Not everyone likes beauty pageants... that's a given. Lots of people think they are pointless, sexist, or just plain dumb. However, there are groups in Indonesia that really, really dislike them.
The Miss World 2013 was held last month here on the island of Bali. It was originally planned to be held in the capital of Jakarta, but it had to be moved to Bali because of lots and lots of threats of protests, disruption, and violence. The organizers did a lot of things to make it more acceptable for this generally moderate Muslim country. They even dropped the swimsuit portion in exchange for a 'traditional' dress portion.
However, those steps were not enough to stop the protests and threats. We heard rumors that 5,000 people were coming to Bali on ferries ready to 'spill their blood' to stop the pageant from happening. There was really tight security setup for the event. We were getting messages like this from the American embassy, "Extremists may be planning attacks targeting the Miss World pageant
being held in Bali, including possibly against hotels used by participants. In addition, local Islamist vigilante groups have threatened to hold
large-scale demonstrations to disrupt the event.”
In the end, the event went off without major issues. There was no huge protest in Bali. The people of Bali were eager to show their tolerance, and they welcomed the pageant with open arms. Youth organizations even held big events in support of the pageant.
