Miss Iraq crowned for first time since 1972

For the first time in more than four decades, Iraq held a beauty pageant and crowned the new Miss Iraq.

The Huffington Post noted after death threats to its contestants, strong push back from the opposition and more than 100 lovely women to choose from, Iraq finally crowned Shaima Qassim as the new Miss Iraq. The 20-year-old winner, who received the crown Saturday night, is an economics student from Kirkuk. She is also one of the women who refused to drop out of the competition despite threats on her life.

"I want to prove that the Iraqi woman has her own existence in society, she has her rights like men," Qassem told NBC News. "I am afraid of nothing, because I am confident that what I am doing is not wrong."

The pageant last crowned a Miss Iraq in 1972, but stopped holding the annual contest after unrest in the Middle East. Now, with a new winner crowned Qassem could go on to compete in international competitions like Miss World, which eliminated the swimsuit portion of its contest last year.