Controversy is spreading over allegations that the woman who represented Palestine in the Miss Universe pageant, which selects the most beautiful woman in the world, is the daughter-in-law of a terrorist ringleader who was previously sentenced to life in prison.
According to the Jerusalem Post on the 23rd, the father-in-law of Nadine Ayoub, 27, who competed as Palestine's representative at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant held recently in Bangkok, Thailand, was reported to be Marwan Barghouti, 66.
Marwan Barghouti led the Second Intifada (Palestinian armed uprising) in 2000 and was indicted on charges of killing five Israelis. He was sentenced in 2002 to life in prison and is said to remain incarcerated to this day.
The Jerusalem Post said Ayoub appears to have married her husband in 2016. Ayoub once referred to her husband's surname as "Barghouti" on her social media.
The Jerusalem Post said, "Ayoub married the son of a terrorist chief."