The selfie that ended in death threats for Miss Universe contestant
A Miss Universe contestant received death threats and her family have been forced to flee their country after sharing a selfie to social media.
Sarah Idan was the first person in 45 years to represent Iraq in the Miss Universe pageant after competing in November.
The 27-year-old aspiring singer said she was on "cloud nine" after the historic appearance.
But six days later at a photo shoot in Las Vegas, she bumped into Miss Israel Adar Gandelsman and the pair snapped a selfie together.
“I said: ‘Let’s take a picture so our people can see we don’t have a problem and we’re actually ambassadors for peace’,” Ms Idan told CNN.
In the Instagram caption, she wrote "Peace and Love from Miss Iraq and Miss Israel."
The photo was met with hostility and the Miss Iraq organisation warned she could lose her title if she did not remove the image, according to CNN.
'Mother's worst nightmare': Bullied Perth teen speaks out after shocking harassment
Woman adopted as a girl dies days after reuniting with long-lost sister
She also received death threats and immediately called her family to tell them to leave Iraq.
Iraq and Israel are considered enemies and do not have formal diplomatic relations.
"When I posted the picture I didn't think for a second there would be blowback," Ms Idan said.
"I woke up to calls from my family and the Miss Iraq Organisation going insane. The death threats I got online were so scary."
Ms Idan put up another post explaining she does not support the Israeli government and instead wanted to “express hope and desire for peace between the two countries."
