Miss Indonesia contestant banned over pro-Israel stance

Pageant organizers drop Miss Indonesia contestant after a clip emerges showing her standing with Israel and Jerusalem, which ignited backlash in the fiercely pro-Palestine, Muslim country.

By World Israel News Staff

A contestant in the Miss Indonesia 2025 beauty pageant has been disqualified from the competition due to a video in which she expressed solidarity with Israel.

Pageant organizers dropped Merince Kogoya, who was chosen to represent the Highland Papua district, from the contest because of the clip, which is believed to have been filmed two years ago.

In the video, Kogoya is seen waving an Israeli flag. The caption, translated from Indonesian, reads, “Diligent for Zion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel.”

Kogoya, an indigenous Papuan, is a member of Indonesia’s Christian minority, which comprises about 10 percent of the country’s population. The nation is predominantly Muslim.

The pro-Israel video, which went viral recently despite its 2023 origins, sparked major backlash in the fiercely pro-Palestine country.

In a recent Instagram post responding to the controversy, Kogoya explained that her support for Israel stems from her Christian heritage.

“I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ by praying and offering blessings, but an old video from my reels went viral with many false interpretations about my beliefs,” she wrote.

While the pageant did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Kogoya’s disqualification, it did announce that she was being replaced as the representative for Highland Papua by Karmen Anastasya, who was the first runner-up in the province’s beauty contest.

Indonesia does not recognize the state of Israel. Its leadership did not condemn the October 7 Hamas invasion, which included the murder of some 1,200 people in Israel.

Speaking at the ASEAN-GCC Summit shortly after the massacre, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appeared to blame Israel for the brutal rapes, murders, and kidnappings carried out by Hamas.

“We should not forget that the root of the problem is Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories,” Widodo said.