Nov. 25, 2002. 05:34 AM JONATHAN HAYWARD FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Carleton student took moral stand

Scores dead in religious rioting

ANDREW CHUNG OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA—When Lynsey Bennett made it clear she wanted out of Nigeria, with the military guarding her hotel and rumours of killings, Canada's beauty queen stood up to Miss World organizers and was all but thrown out of the hotel.

Frightened — but also numb with dread that it was the presence of herself and the other contestants that was sparking the violence — Bennett was the first to take a moral stand.

"I was upset," said the 22-year-old. "But they were trying to calm down the rest of the girls, and they didn't want me to start persuading other girls to come with me."

Bennett was ushered back to her room, told to pack, and escorted to the elevator.

"I wasn't allowed to talk to any of the girls in the hallway, couldn't say goodbye to anyone," she said.

She was left in the hands of Canada's high commissioner.

"I was standing strong by my opinions," said Bennett, a Carleton University geography student and soccer player who had planned to highlight the human rights case of Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning in Nigeria for having a child out of wedlock. She had petitions, but meetings with Nigerian politicians were cancelled.

On the streets of Kaduna and Abuja, the Nigerian capital, religious riots have killed at least 215 people. Hundreds more have been injured and at least 4,000 have fled their homes because of violence among Muslims and Christians. The violence was sparked Wednesday by a newspaper article that suggested Islam's prophet Muhammad would have approved of the pageant, and might even have chosen a wife from among the contestants. Muslims rioted and Christians retaliated.

Organizers of the Miss World pageant didn't make the decision to withdraw the event from Nigeria until hours after Bennett made hers on Friday. The contest will go ahead in London, England Dec. 7.

Bennett flew from Abuja to London on Saturday, an escape arranged by Canadian officials. She arrived at the airport here last night to be greeted by her father George, mother Marnie, and 20-year-old brother, Taylor. The family was planning a quiet evening together after Bennett's ordeal.

They learned about the situation with a frantic telephone call. Bennett could see hordes of armed men outside her hotel. "To know the trigger of the riots was Miss World was a big concern to me," she said.

Bennett felt it was "disrespectful" to be in a country with a large Muslim population, to whom the pageant could be an affront, during the holy month of Ramadan. The conditions for the contestants were not ideal either, she told reporters.

Outside of Abuja, they stayed in a hotel that wasn't star-rated. The food was not to her liking, though "they tried," and she lost 12 of her 128 pounds.

"At first there's anger," said George Bennett. "But I guess they were trying to do damage control. It's just that when you think they've washed their hands of your daughter, it's not a good feeling."

Sylvia Stark, president of Miss Canada International, said she was "shocked" by how Bennett and the other contestants were treated.

She suggested Miss World organizers should have researched the country better.

Nigeria was chosen as the pageant site because it was the home country of last year's winner, Agbani Daregois. Since Bennett left the country before the rest of the contingent, it's not clear whether she'll be able to compete Dec. 7.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2002

Answers

Cool! There's a spark of life in silicon land . . .

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2002

The current Miss World/Miss Nigeria said that she believed the pageant was used as an excuse; that such riots have been going on for years. And that, at least, is true. However, it was a bit stupid to pour gas on the flames in the "necklaces."

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2002