, sparked outrage among Indonesians and prompted pageant organizers to quietly remove Kogoya from the competition. She was replaced with Karmen Anastasya, a runner-up from the same province. On Monday, Kogoya posted on Instagram — where her bio reads 'I stand with Israel' — that she was replaced due to 'public comments,' referring to the backlash she faced. 'My two-year-old video reel was widely shared with various misinterpretations about my beliefs,' she wrote. 'I am also conveying my apology to the Highland Papua family, I have tried to give my best but the fact is that @missindonesia's decision was taken based on comments that were not in line with my beliefs.' Kogoya did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Arab News. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, has long been a staunch supporter of Palestine, as its people and government see Palestinian statehood as mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism. The Southeast Asian nation has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and the Indonesian government has repeatedly called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders. Hundreds and thousands of Indonesians across the country have rallied in solidarity with Palestine since the beginning of Israel's onslaught on Gaza in October 2023, while they also take part in mass boycotts of products and companies linked to Israel. To date, Israel has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians and wounded over 133,000 others. The true death toll is feared to be much higher, with research published in The Lancet medical journal in January estimated an underreporting of deaths by 41 percent. The study also takes into account the possibility of a higher death toll, as it does not include deaths caused by starvation, injury and lack of access to healthcare, caused by Israeli forces' destruction of most of Gaza's infrastructure and the blocking of medical and food aid.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pageant contestant in Muslim majority nation ousted over pro-Israel video
Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant Merince Kogoya was disqualified after a two-year-old video showing her expressing support for Israel resurfaced. The video, reportedly from her time studying abroad, showed Kogoya holding and waving an Israeli flag while dancing, with a pro-Israel caption. Kogoya faced significant backlash in Indonesia, a majority Muslim nation with strong pro-Palestinian sentiment and no diplomatic relations with Israel. The pageant organisers quietly removed Kogoya from the competition and replaced her with contestant Karmen Anastasya, without issuing an official statement. Kogoya responded to the backlash by stating the video was not political but represented her Christian faith, though her Instagram bio reportedly still displayed 'I stand with Israel'.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Miss Indonesia disqualifies contestant over pro-Israel video
A Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant was disqualified after a two-year-old video showing her expressing support for Israel resurfaced on social media. Merince Kogoya, representing Highland Papua, was removed from the pageant during the quarantine phase after the video went viral on social media over the weekend. The video, reportedly recorded during Kogoya's time studying abroad, shows her holding and waving an Israeli flag while dancing. The caption, translated online, reads: 'Diligent for Sion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel.' Kogoya faced immediate backlash after the video went viral in Indonesia as the world's most populous Muslim nation is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic relations with Israel. In May this year, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said that his nation would be willing to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state 'once Israel recognises Palestine '. Public sentiment in Indonesia is strongly pro‑Palestinian and thousands of people join mass rallies and display Palestinian flags in solidarity. The outrage over Kogoya's video led the pageant's organisers to quietly remove her from the competition and replace her with Karmen Anastasya, the first runner-up from her province, according to The Jakarta Globe. The Miss Indonesia Organisation didn't issue a statement about Kogoya's disqualification. 'By considering the genocide committed by Israel as merely a religious conflict, she has already shown she doesn't meet the bare minimum for Miss Indonesia, who must have broad knowledge. No morals or empathy, even though in this day and age there's plenty of information, yet she chooses to think that way,' an X commentator said, according to an online translation. Responding to the backlash, Kogoya reportedly posted an Instagram Story on Monday insisting the video wasn't political but represented her Christian faith. 'I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ by praying and offering blessings, but an old video from my reels went viral with many false interpretations about my beliefs,' she wrote. At the time, however, her Instagram bio still displayed the phrase 'I stand with Israel' as social media commentators noted. At least 74 people were killed in Gaza besieged Palestinian territory 20 months into the war. Additionally, local health authorities said at least 66 children had died from malnutrition caused by the Israeli war and blockade. The war on Gaza began after over 1,100 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023. The Israeli war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians thus far, according to the local health ministry, displaced almost the entire population of 2.2 million and plunged the territory into a humanitarian crisis.
