Jakarta, NU Online
Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has expressed his support for the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which has spoken out against the Miss World beauty pageant set to be held in Bali in September, saying that the event does not reflect the ethics and morality of Indonesia.<>

"I hope the Miss World committee considers the MUI's previous call for the Miss World event to not be held in Indonesia," said Suryadharma in Medan on Thursday.

"We should stay true to the ethics and morals of our country," he added as quoted by The Jakarta Post.

Earlier, Governor Made Mangku Pastika insisted that he would fully support the Miss World pageant, as the event's participants and organizers have agreed to abide by the administration's requirements related to the bikini ban.

There will be more than 130 contestants from 130 countries participating in the event, with more than 1,400 international journalists covering activities.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq