{"id":47068,"date":"2025-11-21T09:26:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/47068\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:26:13","slug":"miss-palestines-ties-to-convicted-terrorist-leader-revealed-during-miss-universe-pageant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/47068\/","title":{"rendered":"Miss Palestine’s ties to convicted terrorist leader revealed during Miss Universe pageant"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEL AVIV \u2014 The first-ever\u00a0Miss Palestine contestant\u00a0<\/a>in the Miss Universe pageant married the son of Hamas\u2019 most-wanted prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, and even named a child after him, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Nadeen Ayoub \u2014 who claims to be a 27-year-old US and Canadian citizen living in Dubai \u2014 is competing this week to represent Palestine, a territory the US and Israel don\u2019t even recognize as a sovereign state.<\/p>\n

Strutting through preliminary rounds ahead of the pending pageant, Ayoub has kept most of her personal life under wraps \u2014 until now. <\/p>\n

Years-old screenshots and social media posts obtained by The Post show she took pains to hide that she was once married to Sharaf Barghouti \u2014 son of the infamous Fatah leader serving five life sentences in Israel for orchestrating terror attacks that killed five people in 2001 and 2002.<\/p>\n

Nadeen Ayoub\u2019s official portrait for the 2025 Miss Universe pageant. nadeen.m.ayoub\/Instagram<\/p>\n

The convicted murderer\u2019s name resurfaced last month when Hamas demanded his release in hostage-exchange negotiations with Israel \u2014 a request the Jewish state flatly refused, citing his participation in the first intifada, leadership in the second, convictions in five terror-related murders and founding of the West Bank\u2019s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A secret life<\/p>\n

Social media posts show Ayoub tied the knot with Sharaf Barghouti in 2016, later welcoming a son named Marwan three years later \u2014 seemingly in tribute to the convicted killer.<\/p>\n

Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Marwan Barghouti, speaks at a rally to support him alongside posters featuring his photo. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

However, it is unclear if the pair remains married. A family member reached for comment confirmed to The Post that the two had been married, but denied knowledge of their current status.<\/p>\n

Photos reviewed by The Post show the beauty queen cozying up with her husband and posing alongside Barghouti\u2019s wife, Fadwa \u2014 a prominent Fatah figure herself. She also appears in photos published by Palestinian outlet Panet.il with Fadwa and other members of the Barghouti clan.<\/p>\n

A photo posted to social media featuring Marwan Barghouti\u2019s sons, Arab and Sharaf, with Nadeen Ayoub.<\/p>\n

Fadwa Barghouti pictured in a photograph with Nadeen Ayoub posted years ago to social media, but later deleted.<\/p>\n

The Post also reviewed conversations with individuals who know her and said they attended the wedding. It is unclear whether Ayoub is even still present in the baby\u2019s life, as most of her connections to the family have been meticulously scrubbed from the internet.<\/p>\n

But the wannabe beauty queen once shared glimpses of her married life on since-deleted Instagram accounts under the handles @nadeenayo and @nadeenayfitness, posting \u201csurprise flowers from my groom-to-be\u201d and tagging Sharaf\u2019s page.<\/p>\n

She is a self-proclaimed fitness instructor, and an investigation by The Post revealed she taught workout classes at the Ramallah-based gym \u201cIQ Fitness,\u201d which is owned by Qassam Barghouthi<\/a>, another of the convicted terrorist\u2019s sons who also spent time in Israeli prison before he was acquitted of carrying out an ambush and four attempted killings.<\/p>\n

There a many photos of Ayoub on the gym\u2019s Instagram and Facebook pages, with at least one post referring to her as \u201cNadeen Barghouti.\u201d <\/p>\n

It is unclear whether she is still married or present in the baby\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

There a many photos of Ayoub on the gym\u2019s Instagram and Facebook pages, with at least one post referring to her as \u201cNadeen Barghouti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her current verified account associated with her Miss Palestine title, @nadeen.m.ayoub, still followed one of the private pages linked to her since-deleted posts as of last week. However, that changed after The Post reached out to the verified account for comment.<\/p>\n

Not everything vanished. In a still-public 2016 post, a relative congratulated her marriage: \u201cCongrats to Nadeen Ayoub on her marriage, love you,\u201d wrote her sister, Zina Ayoub.<\/p>\n

In another still-online post from Oct. 30, 2019, an apparent Barghouti family member posted a photo of a baby apparently named \u201cMarwan Sharaf Marwan Al-Barghouti,\u201d tagging Ayoub and husband Sharaf.<\/p>\n

Her current verified account associated with her Miss Palestine title, @nadeen.m.ayoub, still followed one of the private pages linked to her since-deleted posts as of last week. <\/p>\n

