MYSTERY has swirled around a Miss Universe beauty contestant who said she won a competition which reportedly never took place.
Nadeen Ayoub, 27, who claims to be Miss Palestine, is taking place in the world-renowned event this November – despite there being little information about her background.
Nadden Ayoud, 27, is Miss Palestine[/caption]
She said she took part in the competition, despite reports saying it never took place[/caption]
She is listed as the founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organisation – the group behind her title.
But there is no record of a Miss Palestine pageant ever taking place with Ayoub competing, according to the New York Post.
The outlet also reported there wasn’t even a documented list of other participants, or ways for people to register and compete.
For a beauty queen, Ayoub has a surprisingly small amount of biographical information about her career.
Even on her social media and the Miss Palestine Organisation website, she is seemingly shrouded in mystery.
The contestant was reportedly born in the US and raised in Canada, and now lives in Dubai.
She announced recently she would be representing Palestine in the prestigious Miss Universe competition in Thailand on November 21.
Ayoub said on social media: “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.
She also shared a photo of herself with a sash that reads “Miss Universe Palestine” to her 1.1 million Instagram followers.
The model said she first claimed the title of Miss Palestine in 2022, but postponed plans to go to Miss Universe after the barbaric October 7 terror attack by Hamas.
She made the claims in an interview with The National, a United Arab Emirates newspaper.
“We had the Miss Palestine beauty competition and I got the title,” Ayoub said in September 2022 during the interview.
“There hasn’t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide.”
She added: “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.”
Israeli media was outraged by her reference to “genocide” in Gaza.
And some beauty influencer’s were left puzzled by her entry.
Adela Cojab, a New York-based Jewish activist and runner-up in the Miss Israel pageant said: “What’s strange is that Miss Universe made the decision to include her.
“Miss Universe stands for unity, peace and co-existence – and if she stands for all of those things then let’s have it.”
She is said to have competed against no one in the Miss Palestine pageant[/caption]
She is the founder and manager of the Miss Palestine Organisation[/caption]
Outlining how she wanted Ayoub to condemn the October 7 attacks, she added: “I would welcome an advocate who stands against extremism and stands for the right of all people to exist.”
The Miss Palestine Organisation registered its website in May this year.
It features elegant black and white photos of Ayoub holding a glittering crown.
A spokeswoman for the company refused to answer questions about how Ayoub won her 2022 title, the New York Post reported.
The spokesperson said: “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 firm has also already put out a call for potential participants to sign up for a 2026 Miss Palestine competition.
The model and wellness coach is said to have grown up in Canada and studied English literature and psychology at the University of Western Ontario.
She also went to high school in the same area, according to her LinkedIn page.
Miss Palestine previously taught at the Friends School in Ramallah in the West Bank.
And she has worked with United in Humanity, a Washington-state nonprofit that organised humanitarian missions in Gaza, public records show.
Ayoub also runs the Dubai-based Olive Green Academy – a firm that offers workshops on how to become an influencer.
A spokesperson for Miss Universe said that “all applications are carefully reviewed” and thoroughly evaluated by a commission within the organisation.
In 2022, Ayoub was one of four winners of the Miss Earth pageant in the Philippines.
She was crowned Miss Earth Water, and at the same contest she claimed she had previously participated in a Miss Palestine pageant – but did not reveal any details.
She has worked in schools and for charities[/caption]
