Family of Iraqi beauty queen 'forced to flee country after she took a selfie with Miss Israel'

Amid the tensions in the Middle East, the family of Miss Iraq had to flee their homeland after receiving death threats over a photo she posted online last month.

The beauty queen, Sarah Idan posed with Miss Israel, Adar Gandelsman, at a Miss Universe International Beauty Pageant in Las Vegas. She came under fire for posting the photo to Instagram, captioned, “Peace and Love from Miss Iraq and Miss Israel,” in addition to modeling a bikini.

 

Confirming the death threats aimed at the beauty queen, Miss Israel told Times of Israel: “The two of those things together caused a mess for her back home where people made threats against her and her family that if she didn’t return home and take down the photos, they would remove her (Miss Iraq) title, that they would kill her,” 

She added that Idan's family in Iraq have been forced to leave, saying: "Out of fear they left at least until the situation calms down.

However, Miss Iraq has since apologized to those who thought the photo was “harmful to the Palestinian cause,” clarifying that it was not a political statement, but instead meant to “express hope and desire for peace between the two countries,” the paper reported.

She added, it “does not signal support for the government of Israel and does not mean I agree or accept its policies in the Arab homeland.”

Gandelsman also said her friend doesn't regret her decision to post the image on social media, which she's yet to pull down.

“She did it to so that people can understand that it’s possible to live together,” she said.