Miss Indonesia disqualifies contestant over pro-Israel video
Merince Kogoya, representing Highland Papua, was removed from the pageant during the quarantine phase after the video went viral on social media over the weekend.
The video, reportedly recorded during Kogoya's time studying abroad, shows her holding and waving an Israeli flag while dancing. The caption, translated online, reads: 'Diligent for Sion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel.'
Kogoya faced immediate backlash after the video went viral in Indonesia as the world's most populous Muslim nation is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
In May this year, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said that his nation would be willing to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state 'once Israel recognises Palestine '.
Public sentiment in Indonesia is strongly pro‑Palestinian and thousands of people join mass rallies and display Palestinian flags in solidarity.
The outrage over Kogoya's video led the pageant's organisers to quietly remove her from the competition and replace her with Karmen Anastasya, the first runner-up from her province, according to The Jakarta Globe.
The Miss Indonesia Organisation didn't issue a statement about Kogoya's disqualification.
'By considering the genocide committed by Israel as merely a religious conflict, she has already shown she doesn't meet the bare minimum for Miss Indonesia, who must have broad knowledge. No morals or empathy, even though in this day and age there's plenty of information, yet she chooses to think that way,' an X commentator said, according to an online translation.
Responding to the backlash, Kogoya reportedly posted an Instagram Story on Monday insisting the video wasn't political but represented her Christian faith.
'I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ by praying and offering blessings, but an old video from my reels went viral with many false interpretations about my beliefs,' she wrote.
At the time, however, her Instagram bio still displayed the phrase 'I stand with Israel' as social media commentators noted.
At least 74 people were killed in Gaza besieged Palestinian territory 20 months into the war. Additionally, local health authorities said at least 66 children had died from malnutrition caused by the Israeli war and blockade.
The war on Gaza began after over 1,100 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023.
The Israeli war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians thus far, according to the local health ministry, displaced almost the entire population of 2.2 million and plunged the territory into a humanitarian crisis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- The Guardian
Edinburgh University could unadopt antisemitism definition after report into its colonial links
The University of Edinburgh is considering whether to unadopt an internationally recognised definition of antisemitism that critics say inhibits freedom of speech on the subject of Israel and Palestine. Edinburgh, one of Britain's oldest and most prestigious universities, is also considering whether to divest from companies accused of enabling alleged human rights violations by Israel. Both issues are being reviewed by university authorities as a report on the legacy of its historical links with the region is published. The report is part of a broader investigation of the university's involvement in colonialism and slavery. It recommends that the university divest from companies allegedly complicit in Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank, supports the reversal of its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and establish a Palestine Studies Centre to investigate the legacy of the Balfour declaration and offer scholarships to students of Palestinian origin. The report focuses on the repercussions over the past century of the Balfour declaration, a 1917 statement by the British government in favour of 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people'. As well as being British foreign secretary at the time, Arthur James Balfour was the University of Edinburgh's chancellor – a ceremonial and ambassadorial role – between 1891 and 1930. He had been prime minister from 1902 to 1905. Balfour played a 'unique role' in 'establishing and maintaining a century-long process of imperial and settler-colonial rule in Palestine, resulting today in one of the longest-standing colonial occupations and apartheid regimes in modern history', the report says. The IHRA definition and the university's investments were already under review, Sir Peter Mathieson, the university's principal, told the Guardian. The definition was a 'hot topic' and 'contentious', he said. 'There is not a unanimity of view. There are some Jewish people who think IHRA is a helpful definition, there are some people who think it's unhelpful, and so those discussions are ongoing and we haven't come to a conclusion.' This year's graduation ceremonies have been hit by a series of protests and walkouts by graduates, with about 200 students staging protests at 24 ceremonies; some directly accused Mathieson of complicity in the Gaza crisis. Last year, students occupied the quad in Old College, where Mathieson has his office. The university was setting up a 'responsible investment group' to examine its financial holdings, he added. Its remit included reviewing 'investments in relation to companies which are allegedly supporting Israel'. Research on the legacy of the Balfour declaration was added to the broader study of the university's links to colonialism a year after the Hamas atrocities of 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. The report's