Somali Refugee Wins Miss Muslim America

Story ByLee Bullen, Sub EditorJoseph Golder, AgencyNewsflash

A hijab-wearing Somali refugee has won the fourth annual Miss Muslimah USA pageant.

Zehra Abukar, 23, who lived in Turkey for seven years before moving to the US in 2014, represented her state of Maine in the fourth annual Miss Muslimah USA competition.

The pageant is the brainchild of clothing designer Maghrib Shahid, a black Muslim from Ohio.

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This year, the pageant welcomed 15 contestants, all aged between 17 and 30, and featured each contestant walking down the red carpet in an abaya, a burkini, and a special occasion dress.

Some contestants gave recitations from the Quran, and read poetry while Abukar performed a traditional Somali dance.

Abukar said: “I felt like a winner just by coming here. I live in a city where I don’t experience all this, I don’t see a lot of sisters, and that was overwhelming, that totality and that sisterhood was beyond beautiful.”

@missmuslimahusa/Newsflash

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the pageant went ahead as planned in Detroit in the state of Michigan where Muslims make up almost three percent of the population.

The contest’s founder Shahid said: “I have a mission, to empower and uplift Muslim women while promoting modesty and inner beauty.

“If we give up and stop, I know many others will give up. We can’t take any days off because it is imperative to keep spreading our message.

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“The Miss Muslimah USA pageant inspires women to raise their heads and push through, knowing that they have a platform to change misconceptions for a better future for our youth.”

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