Between November 20th and 23rd, 2002, Kaduna, a northern Nigerian city, experienced a series of religiously motivated clashes known as the 2002 Miss World riots. The clashes resulted in the death of about 250 people and the destruction of several properties.
The Miss World beauty pageant was initially planned to be held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, but was later relocated to London after violent conflicts between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. The clashes were sparked by an article published in THISDAY newspaper, which some Muslims deemed “blasphemous” due to its association of the revered Prophet Mohammed with the beauty pageant.
In 2001, a Nigerian model and beauty queen, Agbani Darego, had won the Miss World beauty pageant, and as a result, Nigeria was chosen to host the contest in 2002. However, many Nigerian Muslims, particularly those in the country’s northern region, opposed the decision, arguing that it was meant to promote promiscuity and undermine female modesty.
The Miss World event was initially scheduled for November 2002 but was postponed to December 7th due to Ramadan, a Muslim holy month. However, the organizers of the beauty pageant were already under scrutiny in Nigeria due to their opposition to the death penalty given to Amina Lawal, a Nigerian woman accused of adultery by an Islamic Sharia court.
Despite this, 92 contestants from various countries arrived in Nigeria for the pageant. However, a columnist for THISDAY, Isioma Daniel, wrote an article that angered Muslim youths in Kaduna. She suggested that Prophet Mohammed would have approved of the event and even married one of the contestants. This article led to a ‘fatwa’ being issued on her life, causing her to flee the country.
Although the newspaper later apologized for the article, the damage had been done. The clashes that followed in Kaduna between November 20th and 23rd, 2002, were religiously motivated and claimed the lives of around 250 people while several properties were destroyed.
They wrote,
“With all the responsibility, sensitivity and respect for all Muslims, the staff, management, editors and board of ThisDay Newspaper apologize for the grave editorial error of last Saturday’s Miss World Beauty Pageant… We regret the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in the comments that were written by one of our staff. It is not only unjustifiable but also very provocative.”
Starting on November 20th, 2002, a series of religious clashes swept through the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, leaving approximately 250 people dead and numerous properties destroyed. This was triggered by a controversial article in THISDAY newspaper that linked Prophet Mohammed to the Miss World beauty pageant. The article sparked outrage among Muslim groups, who issued a fatwa on the author’s life. Angry youth then proceeded to burn down the newspaper’s regional office and engage in three days of v*olence that targeted Christians and Muslims based on their religion or ethnicity.
The police did not intervene during the riots, and it was only on November 24th, 2002, that the situation was brought under control. Despite the chaos, the Miss World Organization and Silver Bird Productions Limited announced that the event would still take place, although it was moved to London on December 7th, 2002, to avoid any further violence.
The pageant went ahead as planned, and Azra Akin, a Turkish woman, won the crown and was awarded $156,000.