How Miss Muslimah USA 2020 winner Zehra Abukar hopes to empower her Muslim 'sisters': 'If I can do it, you can do it'
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Tuesday September 29, 2020 - 20:08:18 in Wararka by
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The festive beats of Don Omar's hit Latin American trackDanza Kudurofades, and the DJ gets a drum roll going as guests eagerly wait to hear the evening's big announcement. "It is my honour to announce the next queen of the Miss Muslimah pageant USA. The winner of the fourth Miss MuslimahUSA, is … Zehra Abukar!"
A hijab-wearing Somali refugee, Abukar, 23, lived in Turkey for seven years before moving to the US in 2014.Last Thursday, she represented her state of Maine in the fourth annual Miss Muslimah USA pageant, which is the brainchild of modest clothing designer Maghrib Shahid, a black Muslim from Ohio.
Celebrating beauty and modesty
Far from your typical beauty contest, Miss Muslimah USA celebrates women of the Islamic faith sans the skin-baring propensity typical of pageantry culture.
Winner of the fourth Miss Muslimah pageant USA, Zehra Abukar. Courtesy Miss Muslimah USA
This year, the pageant welcomed 15 contestants, between the ages of 17 and 30, and culminated in a competition for the crown at a banquet-style dinner where each contestant walked down a red carpet in an abaya, a burkini and a special occasion dress, in addition to a talent show. The latter included recitations from the Quran, spoken-word poetry and, in Abukar’s case, a traditional Somali dance. Modest fashion has been gaining momentum globally, with hijab-wearing Muslim models such as Halima Aden, Ikram Abdi Omar and Mariah Idrissi starring as the diverse faces of the movement. However, some conservative critics are against the idea of Muslim women appearing on public platforms such as runways, magazines and social media, holding patriarchal beliefs that they should stay out of the spotlight. Initiatives such as Miss Muslimah USA, on the other hand, encourage Muslim women in the US to flaunt their faith with pride, and promote the idea that modesty and modernity are by no means mutually exclusive.
By Hafsa Lodi
Tuesday September 29, 2020
Winner of the fourth Miss Muslimah pageant USA, Zehra Abukar. Courtesy Miss Muslimah USA
This year, the pageant welcomed 15 contestants, between the ages of 17 and 30, and culminated in a competition for the crown at a banquet-style dinner where each contestant walked down a red carpet in an abaya, a burkini and a special occasion dress, in addition to a talent show. The latter included recitations from the Quran, spoken-word poetry and, in Abukar’s case, a traditional Somali dance. Modest fashion has been gaining momentum globally, with hijab-wearing Muslim models such as Halima Aden, Ikram Abdi Omar and Mariah Idrissi starring as the diverse faces of the movement. However, some conservative critics are against the idea of Muslim women appearing on public platforms such as runways, magazines and social media, holding patriarchal beliefs that they should stay out of the spotlight. Initiatives such as Miss Muslimah USA, on the other hand, encourage Muslim women in the US to flaunt their faith with pride, and promote the idea that modesty and modernity are by no means mutually exclusive.
View this post on InstagramCategory : Best talent @zehra_abukar Miss Muslimah USA 2020 Representing #Somali #culture
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How Miss Muslimah USA 2020 winner Zehra Abukar hopes to empower her Muslim 'sisters': 'If I can do it, you can do it'
The festive beats of Don Omar's hit Latin American trackDanza Kudurofades, and the DJ gets a drum roll going as guests eagerly wait to hear the evening's big announcement. "It is my honour to announce the next queen of the Miss Muslima