authors, Nicola Perugini and Shaira Vadasaria, both academics at Edinburgh, told the Guardian the decision to include Balfour's legacy in the research was a 'direct response' to pressure on the university leadership by campus protests over the Gaza war. The pair, both of whom taught for several years at al-Quds University, a Palestinian institution on the outskirts of occupied East Jerusalem, had already been researching Balfour's legacy for several years. They have been involved in divestment campaigns on campus, and last year Perugini demanded Mathieson apologise publicly after the principal met the Israeli deputy ambassador to the UK. Balfour's 67-word declaration said: 'Her Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.' During and after the first world war, Britain and other imperial powers were intent on dividing up the Middle East. Britain controlled Palestine under a League of Nations mandate between 1922 and 1948, during which its forces brutally suppressed Palestinian resistance to increased Jewish immigration in the wake of the Balfour declaration. The state of Israel was declared within hours of the end of the mandate in May 1948. The subsequent war drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during what became known as the Nakba, or catastrophe. Many Palestinians still blame Balfour for what they see as an act of perfidy and betrayal. The report's authors argue Balfour espoused openly racist views that explained his attitudes towards the Middle East, and had a record of supporting settler colonialism in Ireland, South Africa and Canada. In 1913, he became honorary vice-president of the British Eugenics Education Society. Some historians also say he was an antisemite who had backed the 1905 Aliens Act, which severely restricted Jewish immigration to Britain. The academics who oversaw the university review believe Balfour's views can be traced back to racist sciences that they say Edinburgh helped to formulate in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Although there is no evidence the university was involved in drafting the 1917 declaration, the report's authors maintain it was closely aligned with Balfour's career. It loaned him £12,000 – equivalent to more than £1.8m today – before he became its chancellor, and in 1925 Balfour wore his official university robes when he laid the foundation stone for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Vadasaria told the Guardian: 'Balfour signed a declaration that put in place an imperial and settler-colonial structure of racial domination inside Palestine, which has been sustained by military occupation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide.' The report points out that the declaration defined Palestinians as 'non-Jewish communities' rather than an Indigenous people with national rights to self-determination, and referred only to civil and religious rights rather than political and national rights. In the Nakba, Palestinians were forced into 'permanent exile that continues into the present'. Balfour's legacy was 'not merely a matter of historical harm,' it says. 'Indeed, harm to Palestinians today can be seen as an extension of Balfour's legacy in the present. While this violence may have begun with Balfour's declaration, it remains through ongoing policies that continue with the trajectory of imperialism, settler colonialism and the dispossession of Palestinian land and life.' The Balfour declaration was given an effusive welcome by the Guardian in 1917. Its then editor, CP Scott, had facilitated key introductions between prominent Zionists and members of the government. The report's forthright language and recommendations, plus the absence of any reference to centuries of Jewish persecution and dispossession that led to the development of Zionism, or the horrific nature of the Hamas atrocities committed on 7 October 2023, are likely to be controversial in a climate of bitter divisions over the war in Gaza. The IHRA definition of antisemitism was adopted by the university in 2020, 'without broad consultation with students and staff', according to the report. The definition 'violates academic freedom and freedom of speech by framing any criticism of Israel's policies of settler-colonial dispossession driven by state racism as a form of antisemitism', it adds. Alongside the definition, the IHRA offers what it describes as contemporary examples of antisemitism that critics say are used to protect Israel from legitimate criticism. Supporters of the definition say it is essential in helping to protect Jews from hate crimes and abuse. In 2020, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary in the Conservative government, threatened to cut funding to UK universities that failed to adopt the IHRA definition. The majority have done so. On the issue of divestment, the authors say the university authorities have 'adopted a 'conflict agnostic' approach, a term that denies the Nakba and its settler-colonial afterlife'. This month, a UN report highlighted the involvement of companies from around the world in supporting Israel during its war in Gaza. It noted that the University of Edinburgh was one of the 'UK's most financially entangled institutions', with nearly £25.5m invested in four tech corporations – Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM – that were 'central to Israel's surveillance apparatus and the ongoing Gaza destruction'. According to Perugini and Vadasaria's report, the investments have left the university exposed to 'complicity with genocide, crimes against humanity and illegal occupation'. A failure to divest would risk reputational damage and lead to further campus protests, the authors told the Guardian.