Reached for comment, the person who posted the photo denied knowledge of Ayoub\u2019s personal life, explaining they were no longer in contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI strongly apologize for any statement,\u201d the person said. \u201cThis is a family matter and I have no right to answer it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay he be raised with your dignity my dears and hopefully he will be like Mr. Marwan the great,\u201d the person wrote.<\/p>\n

Multiple responses by family members and friends in the comment section of the post confirmed the connection in messages dated back to 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharaf Marwan Albarghouthi Nadeen Ayoub My sweethearts, a thousand congratulations, may he grow up with your respect,\u201d wrote family member Diana Barghouti.<\/p>\n

In a still-public 2016 post, a relative congratulated her marriage: \u201cCongrats to Nadeen Ayoub on her marriage, love you,\u201d wrote her sister, Zina Ayoub.<\/p>\n

\u201cA thousand congratulations to the grandson of Commander Marwan Al-Barghouti,\u201d wrote another person.<\/p>\n

Controversy<\/p>\n

Ayoub\u2019s path to the Miss Universe stage raises as many questions as her family ties.<\/p>\n

The self-proclaimed \u201cMiss Palestine\u201d apparently never won \u2014 or even entered \u2014 a qualifying pageant. The Post could not find any record of a Miss Palestine pageant having been held, the names of any other contestants, or ways for them to have registered to compete.<\/p>\n

She also happens to run the Dubai-based Miss Palestine Organization herself, the very group that crowned her. Under Miss Universe rules, individuals can apply to purchase the rights to host a national pageant, creating a title associated with a state to then compete at the international level.<\/p>\n

Ayoub competed in a different pageant \u2014 Miss Earth \u2014 in 2022, but claimed she postponed plans to go to Miss Universe after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas, she told The National.<\/p>\n

She also reportedly named her child after Marwan Barghouti.<\/p>\n

However, her marriage and motherhood would have disqualified her at the time under both the Miss Earth and Miss Universe rules then in place, which banned contestants who had ever been married or given birth. Those restrictions for Miss Universe were only lifted in 2023.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, her participation in each pageant\u2019s swimsuit competitions raised eyebrows for the incongruence. <\/p>\n

Ayoub received publicity this week for making the \u201cempowering\u201d choice to wear a \u201cburkini\u201d \u2014 full-coverage swimwear aligned with Islamic principals of modesty \u2014 during the Miss Universe pageant. But in 2022, she proudly strutted the Miss Earth stage<\/a> in a sexy turquoise swimsuit and sky-high heels.<\/p>\n

In other pageant photos, she bared even less \u2014 rocking an eye-popping, bright purple bikini under a Miss Palestine sash in a glamour shot from that year, as well as a yellow bikini that all Miss Earth 2022 participants wore. Multiple posts of the photos appear to have been deleted, though some remain.<\/p>\n

She also happens to run the Dubai-based Miss Palestine Organization herself, the very group that crowned her. @nadeen.m.ayoub\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Despite her ineligibility, Ayoub placed as second runner-up in the 2022 pageant, winning the \u201cMiss Earth-Water\u201d title. A representative for the pageant did not immediately respond to The Post\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the Miss Palestine beauty competition and I got the title,\u201d said Ayoub in the September 2022 interview posted to\u00a0YouTube<\/a>. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide \u2026 \u00a0I wanted to focus more on staying behind the scenes because the spotlight was supposed to be on the people in Palestine who are suffering, rather than me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayoub\u2019s reference to \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza has caused outrage in Israel and among its supporters.<\/p>\n

Despite her ineligibility, Ayoub placed as second runner-up in the 2022 pageant, winning the \u201cMiss Earth-Water\u201d title. Christopher Alviz \/ YouTube<\/p>\n

But her presence in the competition alone was controversial, even before news of her ties to Barghouti were revealed. There had never before been a \u201cMiss Palestine,\u201d with the title in Miss Universe only springing up following mass pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.<\/p>\n

