Arab-American crowned 2010 Miss USA; some critics snipe about win

NEW YORK -- Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant knows how to make headlines.

Arab-Americans rejoiced Monday over the crowning of raven-haired beauty Rima Fakih, a 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant from Michigan, calling it a victory for diversity in the U.S., especially at a time when Arabs suffer from negative stereotypes in this country.

Meanwhile, some critics wondered if Trump's Miss USA organization was trying to send a message, sniping that the victory amounted to "affirmative action," or implying the first runner-up, Miss Oklahoma USA, suffered unfairly because of an answer she gave supporting Arizona's new immigration law.

In any case, Arab-Americans were elated by the victory of Fakih, who was born into a powerful Shiite family in southern Lebanon and whose family said they celebrate both the Muslim and Christian faiths.

"With all the stigma that goes around -- especially after 9/11 and how people portray Muslims and Arab-Americans -- it's just a great way to knock down all those barriers," said Dewnya Bakri-Bazzi, 22, a Muslim law student from Dearborn, Mich.