Kurdish Miss Iraq Vian Sulaimani stripped of title

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Vian Amer Noori Sulaimani, a Kurdish woman who won the title of Miss Iraq in March has been stripped of her title due to misinformation given during her registration process.

Sulaimani, who is originally from the Kurdish city of Sulaimani but resides in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, was stripped of her title and all of her duties for claiming to be single, when in fact she had previously been married per a press release from Miss Iraq’s official Facebook page on Thursday.

“While Ms. Sulaimani told us during the registration that she was engaged in a botched break, she was in fact, connected to a marriage and is now separated or divorced,” the press release stated.

The beauty queen was in violation of article number 4 of the rules and regulations to be eligible for the pageant which states “Participant must never be married in any form, whether religious or civil and have not given birth to a child.”

“As an organization aimed at promoting an international level of beauty and elegance, we are saddened by the unfortunate events and pledge to organize what is best next year and with regard to the title of this year will remain abstract until the selection of an appropriate contestant representing Iraq in international competitions for 2017,” the statement read.

The runner up usually takes the place of the original winning contestant in such events. This should lead to 18-year-old Masty Hama Adel from Halabja being named Miss Iraq 2017 and taking on Sulaimani’s duties. If so, she could possibly run in future international competitions such as Miss Universe in the UK or the US.