Islam-a-bad Girl Not Real Pakistani, Say Gov't Officials

Nick Gillespie | September 7, 2006

That's Mariyah Moten, a 22-year-old Houston resident who entered a Miss Bikini contest in China as a representative from Pakistan. Born and raised in Karachi, "where many women only go out in public covered in a veil," she's lived in the U.S. for the past eight years and, according to news reports, travels on an American passport.

So her participation as Miss Pakistan--she took home only an award for being the most interviewed contestant--has Islamabad P.O'ed:

A government official said Moten did not have permission to represent Pakistan, where many women only go out in public covered in a veil. The country does not hold beauty contests.

"We have asked our missions in Washington and Beijing to investigate this because it is against our policy, culture and religion," senior Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry told Reuters Thursday, referring to Moten's participation.

Finding bin Laden in a cave or stopping the Taliban? Eh, we're kind of swamped. Tracking down Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine? We're totally on it.

More here. And banal quotes from Moten and other pic here.