Mysterious case of how Nadeen Ayoub became ‘Miss Palestine’
A contestant in this year’s Miss Universe pageant will represent a country most nations don’t recognize, for a religious culture that rejects her, after winning a competition that apparently didn’t happen.
Miss Palestine will compete in the pageant for the first time ever in November — represented by Nadeen Ayoub, 27, who is also listed as founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organization, the group behind her title.
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The Post could not find any record of a Miss Palestine pageant having been held, the names of any other contestants, or ways for them to have registered to compete.
Remarkably, for a beauty queen, there is little official biographical information about Ayoub on her social media or the Miss Palestine Organisation website.
She was reportedly born in the US and raised in Canada, and now lives in Dubai. With little fanfare, she announced on her website and social media posts she has been accepted to represent Palestine in the Miss Universe competition in Thailand on Nov. 21.
“I am proud to walk this path, not just as Miss Palestine but as a voice for those who deserve to be seen and heard,” Nayoub told her 1.1 million Instagram followers, posting a photo of herself with a sash that reads “Miss Universe Palestine.”
Nayoub first claimed the title of Miss Palestine in 2022, but says she postponed plans to go to Miss Universe after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas, according to an interview with The National, a United Arab Emirates newspaper.
“We had the Miss Palestine beauty competition and I got the title,” said Ayoub in the September 2022 interview posted to YouTube. “There hasn’t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide … I wanted to focus more on staying behind the scenes because the spotlight was supposed to be on the people in Palestine who are suffering, rather than me.”
Her reference to “genocide” in Gaza has caused outrage in the Israeli press. Meanwhile, some beauty queens are confused by her presence.
“What’s strange is that Miss Universe made the decision to include her,” said Adela Cojab, a New York-based Jewish activist who was a runner-up in the Miss Israel pageant this year. “Miss Universe stands for unity, peace and co-existence — and if she stands for all of those things then let’s have it. “
Cojab, who sued New York University for antisemitism in 2019, said she wants to hear Ayoub denounce extremism and the Hamas attacks against Israel that left 1,200 dead.
“I would welcome an advocate who stands against extremism and stands for the right of all people to exist,” Cojab told The Post.
Israel, which is fighting a war in Gaza, does not recognize Palestine as an independent state, nor does the US. Recently France and Canada, among other countries, said they plan to formally recognize Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly next month.
The Miss Palestine Organization only registered its website in May and features elegant black and white photos of Ayoub holding a glittering crown.
A spokeswoman for the company refused to answer questions about how Ayoub’s 2022 appointment came about, saying only: “We’re currently preparing the official materials for Miss Palestine, and will share the full details in our upcoming media note once it’s ready.”
The company has already put out a call for contestants to register for a 2026 Miss Palestine competition.
Plans for a Miss Palestine competition to be held in Ramallah, in the West Bank, in 2009 were canceled after Hamas officials accused the Palestinian Authority of “spreading moral corruption,” for planning to hold the event.
The model and wellness coach reportedly grew up in Canada and studied English literature and psychology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She also went to high school in the same area, according to her LinkedIn page.
She taught at the Friends School in Ramallah and has worked with United in Humanity, a Washington-state nonprofit that organized humanitarian missions in Gaza, according to public records.
Ayoub also runs the Dubai-based Olive Green Academy, a company that offers workshops on how to become an influencer.
“We look forward to seeing Ms Ayoub on the Miss Universe stage, showcasing the beauty, talent and resilience of her people,” said Mario Bucaro, vice president of international relations for the Miss Universe Organization.
Thai entrepreneur Anne Jakrajutatip bought the Miss Universe Organization through her company JKN Global Group in 2022. A year later she declared bankruptcy, but the pageant continues. The company was previously owned by President Donald Trump, who sold it in 2015.
Bucaro told The Post that “all applications are carefully reviewed” and evaluated by a commission within the organization. He would not elaborate on how Ayoub was chosen for the competition, but said that Miss Universe is “an apolitical, inclusive organization.”
“With most pageants, organizers will make exceptions if the countries represented don’t include a national pathway,” said Laura Clark, the national director of Miss Earth USA, which is based in Washington, DC, adding that, in some cases, contestants can appoint themselves to represent a country or region.
The “appointed title” route into a pageant is usually accompanied by a hefty fee, Clark said, adding that some pageants charge between $5,000 and $10,000 to include a self-appointed contestant.
In 2022, Ayoub was one of four winners of the Miss Earth pageant in the Philippines. The brunette was named Miss Earth Water. There, she claimed she had participated in a pageant “in Palestine” before Miss Earth, but did not offer any details.
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