Kurdish beauty from Kirkuk, Shaima Qassem Abdulrahman was crowned as Miss Iraq 2016 at the Sheraton Grand Ishtar Hotel in Baghdad. The national pageant marked a historic juncture in Iraq by being the first to be organized since 1972 and the first ever to be nationally televised pageant. The pageant was directed by Senan Kamel, organizer of Baghdad Fashion Week and co-founded by a group of Iraqi civil activists, Inanna Group, and Al-Mada Foundation for Media Arts & Culture. Members of the jury included representatives from Iraq's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities.

20 years old beauty queen, Shaima Qassem Abdulrahman is an economics student from the northern oil rich city of Kirkuk. According to an interview with NBC, the war with ISIS has personally affected Shaima whose home city was partly captured by ISIS in 2014 until they were driven away by the Kurdish Peshmerga. Two of her cousins, who were members of Iraq's federal police, lost their lives while fighting the Islamic State militants that same year. Iraq gets its first beauty queen after over four decades. The final had to be moved from Basra to Baghdad after threats from conservative Muslims.
Eight contenders competed for the crown and had a chance to represent Iraq in the Miss Universe contest. Organizers tried to stick to criteria of the international event, but made concessions to cultural sensitivities. No swimsuit walk was allowed and the evening dresses worn by the contestants were all below the knee. The girls were also prohibited from wearing headscarves.

There was more talking than glamorous strutting during the pageant as the contestants pitched their charity projects. One suggested repairing the Mosul dam, the largest in the country and reportedly badly damaged during the fighting around the city. The winner, Shaymaa Abdelrahman, said she would push for educational programs.
After getting crowned, the new beauty queen gleefully expressed: "I'm very happy to see Iraq going forward. This event was huge and put a smile on the faces of the Iraqis."
Iraq only held one pageant as part of Miss Universe in 1972, and since then it has never sent a delegate to international pageants. The beauty contest is the first one in more than 40 years to take place in the war torn country. Congratulations, Shaymaa Abdelrahman it would be wonderful to see Iraq at the international pageant!