December 23, 2008, - 3:10 pm
Dubai Says No to Miss Israel, Trump Moves Miss Universe to Vegas
By Debbie Schlussel
As longtime readers know I’m not exactly a fan of Donald Trump or his attached enormous ego. But I have to give him credit for doing the right thing. He moved the Miss Universe Pageant from Dubai, after Dubai said the country would not allow the pageant to go on with Miss Israel in it–something about not wanting pretty women to enter the Arab Muslim world.
On the other hand, Trump had no choice. Many of his business partners are Jews, as are many of the people with whom he socializes on the Manhattan rich people’s cocktail circuit. Still, perhaps I’m giving both Trump and New York Jews too much credit. I doubt they’d shun him if he went on with the pageant excluding the Jew (although Miss Israel has been a Muslim Arab before, such as Rana Raslan). They really don’t care a whit about anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment. Look who most of ’em voted for in the Presidential election.
Plus Trump shouldn’t have considered Dubai in the first place. It’s no secret the nation boycotts Israel, etc. That’s not to mention Trump’s good friend, Russell Simmons, who employs an anti-Semitic Muslim–Benjamin Chavis Muhammad–as head of his Hip Hop Summit Action Network. So, it’s not like anti-Semitism really bothers Trump all too much.
Trump isn’t exactly bothered by Dubai anyway. He was supposed to build a Trump International Hotel and Tower, there, which is now “delayed.” And the cancellation of Miss Universe there might have more to do with that, then any moral stand against anti-Semitism in Dubai and the other United Arab Emirates.
Regardless, though, Dubai’s anti-Israel policy has been publicly dissed by no less than Trump, and that’s a good thing.
More:
Alicia Jacobs, entertainment reporter at KVBC-TV, Channel 3, is reporting that Donald Trump’s Miss Universe pageant is “most likely” headed for Las Vegas. Trump, who was on the brink of holding the event in Dubai, has been negotiating with the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority since Dubai stipulated Miss Israel could not participate, Jacobs said. The event would be held at Planet Hollywood Resort, which also hosts the Miss America and Trump’s Miss USA pageants.
Debbie, you must be mistaken. Dubai is not anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.
I know this because during the Dubai ports deal several years ago, President Bush and his advisors, as well as leading representatives of the Israeli government explained to us that Dubai had numerous business dealings with Jewish merchants, and that this enlightened country was moving in the direction of tolerance and respect for Israel.
c f on December 23, 2008 at 4:04 pm