I was absolutely certain that there would be an Islamist response to the crowning of Rima Fakih, a Lebanese-American quasi-Muslim (who went to Catholic school and celebrates Christian holidays), as Miss USA. But frankly, I expected it to be a lot worse.
Here’s what Hezbollah official Hassan Fadlallah had to say about the 24-year-old on Lebanese television:
“The criteria through which we evaluate women are different from those of the west.”
Okay, there is plenty of menace there, but at least Fadlallah leaves unspoken the recourse afforded to Islamists who evaluate women and find them wanting.