Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she's a little on the plump side. But at Saudi Arabia's only beauty contest, the judges don't care about a perfect figure or face. What they're looking for in the quest for “Miss Beautiful Morals” is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents. “The idea is to measure the contestants' commitment to Islamic morals... It's an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman's body and looks,” said contest founder Khadra Al-Mubarak. “The winner won't necessarily be pretty,” she added. “We care about the beauty of the soul and the morals.” So after the contest opens Saturday, the nearly 200 contestants will spend the next 10 weeks attending classes and being quizzed on themes including “Discovering your inner strength,” “The making of leaders” and “Mom, paradise is at your feet” – a saying attributed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to underline that respect for parents is among the faith's most important tenets. Contest hopefuls will also spend a day at a country house with their mothers, where they will be observed by female judges and graded on how they interact with their mothers, Al-Mubarak said. Since the contest is not televised and no men are involved, contestants can take off the veils and black figure-hiding abayas they always wear in public. The Miss Beautiful Morals contest is the latest example of Muslims co-opting Western-style formats to spread their message in the face of the onslaught of foreign influences flooding the region through the Internet and satellite television. A newly created Islamic music channel owned by an Egyptian businessman aired an “American Idol”-style contest for religious-themed singers this month. And several Muslim preachers have become talk-show celebrities by adopting an informal, almost Oprah-like television style, in contrast to the solemn clerics who traditionally appear in the media. Now in its second year, the number of contestants has nearly tripled from the 75 women who participated in 2008. The contest is open to women between 15 and 25. The winner and two runners-up will be announced in July, with the queen taking home $2,600 and other prizes. The runners-up get $1,300 each. Last year's winner, Zahra Al-Shurafa, said the contest gives an incentive to young women and teens to show more consideration toward their parents. “I tell this year's contestants that winning is not important,” said Al-Shurafa, a 21-year-old English major. “What is important is obeying your parents.” The event kicks off Saturday in the town of Safwa in the Eastern Province.
