Protests against the Miss World pageant continued on Thursday, as Indonesian Muslims gathered in the capital city to demonstrate against the show that event organizers insisted will still happen this weekend.
About 1,000 members of the hard-line Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia gathered in front of a Jakarta building where the local organizer of the pageant is currently staying, the Associated Press reported.
The demonstrators, most of whom were women, held signs reading, "Miss World = Culture Liberalization Campaign" and "Reject Miss World," while shouting, "Allah Akbar," or God is great.
Other rallies took place in the cities of Medan, Pekanbaru and Makassar as well. Protestors assembled in front of local government buildings, insisting the government bar contest organizers from allowing the Miss World pageant to take place on the resort Island of Bali.
But the organization running the contest said it would be impossible to change the location or cancel the event at this time. They also told protestors they'd ensure proper security and protection for participants.
"I assure that there will be nothing that runs against our culture," head of MNC, Hary Tanoesoedibjo said during a press conference, Wednesday. "I would not accept if there was a bikini show."
Another organizer in the capital city Jakarta, Budi Rusmanto, told AP that this contest will not differ from other pageants that have taken place in Indonesia in previous years.
"The only difference is the participants," Rusmanto stated.
Not only have hard-line groups like Hisbut Tahrir Indonesia rejected the scheduled event, another one of the most prominent clerical groups, the Indonesia Ulema Council, took a stand against Miss World.
Those that oppose the pageant argue that revealing clothing worn by women on stage runs against Muslim values.
Last week, the Indonesia Ulema Council called upon the government to cancel the contest, despite organizers having announced they'd switched the bikini portion for a more traditional sarong segment.
Protests have been going on since Tuesday in Jakarta and Bandung-the capital of West Java. On Wednesday, hundreds of demonstrators flooded the winding avenues in Indonesia's second-largest city, Surabaya to stand against Miss World.
