lust in the dust

The Saudis are having a beauty pageant... for camels. In fact, they’ve become so popular that an influential cleric issued a decree against them... on the grounds that they encourage pride.

ooookayy.

Meanwhile, over at the pageant:

“It’s just like judging a beautiful girl,” said Fowzan al-Madr, a camel breeder from the Kharj region southeast of Riyadh. “You look for big eyes, long lashes and a long neck — maybe 39 or 40 inches.”

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Back at the souq al-jamal, Haza al-Shammari, a camel breeder from Ha’il in northern Saudi Arabia, agreed...

“See this one?” he asked, pointing to a white female camel with long eyelashes and a calm gaze. “She isn’t married yet, this one. She’s still a virgin. Look at the black eyes, the soft fur. The fur is trimmed so it’s short and clean, just like a girl going to a party.”

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