Sarah Mendly, 23, a biochemistry graduate, whose family fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, is the bookies’ favourite to win and become the first British Muslim to compete for the Miss World title. She is being put under pressure by senior Islamic clerics in the city, who insist that beauty contests go against the teachings of the Koran.

Hashim Sulaiman, of the Liverpool Islamic Institute, said: “There is no way a Muslim girl should be playing any part in this competition, because it is unlawful. The ladies in that contest are always very scantily dressed and the only part of the body that should be on display are the face, the hands and the feet.

“I would like this girl to withdraw from the contest immediately. I do not know what she was thinking in entering in the first place and I do not know what her parents were thinking when they allowed her to do so.”

Other Muslim clerics agreed that beauty pageants are outlawed under the tenets of their faith. But they were less unwelcoming to the four Muslims among the forty finalists.

Akbar Ali, chairman of the Islamic Society of Liverpool, said that a Muslim winning the competition would be regarded by many as the first step towards breaking down this religious barrier. He said: “Beauty pageants generally are not permissible under Islamic law.”

The finalists take part in a talent and beauty section today, including a photo-call at a city centre hotel, before the final tomorrow. The organisers say that they are acutely aware of sensitivities.

The three other Muslim finalists are Hammasa Kohistani, 18, Dilay Topuzoglu, 19, and Sonia Hassanien, 21. Miss Kohistani, who won a beauty pageant organised by the Asian community, is a model and student who speaks Russian and Farsi. Miss Topuzoglu, a model, is Miss Essex, and Miss Hassanien runs her own fashion design and clothes-making business.

No extra security measures have been put in place in a city that has a small Muslim population, scattered on each side of the Mersey. One young Muslim activist said: “Even if there was any contempt or dislike, I do not think that anybody would be willing to say anything because of the current political climate.”

Miss Mendly, who is Miss Nottingham, has pledged not to wear a bikini on stage. Instead she may wear a one-piece swimsuit under a sarong for the photo-shoot. She said: “I wanted to show that there are attractive British Iraqi girls who are proud of being both British and Iraqi.

“Some fanatics might say entering a beauty contest is wrong because you are putting yourself up to be judged by your physical appearance, but my family supports me.”

Miss Mendly was born to Iraqi parents in the United Arab Emirates. The family settled in Nottingham in 1983 when she was a year old. Apart from her immediate family, her relatives live in Baghdad.

She lists her ambition as “living life to the fullest” and hopes to use her fame to become a peace ambassador between Britain and Iraq.

Abdul Hamid, the vice-chairman of the Lancashire Board of Mosques, said that if Miss Mendly took part she would immediately cast herself out of the “circle of Islam”. He said: “It is simply not right for her to take part in this competition as a Muslim, because by entering she forsakes her faith. She has said she won’t wear a bikini, only a swimsuit, but what difference does that make? She will still be exposing her flesh in a beauty contest.”

A competition spokeswoman said that it was multicultural, adding: “The girls hold a British passport and are aged between 17 and 24. It is a non-political competition.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Forces chief faces new battle - the economy
• Seven days that shook the world
• Icelanders wake up and smell ... the fish