Blog Two: Contestant No 2

            The documentary Contestant No 2 tells the story of a young Arab-Israeli teenager named Duah Fares. Duah is from Rama and her religion is Druze. Duahs dream is similar to that of many teenagers all over the world, she desires to be famous. Duah will allow nothing to come between her and achieving her goal so she becomes involved in a beauty pageant called Lady of All the Arabs. Young ladies from all over Israel can partake in this pageant and the contestants are usually from all different cities and there are often a wide variety of religions. The Druze religion prohibits women from dressing and acting a certain way, which causes a major dilemma for Duah and her family when she decides to join the beauty pageant Miss Israel.

            The location of this documentary took place in Israel. This is a key factor in the meaning and conflict of this documentary because religion shapes the culture and every day lifestyle of Israelis. If Duah grew up in a country where religion was not a predominant factor, the documentary would basically lose its purpose. Religion has always been important in Israel history. There are various types of religions practiced in Israel, but all citizens take their religion very seriously.

            Duahs mother, Dalia, shared the same dream as Duah when she was younger however she gave up that dream and works as well as runs the household. Her father, Marwan, was arrested for ten years for a nonviolent crime and we never learned of his occupation. Duah also has six siblings who are seen throughout the documentary watching the news as it spoke of the threats against their older sister and even practicing their catwalk on lines of tile in the kitchen. The family is very supportive of Duah and her dream, however her parents are strict when it comes to following tradition. When she’s unsure if she is crossing the line and pushing her limits, she will consult her parents for advice.

            Economics did not play a huge role in this documentary until it came time for Duah to decide whether or not she wanted to quit Lady of All the Arabs to be a finalist in Miss Israel. She wanted to be involved in Miss Israel because it was more prestigious and could lead her to be famous. The problem was that it would cost $5,000 for her to quit Lady of All the Arabs. She ended up quitting Lady of All the Arabs and was fully involved with Miss Israel. When the finalists of the Miss Israel beauty pageant needed to take a trip to Bangkok to promote their pageant, Duah and her family did not have the money. Marwan, Duahs father, committed robbery for $200 to help pay for the trip and was arrested. The arrest led to tabloids and news coverage of Duah and her dreams. As the story became more popular, the people in her community and her religion became furious.

            Politics became a crucial factor towards the end of the documentary. When Sheikh Muafak Tarif, the Druze leader, became involved with the Fares family, they had no choice but to have Duah leave the competition. The family could not disobey the Sheikh and what he told her to do. At that point, the threats to kill Duah were getting out of hand and there needed to be an end to it. Three arrests were made, her uncle and two accomplices, planned to murder Duah for her behavior.

            Culture was very important in this documentary. Duahs religion limited her abilities to fulfill all the requirements of the competition. In the beginning of the film when Duah has a conversation with her mother she says that the problem is that the older generation is too stuck in old traditions. The Druze religion and its believers are so strict that there are often murders of young females. Duahs dream put her life at stake as well as her families because of the religion and how her society wants her to act.

            I was so surprised to see a different view of beauty pageants in this film. Beauty pageants and fame are just a simple part of our culture. I actually cried when Marwan read a story to Duah when she visited in jail. So see him so upset over what had happened really broke my heart. All this young lady was trying to do was achieve her goals. Every day kids in our society are told to follow our hearts and dreams. Duah tried to do that and she was very passionate about it but unfortunately life is different in Israel.