Miss Iraq 2017, Sarah Idan, could be stripped of her Iraqi citizenship after speaking out against the state and in support of Israel at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last month.
Idan, 29, who now lives in California, appeared twice before the 41st session of the UNHRC on June 25 and 26. She also sparked uproar in her home country in November 2017 when she posed for an Instagram photo with Miss Israel Adar Gandelsman at the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
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At the UNHRC, Idan testified in support of Arab-Israeli peace, condemned the acts of terror committed by Hamas and the human rights abuses under the Iraqi government.
She accused Iraqi leaders of acting out of an animus against Israel that goes beyond political motivation. "It's deeply rooted in the belief system taught in Muslim countries, which are anti-Semitic," she said. "Sadly hatred and intolerance are reinforced by biased media," she added, noting that news organizations she watched do not report on Hamas rockets into Israel.
"I'd like to remind Arab countries that today you share more common interests with Israel than the terrorist militias," she said.
In the days after her UN address, there were calls on social media for her citizenship to be revoked as a result of her criticisms of Iraq.
Iraqi lawmaker Ali al-Ghanmi on Tuesday called for her comments and the consequences for her citizenship to be assessed under the law.
"The competent authorities must say whether this crime requires the withdrawal of nationality," he said in an interview in Baghdad.
On July 10, Idan tweeted: "2 weeks ago Iraq denied my statements at the UN that I don't have freedom to speak about Israel; now they're taking my citizenship. This is inhumane. I'm speechless…"
She also attached an article she saw in the Iraqi media about the issue, explaining that it spoke of "support to abolish" her nationality and prevent her entry and return to Iraq because of her "statements concerning Israel."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yair immediately tweeted his support for Idan.
"We love you in Israel! You have a lot of fans in Israel, America and around the world!" he wrote.
Idan tweeted back: "Thank you, Iraq wants to do to me what they did to Iraqi Jews back in Farhoud: take my citizenship & not allow me to return. I must fight to keep it [because] this is a fight not just for my rights but also against anti-Semitism. Hope both Israel & US step in to fight this decision."
Hillel Neuer, the executive director of the watchdog group UN Watch, tweeted on Friday: "I urge all government officials & lawmakers who follow me to please speak out against threats from Iraq to remove the citizenship of Miss Iraq as retaliation for her courageous UN testimony in support of Arab-Israeli peace. Baghdad must hear our protests in time."
In another tweet to UN Secretary General António Guterres, Neuer wrote, "I hereby report Iraqi MP Ali al-Ghanmi for threatening to remove Sarah Idan's citizenship in retaliation for her UNHRC testimony. This amounts to an illegal reprisal for cooperating with the UN, in breach of UNGA Res. 72/247 & UNHRC Res. 36/21."