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- The Guardian
Edinburgh University could unadopt antisemitism definition after report into its colonial links
The University of Edinburgh is considering whether to unadopt an internationally recognised definition of antisemitism that critics say inhibits freedom of speech on the subject of Israel and Palestine. Edinburgh, one of Britain's oldest and most prestigious universities, is also considering whether to divest from companies accused of enabling alleged human rights violations by Israel. Both issues are being reviewed by university authorities as a report on the legacy of its historical links with the region is published. The report is part of a broader investigation of the university's involvement in colonialism and slavery. It recommends that the university divest from companies allegedly complicit in Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank, supports the reversal of its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and establish a Palestine Studies Centre to investigate the legacy of the Balfour declaration and offer scholarships to students of Palestinian origin. The report focuses on the repercussions over the past century of the Balfour declaration, a 1917 statement by the British government in favour of 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people'. As well as being British foreign secretary at the time, Arthur James Balfour was the University of Edinburgh's chancellor – a ceremonial and ambassadorial role – between 1891 and 1930. He had been prime minister from 1902 to 1905. Balfour played a 'unique role' in 'establishing and maintaining a century-long process of imperial and settler-colonial rule in Palestine, resulting today in one of the longest-standing colonial occupations and apartheid regimes in modern history', the report says. The IHRA definition and the university's investments were already under review, Sir Peter Mathieson, the university's principal, told the Guardian. The definition was a 'hot topic' and 'contentious', he said. 'There is not a unanimity of view. There are some Jewish people who think IHRA is a helpful definition, there are some people who think it's unhelpful, and so those discussions are ongoing and we haven't come to a conclusion.' This year's graduation ceremonies have been hit by a series of protests and walkouts by graduates, with about 200 students staging protests at 24 ceremonies; some directly accused Mathieson of complicity in the Gaza crisis. Last year, students occupied the quad in Old College, where Mathieson has his office. The university was setting up a 'responsible investment group' to examine its financial holdings, he added. Its remit included reviewing 'investments in relation to companies which are allegedly supporting Israel'. Research on the legacy of the Balfour declaration was added to the broader study of the university's links to colonialism a year after the Hamas atrocities of 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. The report's authors, Nicola Perugini and Shaira Vadasaria, both academics at Edinburgh, told the Guardian the decision to include Balfour's legacy in the research was a 'direct response' to pressure on the university leadership by campus protests over the Gaza war. The pair, both of whom taught for several years at al-Quds University, a Palestinian institution on the outskirts of occupied East Jerusalem, had already been researching Balfour's legacy for several years. They have been involved in divestment campaigns on campus, and last year Perugini demanded Mathieson apologise publicly after the principal met the Israeli deputy ambassador to the UK. Balfour's 67-word declaration said: 'Her Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.' During and after the first world war, Britain and other imperial powers were intent on dividing up the Middle East. Britain controlled Palestine under a League of Nations mandate between 1922 and 1948, during which its forces brutally suppressed Palestinian resistance to increased Jewish immigration in the wake of the Balfour declaration. The state of Israel was declared within hours of the end of the mandate in May 1948. The subsequent war drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during what became known as the Nakba, or catastrophe. Many Palestinians still blame Balfour for what they see as an act of perfidy and betrayal. The report's authors argue Balfour espoused openly racist views that explained his attitudes towards the Middle East, and had a record of supporting settler colonialism in Ireland, South Africa and Canada. In 1913, he became honorary vice-president of the British Eugenics Education Society. Some historians also say he was an antisemite who had backed the 1905 Aliens Act, which severely restricted Jewish immigration to Britain. The academics who oversaw the university review believe Balfour's views can be traced back to racist sciences that they say Edinburgh helped to formulate in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Although there is no evidence the university was involved in drafting the 1917 declaration, the report's authors maintain it was closely aligned with Balfour's career. It loaned him £12,000 – equivalent to more than £1.8m today – before he became its chancellor, and in 1925 Balfour wore his official university robes when he laid the foundation stone for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Vadasaria told the Guardian: 'Balfour signed a declaration that put in place an imperial and settler-colonial structure of racial domination inside Palestine, which has been sustained by military occupation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide.' The report points out that the declaration defined Palestinians as 'non-Jewish communities' rather than an Indigenous people with national rights to self-determination, and referred only to civil and religious rights rather than political and national rights. In the Nakba, Palestinians were forced into 'permanent exile that continues into the present'. Balfour's legacy was 'not merely a matter of historical harm,' it says. 