Sarah Idan with students in South Africa. Photo: Instagram.

Former Miss Universe contestant Sarah Idan said on Tuesday that the grandson of the late civil rights activist and former South African President Nelson Mandela has so far declined her offer to speak with her during her visit to the country, to discuss his controversial views on Israel and the conflict in the Middle East.

“He saw my messages. I called on him to have the conversation twice! I guess it’s easier to start a war than to have the dialogue which can lead to peace,” the former Miss Iraq, 32, said on her Instagram Stories. She previously said on Instagram that she had invited Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela — a member of South Africa’s parliament and an outspoken critic of Israel — to meet with her to speak about human rights and the Middle East.

Idan, who founded the human rights NGO Humanity Forward, is in South Africa to talk with students across the country about peace, human rights, Zionism and antisemitism, as well as gender-based violence and female empowerment. Her visit coincides with Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) taking place on college and university campuses in Africa from March 21-April 4.

The former beauty queen previously slammed Mandela when he called on Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane and all African countries to boycott the 2021 Miss Universe pageant, which was held in Eilat, Israel. The staunch supporter of the movement to boycott the Jewish state accused Israel of a “heinous occupation.”

“Israel is an apartheid state and we will continue to mobilize all freedom loving people of the world to boycott, divest and pass sanctions against the brutal apartheid regime,” he said at the time. “We must persist in isolating apartheid Israel in the same way that we isolated apartheid South Africa.”

Last year he supported a call by the South African government to revoke Israel’s observer status at the African Union. During a 2017 visit to Israel to meet with Palestinian leaders he called Israel “the worst apartheid regime,” while most recently, he cast Ukraine’s leaders as “neo-Nazis” allied with “apartheid Israel’s dogs of war.”

Idan received death threats, including from the Hamas terror group, was called a traitor to her home country, and was forced to flee Iraq with her family after taking a selfie with Miss Israel Adar Gandelsman at the 2017 Miss Universe competition. She continues to live in political exile in the US, and has had her Iraqi citizenship revoked over the Gandelsman incident.

When asked recently by the South African Jewish Report if she would again take the photo with Gandelsman, now knowing the consequences, she replied, “Yes, absolutely yes, 100 percent.”

She further told the outlet that IAW is an important moment to visit South Africa.

“My main aim as a Muslim Arab woman is to educate and engage people of all backgrounds and faiths, tell my story, and why I think it’s important to have peace with Israel,” Idan explained.

“People who talk about Israel apartheid need to visit Israel to see the truth for themselves that it’s not apartheid,” she added. “It’s a place where Jews, Arabs, and Christians co-exist. I wish other Arab countries would be more like Israel. Show me one Arab country that has a true democracy with full human rights for all, including women and gays.”