Representing a politically charged region in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, critics argued that Palestine \u201cdoesn\u2019t exist,\u201d so it shouldn\u2019t be included on the world stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I say? Where is Palestine, exactly?\u201d Minister of Diaspora Affairs\u00a0and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli told The Post when asked for comment. \u201cFrankly, I don\u2019t care about Barghouti or Miss Barghouti. There is no Palestinian state; there won\u2019t be a Palestinian state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine takes part in the National Costume show during the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, November 19, 2025. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Israeli thought leader and former Knesset member Ruth Wasserman Lande said Ayoub\u2019s participation in the pageant aligns with a common \u201ctactic\u201d to spread their ideals across the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s already a political statement [to compete as Miss Palestine,]\u201d Wasserman Lande said. \u201cThis was very much a tactic in the Islamic Revolution, and its been happening for years \u2014 the infiltration of islamist ideas, which have nothing to do at all with liberalism, into liberal culture.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBeauty contestants is not an Islamic idea, it\u2019s not a Palestinian idea. On the contrary, and what they\u2019re doing is taking messaging, ideas and so on from the cultural world of young liberal minds and using it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A preliminary Miss Universe competition also raised eyebrows after Ayoub posted an unsanctioned video shot from an angle that appears to show reigning Miss Israel, Melanie Shiraz, glaring at Miss Palestine \u2014 which was later reposted by anti-Israel celebrity Bella Hadid.<\/a><\/p>\n

But a look at side-by-side footage with the pageant\u2019s licensed livestream reveals Miss Israel was standing well behind Miss Palestine, and a momentary glance to her direct right was interpreted by Ayoub\u2019s supporters as a look of disgust at the controversial beauty queen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHead turning is not a news story,\u201d Shiraz wrote with a video<\/a> showing the side-by-side footage. \u201cThis platform is meant to empower women. Using it to tear women down, sharing images without consent, and staying silent while a fellow competitor is attacked all undermine what we are meant to represent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representing a politically charged region in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, critics argued that Palestine \u201cdoesn\u2019t exist,\u201d so it shouldn\u2019t be included on the world stage. Melanie Shiraz Asor\/ Instagram<\/p>\n

\u201cPrivate photography or content capture during official events is also not permitted under competition guidelines, and respecting those rules matters. As representatives of countries in conflict, we have a responsibility to model dignity, peace, and hope \u2014 not pettiness, hatred, or deepening divides,\u201d Miss Israel added.<\/p>\n

Terror or politics?<\/p>\n

Israeli officials fear freeing Marwan Barghouti would repeat history after Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, rose to power following his own release in a 2011 prisoner swap.<\/p>\n

While his Fatah-aligned al-Aqsa Brigade has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, European Union, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, the pro-Palestinian camps see Barghouti as a political leader.<\/p>\n

While in prison, he famously led a nearly 900-person hunger strike \u2014 until Israeli prison services released video of Barghouti secretly eating in his cell<\/a>, purportedly taken during the protest. Barghouti\u2019s supporters deny the video\u2019s authenticity.<\/p>\n

Marwan Barghouti, a prominent leader of the Palestinian uprising, enters the Tel Aviv courtroom Thursday, Nov. 21, 2002. AP<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestine news reports have dubbed him the \u201cPalestinian Mandela<\/a>\u201d and asserted he could be \u201cis the only person popular enough to unify the Palestinian factions<\/a> under the Palestinian Authority in postwar Gaza and the West Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

His family used that angle in an attempt to secure his release, writing President Trump \u2014 who, coincidentally, previously owned the Miss Universe pageant organization \u2014 last month to advocate for him to be freed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. President, a true partner awaits you. Someone who can realize our shared dream of a just and lasting peace in the region,\u201d the family wrote, according to The Jerusalem Post<\/a>. \u201cHelp free Marwan Barghouti for the freedom of the Palestinian people and peace for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestine news reports have dubbed him the \u201cPalestinian Mandela.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ayoub did not respond to questions regarding whether she supports her jailed father-in-law, she has previously admitted she is competing in the pageant for a political platform in an interview with\u00a0The National,<\/a>\u00a0a United Arab Emirates newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Universe is a huge platform, and there\u2019s a big responsibility in speaking out about what\u2019s happening in the\u00a0Gaza<\/a>. No one should be silent about the injustice that\u2019s happening. This is the time when Palestine needs to be represented on all platforms everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, she revealed her ancestral costume featured the al Aqsa mosque, a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and namesake of Barghouti\u2019s terrorist militant brigade. The mosque, near the golden \u201cDome of the Rock,\u201d\u00a0is located on Temple Mount \u2014 where the first and second temples of the Jewish faith once stood.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, she revealed her ancestral costume featured the al Aqsa mosque.<\/p>\n

She also included the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulcre \u2014 where Christians believe Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected \u2014 to show \u201cour coexistence and unity,\u201d Ayoub said in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n

However, there was no reference to coexistence with Jews in the post, and the image left out the Jewish holy site of the Western Wall just next to the al Aqsa mosque.<\/p>\n

Ayoub, the Miss Palestine organization, the Miss Universe and Miss Earth organizations, Fadwa Barghouti, multiple other Barghouti family members and the Israeli Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

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