The 2002 Miss World riots were a series of religiously motivated clashes that engulfed the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna from November 20 to 23, leaving approximately 250 people dead and many properties destroyed.
The Miss World beauty pageant was originally scheduled to be held in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, but was moved to London due to violent clashes between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.
The clashes were triggered by what some Muslims considered “blasphemous” on an article in Thisday newspaper linking the revered prophet Muhammad to the beauty pageant.
How It Happened:

Nigerian model and beauty queen Agbani Darego won the 2001 Miss World beauty pageant, leading to Nigeria being chosen to host the 2002 contest.
However, many Nigerian Muslims, particularly in the country’s northern regions, condemned the decision, saying it was intended to promote promiscuity and attack women’s modesty.
The event was originally scheduled to be held in November 2002, but was postponed to December 7 of the same year because it coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
It should be noted that the Miss World organization has come under pressure and attack in Nigeria for entirely different reasons. Organizers opposed the death penalty for Amina Lawal, a young Nigerian woman accused of adultery by a sharia court in Zamfara.
This opposition did not sit well with the state’s Muslim groups, leading them to antagonize the pageant organizers.
The Profanity Article:

Ninety-Two (92) contestants from different countries arrived in Nigeria for the event. To commemorate this feat, Isioma Daniel, a columnist for THISDAY, a national newspaper based in southwest Lagos, wrote an article on November 16, 2002.