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Rima Fakih

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Rima Fakih
ريما فقيه
Born (1985-09-22) September 22, 1985 (age 38)[1]
Srifa, South Governorate (al-Janoub), Lebanon
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss USA 2010
Miss Michigan USA 2010
Major
competition(s)		Miss USA 2010
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2010
Miss Lebanon Emigrant 2008
(2nd runner-up)

Rima Fakih (Arabic: ريما فقيه) (born in Srifa, Lebanon on September 22, 1985) is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition.

A native of Lebanon, as a child Fakih moved to the United States with her family. As a Lebanese Muslim, she is reputed to be the first person of her nationality, ethnicity, or religion to be named Miss USA. In 2008, she traveled back to Lebanon to compete in the Miss Lebanon Emigrant pageant, placing third.

Personal life

Fakih was born in Srifa, a small city in the Jabal Amel region of Southern Lebanon, to a powerful Shi'a Muslim family. As a young child, she lived in the village of Souk El Gharb in Mount Lebanon, and attended St. Rita's, a Catholic school near Beirut.[2][3] In 1993, her parents, Hussein and Nadia Fakih,[4] moved their family to New York in order to escape effects of the Lebanese Civil War.[5] Fakih attended St. John's Preparatory School, a Catholic high school in Queens,[6] and her father ran a restaurant in Manhattan.[5] In New York, Fakih's family felt they were subjected to threats and vandalism based on events in the Middle East, and business at her father's restaurant declined following the September 11, 2001, attacks.[5] In 2003, her family moved to the large Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan.[5][2] Fakih and her family are Muslim, but they also celebrate elements of Christianity, such as Christmas.[4][7][8]

Fakih resides in Dearborn.[9] She graduated from Henry Ford Community College, went on to earn degrees in economics and business management from the University of Michigan–Dearborn, and plans to attend law school after her year-long reign.[8][10] She has a sister, who returned to live in Lebanon, and two brothers.[2] Prior to winning the Miss USA title she worked as a sales associate at the Detroit Medical Center, developing and recruiting in the Arab American community.[11]

Pageants

File:Rima Fakih and Lissette Garcia.png
Fakih with Lissette Garcia, Miss Florida USA 2011, following the preliminary competition of Miss Teen USA 2010

Fakih competed in her first pageant in when she was nineteen, placing fourth runner-up at Miss Wayne County, a preliminary pageant for Miss Michigan in the Miss America system. She also competed in three smaller international pageants.[12]

Miss Lebanon Emigrant

In 2008, Fakih was selected to represent Michigan in the Miss Lebanon Emigrant competition.[5] The event is part of the Miss Lebanon pageant, and is open to young women who are Lebanese or of Lebanese origin, living in countries of the overseas Lebanese community.[13] Fakih placed third in the contest, held August 13 in Batroun, Lebanon, finishing behind Carina El Kaddissi of Brazil and Jessica Kahawaty of Australia.[14]

Miss USA

Fakih won the Miss Michigan USA pageant on September 19, 2009 at the McMorran Place Theater Port Huron. In May 2010 she represented Michigan at the Miss USA 2010 pageant held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She won the Miss USA title on May 16, 2010, becoming the first Miss Michigan USA to win the national title since Kenya Moore in 1993.[6]

Fakih is widely believed to be the first Lebanese American, the first Arab American and the first Muslim to win the Miss USA title; however, pageant officials stated their records are not detailed enough to confirm these claims.[15] The first Michigan delegate to win the Miss USA title, Carole Gist, became the first African-American Miss USA in 1990.[4]


Following the Miss USA pageant, internet entertainment media directed attention to a website featuring a 2007 "Stripper 101" pole dancing contest sponsored by Detroit radio station WKQI and won by Fakih.[16] WKQI said they had been contacted by representatives of the Miss Universe Organization, requesting additional photographs and information about the contest. The station expressed their support for Fakih, adding "the photos taken from our website are no more provocative than those on the Miss USA website."[17] On May 18, Miss USA pageant representatives told ABC News they would proceed with their media tour starring Fakih.[18] She was also an actress in an independent short film with sexual undertones titled Throbbing Justice.[19]

During and after the Miss USA pageant, Fakih's religious and ethnic identity became the subject of widespread discussion. On the subject of identity, she was quoted as saying "I'd like to say I'm American first, and I am an Arab-American, I am Lebanese-American, and I am Muslim-American."[20]

Many Arab Americans celebrated Fakih's victory,[7] but some Muslims felt she did not properly represent their religion. Muslim scholar Ghazal Omid wrote "To say that she is a Muslim is inaccurate. No Muslim woman can call herself a ... Muslim and be on stage with her bikini".[21] Responding to the issue in interviews, Fakih said she and her family are Muslims and respect the religion, but they may not be as strict as many people and do not define themselves by their religion; they view themselves as more "spiritual" than "religious" and appreciate all religions.[22][23][24] On the subect of the planned Islamic cultural center and mosque in New York, Fakih stated, "I totally agree with President Obama with the statement on the constitutional rights of freedom of religion. [But] it shouldn't be so close to the World Trade Center. We should be more concerned with the tragedy than religion."[25]

