A Nigerian Islamic group yesterday branded the Miss World beauty contest, which this year is to be held in Nigeria, an "abomination" and called for its cancellation.
The call is the second blow to the pageant this week.
On Monday an Islamic court in a northern Nigerian state upheld an order that a Nigerian single mother be stoned to death, proving international outrage and causing least one Miss World contestant to consider staying away from the contest if it is held in the country.
The competition bills itself at the world's most watched television spectacular, and Nigeria hopes it could act as a boost to the country's virtually non-existent tourist trade.
But it has sparked controversy in the mainly Muslim north of the country, which is already at loggerheads with central government over the reintroduction there of Islamic Sharia law.
"The beauty contest is not only abhorrent and obnoxious but also a mockery of the nation's conscience, since Nigerians are known to be committed religious people," Dahiru Muhammad Argungu, head of the Jama'atul Muslimin group, said in a statement.
"A beauty contest is nothing but a parade of nudity which is against the norms of all religions and morally civilised societies and cultures, as it has a high potentials to breed promiscuity."
The competition is due to be held in November this year in Abuja, a year after Nigerian beauty queen Agbani Darego became the first black African to win the pageant.
Nigeria's population is roughly half Christian and half Muslim, and until the past three years the groups have largely lived in peace with each other.
But after the country's return to civilian rule in 1999 a dozen mainly Muslim northern states reintroduced the Islamic law code Sharia, despite an order from the federal government not to.
Since then thousands of people from both communities have died in sectarian riots.