Merince Kogoya, Miss Indonesia 2025 finalist disqualified over viral pro-Israel video: Who is she?

Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant, Merince Kogoya, representing Highland Papua, was disqualified after a two-year-old video showing her endorsing support for Israel went viral on social media. After the video surfaced on the internet, following the backlash from the netizens, she was removed from the pageant during the quarantine phase.

The video, which was posted on the official Instagram ID of Kogoya, shows her dancing while waving an Israeli flag, which was reportedly recorded while she was studying at an overseas college. “Diligent for Sion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel,” the translated caption of the video read in English.

Who is Merince Kogoya?

A finalist in the Miss Indonesia 2025 pageant, representing the Papua Pegunungan (Highlands) region. Originally from Wamena, she studied at Jayapura High School and later at Cendrawasih University, known for her participation in provincial science contests and local sports like basketball.

Merince gained national recognition in her career when she was selected as a finalist for Miss Indonesia 2025, representing Papua Pegunungan. She was seen as a symbol of fresh energy from Eastern Indonesia and a source of pride for the Papuan community, which has historically had limited representation in national pageants.

What do netizens say about Kogoya's viral video?

Reacting to the post on X (formerly known as Twitter), a user said, "I'm actually more curious why Christians nowadays seem to strongly defend Jews, even though before the 20th century, Jews often faced discrimination and violence from Christians in Europe (Gua sebenernya lebih penasaran kenapa orang kristen di era sekarang kyk ngebela Yahudi banget, padahal sebelum abad 20 orang Yahudi sering dapet diskriminasi dan kekerasan dari orang Kristen di Eropa).

“What kind of competition is this? A competition to be supporters of the TERRORIST Hamas? So dumb, ” another wrote, showing support for Kogoya.

The next user mocked, "Does he realize that arriving in Israel, he'd be treated as sub-human, just like how Israeli Zionists treat blue-collar migrants from Africa? He should have empathy for Palestine since they're both oppressed, but instead, he supports the colonizers. If it's about religion, there are Christians in Palestine too."