Miss Universe

As holder of the Miss USA title, Fakih represented the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on August 23. Fakih did not place as a semi-finalist and was the first Miss USA since Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002, to not place at the Miss Universe pageant.[22][26]

References

  1. ^ Rima Fakih Official Facebook
  2. ^ a b c "Miss USA hails from powerful Shiite family", msnbc.com, Associated Press, May 17, 2010, retrieved May 17, 2010
  3. ^ Ghaddar, Hanin (May 21, 2010), "The Not-So-Radical Roots of Miss USA", Foreign Policy, retrieved May 24, 2010
  4. ^ a b c Warikoo, Niraj (May 15, 2010), "Miss Michigan shows Arabs' diversity", Detroit Free Press, retrieved May 16, 2010
  5. ^ a b c d e AlHajal, Khalil (July 26, 2008), "Local student to represent Michigan in Miss Lebanon Emigrant contest", The Arab American News, Dearborn, Michigan: ProQuest, retrieved May 21, 2010
  6. ^ a b Miss Michigan USA 2010 – Rima Fakih – Bio, Miss Michigan USA, retrieved May 17, 2010
  7. ^ a b Noveck, Jocelyn (May 17, 2010), "Arab-Americans delight in Miss USA victory", Daily News, Associated Press, New York, retrieved May 17, 2010
  8. ^ a b Hutchinson, Bill (May 16, 2010, updated May 17, 2010), "Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010 winner: Lebanon-born Miss Michigan is first Arab-American to take crown", Daily News, New York, retrieved May 17, 2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ David, Ameera (2009), "Arab American Rima Fakih Wins Miss Michigan USA", Arab Detroit, retrieved April 28, 2010 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Rempala, Jodi (May 28, 2010), "Miss USA Rima Fakih: Living a dream", Press & Guide, Dearborn, Michigan: Heritage Newspapers, retrieved July 6, 2010
  11. ^ Meyer, Nick (November 20, 2009), "Arab American seeks Miss USA crown after capturing Miss Michigan title", The Arab American News, Dearborn, Michigan, retrieved May 29, 2010
  12. ^ Dybis, Karen (March 17, 2010), "Q&A: Miss Michigan USA Rima Fakih on Serving Others", The Detroit Blog, Time, retrieved May 29, 2010
  13. ^ Miss Lebanon Emigrant, World Lebanese Cultural Union, March 21, 2008, retrieved May 21, 2010
  14. ^ Miss Lebanon lists – Miss Emigrant, Miss Lebanon, retrieved May 21, 2010
  15. ^ Warikoo, Niraj (May 16, 2010), "Dearborn's Miss Michigan wins Miss USA pageant", Detroit Free Press, retrieved May 16, 2010
  16. ^ "Miss USA 2010 - Champion Pole Dancer", TMZ.com, May 17, 2010, retrieved May 17, 2010
  17. ^ "Mojo In The Morning 'Stripper 101' Alumn Rima Fakih Wins Miss USA Title", WKQI, May 17, 2010, retrieved May 17, 2010"
  18. ^ Marikar, Sheila; Bradley, Tahman; Hasan, Lama (May 18, 2010), "Crown Stays On: Rima Fakih to Tour Country as Miss USA", ABC News, retrieved May 18, 2010 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Hammerstein, B.J. (May 17, 2010), "Miss USA Rima Fakih in raunchy video spoof", Detroit Free Press, retrieved May 17, 2010
  20. ^ Duke, Alan (May 21, 2010), "Miss USA says 'American' is her preferred label", This Just In, CNN, retrieved May 24, 2010
  21. ^ Nasr, Octavia (May 20, 2010), "Is Miss USA a Muslim trailblazer?", This Just In, CNN, retrieved May 24, 2010
  22. ^ a b "Miss USA to Behar: Pole-dancing pictures were all in fun" (Text & Flash Video [5:33]), The Joy Behar Show, CNN, May 20, 2010, retrieved May 22, 2010
  23. ^ Byrd, David (May 21, 2010), Arab American Miss USA at Center of Controversy (Text & Flash audio [11:10]), Voice of America, 2:35–3:00postscript=, retrieved May 22, 2010
  24. ^ Gilgoff, Dan (May 21, 2010), "Crash course in Islam from Miss USA", Belief Blog, CNN, retrieved May 24, 2010
  25. ^ "Miss USA Weighs in on Mosque Controversy". Inside Edition. 20 August 2010.
  26. ^ "Miss Universe", Official Site, Miss Universe L.P., LLLP, retrieved May 25, 2010
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss USA
2010 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Lindsey Tycholiz
 Miss Michigan USA
2010 		Succeeded by

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