'Indeed, harm to Palestinians today can be seen as an extension of Balfour's legacy in the present. While this violence may have begun with Balfour's declaration, it remains through ongoing policies that continue with the trajectory of imperialism, settler colonialism and the dispossession of Palestinian land and life.' The Balfour declaration was given an effusive welcome by the Guardian in 1917. Its then editor, CP Scott, had facilitated key introductions between prominent Zionists and members of the government. The report's forthright language and recommendations, plus the absence of any reference to centuries of Jewish persecution and dispossession that led to the development of Zionism, or the horrific nature of the Hamas atrocities committed on 7 October 2023, are likely to be controversial in a climate of bitter divisions over the war in Gaza. The IHRA definition of antisemitism was adopted by the university in 2020, 'without broad consultation with students and staff', according to the report. The definition 'violates academic freedom and freedom of speech by framing any criticism of Israel's policies of settler-colonial dispossession driven by state racism as a form of antisemitism', it adds. Alongside the definition, the IHRA offers what it describes as contemporary examples of antisemitism that critics say are used to protect Israel from legitimate criticism. Supporters of the definition say it is essential in helping to protect Jews from hate crimes and abuse. In 2020, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary in the Conservative government, threatened to cut funding to UK universities that failed to adopt the IHRA definition. The majority have done so. On the issue of divestment, the authors say the university authorities have 'adopted a 'conflict agnostic' approach, a term that denies the Nakba and its settler-colonial afterlife'. This month, a UN report highlighted the involvement of companies from around the world in supporting Israel during its war in Gaza. It noted that the University of Edinburgh was one of the 'UK's most financially entangled institutions', with nearly £25.5m invested in four tech corporations – Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM – that were 'central to Israel's surveillance apparatus and the ongoing Gaza destruction'. According to Perugini and Vadasaria's report, the investments have left the university exposed to 'complicity with genocide, crimes against humanity and illegal occupation'. A failure to divest would risk reputational damage and lead to further campus protests, the authors told the Guardian.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
US, Indonesia discussing strategic management of critical minerals trade, minister says
JAKARTA, July 24 (Reuters) - The United States and Indonesia are discussing joint measures to monitor and manage trade in Indonesian critical minerals that have strategic value, an Indonesian minister said on Thursday as he gave details of ongoing talks between the two countries. Indonesia is one of only a only a handful of countries to strike a deal with Washington to lower U.S. tariffs ahead of an August 1 deadline. The deal - referred to by the White House as an agreement on the negotiating framework - saw tariff rates on Indonesian products lowered to 19% from an earlier 32%. But chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto told journalists that the two sides were still in discussions about how to better regulate trade in vital, dual-use commodities. "Strategic trade management is important to ensure transparency between both parties so that imports and exports of dual-function commodities with strategic value can be monitored," he said in a briefing on the agreement recently struck with the United States. Commodities considered strategic are those used in Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, data centres, aviation, and the aerospace and space flight industries, he said. "So they (the United States) want to ensure that these strategic components do not fall into the hands of certain parties, including for use in terrorism or other purposes," Airlangga said. Indonesia, an archipelago and the largest economy of Southeast Asia, has large reserves of a number of critical minerals as well as deposits of rare earth elements. It is also the world's largest producer of nickel products, the biggest exporter of tin, and a major producer of copper. Chinese companies currently dominate the processing industry for nickel and bauxite in Indonesia. Airlangga also said that negotiations were on between the two countries to lower tariffs on Indonesian commodities entering the United States, adding that the rate could be close to 0%. The lower tariff could be applied on commodities that the United States cannot produce itself, the minister said. He also added the two were discussing rules of origin and to what extent a "third party vendor" can be involved to be eligible for the lower tariff rates offered to Indonesian exports entering the U.S. market.
