01 September 2006

Hammasa Kohistani


To be honest I had totally forgotten about Hammasa until she appeared in today’s Independent. Whether you consider beauty pageants to be eye candy or exploitation, she does remind us that stereotypes are there to be exploded. A beauty Queen may not have the kudos of an organisation like RAWA (these women are an inspiration in my view) but if she can make the “man on the street” realise that not all muslims are the same then it will be worthwhile.

Last year Hammasa Kohistani blended in with the throng of ethnically diverse students at her West London college. But her existence as an ordinary teenager ended last September when she became the first Muslim Miss England in the history of the contest.

Then aged 18, Ms Kohistani, the daughter of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban, had no idea just how much the beauty crown would change her life, not least because it came just two months after the Tube bomb atrocities of 7 July. The timing meant her role was politicised from the start, and she found herself unwittingly placed in an ambassadorial role for modern Islam. That was never more evident than yesterday, when Ms Kohistani criticised Tony Blair for stereotyping the Islamic community in the wake of the London bombings. Her strong views and willingness to voice them have highlighted the tensions inherent in being both a Western beauty queen and a Muslim. While liberal Muslims from across the world hailed her as their mascot, her modelling career was met by frostiness in orthodox Islamic quarters.

Speaking yesterday as she resumed her studies at Uxbridge College, Ms Kohistani recalled: "The day after I won the pageant, I got a phonecall at about six in the morning. It was from an Afghan man living in Pakistan and he congratulated me and said my role would bring Afghan women a bit more respect. I received a card that some women in Afghanistan had made me which had a large pair of eyes and my image in the middle of the iris, saying I was 'the eyes of Afghan women' which I found so touching. But it can be difficult as well. In interviews, people always ask me questions about being a Muslim and about politics. At first it was quite rewarding and I enjoyed it. But after the first 200 interviews, I realised that it was all about me being Muslim. I won a beauty contest, not a politics degree." However, she conceded that being asked for her serious opinions has led her to reflect on what she believes, to the extent that she is considering a political career after university.

Reflecting on the past year, she feels the Tube attacks unified communities in one sense, as the people who were killed came from many different backgrounds and included Muslims. But she also believes that some "insensitive" comments by the Prime Minister have fuelled hostility towards Islam. "There's hostility on both sides, towards the Muslim community and from the Muslim community, who are trying not to have self-fulfilling prophecies that meet their stereotype, while the English community feel threatened by them."

After a year of travelling the world as Miss England, she has met world leaders including Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and exchanged views with a diverse range of Muslim women. "Shaukat Aziz told me it was women like me that would make the world aware that there are so many more kinds of Muslim women out there than the stereotype that the Western media has of them in a burqa," she said. "Whenever we see images of Afghan women, they are in a burqa but there are so many women who don't look like this. "My own grandmother never wore a burqa. When people see me, they can't believe I'm from Afghanistan because I'm not covered up.

She has also used her increased profile to campaign for the most deprived women in Afghanistan. Together with her mother, she is creating a charity, Roshani, which translates as Light in Farsi, to raise funds for educating women and children. "It will be used to provide educational facilities for the most under-privileged but also for mental health. So many women in Afghanistan are illiterate, I felt I needed to do something."





8 comments:

jams o donnell said...

Sadly true. We have already seen what the fanatical fringe can do - exactly why her family left Aghanistan in the first place. Still if her example can show that not all muslims are th e same then it cannot be a bad thing

jams o donnell said...

Agreed Mullets. I hope her charity is very successful

jams o donnell said...

Thanks SLB.

That is true mullets, mild anxiety cannot be compared to, say, Capgras Syndrome.

Pamela on the other hand is the voice in my head that tells me to burn things...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
jams o donnell said...

Eleni if I till had a copy of the original article I would happily post it to you but I don't have a subscription to the Indy either

Anonymous said...

Hi there!
It was a bit careless of me to add my email there, I´ve been receiving tons of spam. I was wondering if my above comment could be deleted?
Thanks in advance :)

Anonymous said...

I don't really know why James O'Donnell up there needs an example to get that not all Muslims are one way or another. If you can't put it together in your head that over a billion people of a certain faith aren't necesarily going to be the same you should seek help ASAP.

jams o donnell said...

Hmm I have no need to seek help. I have no idea why you see that presenting a positive image of a Muslim amidst all the stereotypes is somehow aberrant.

Anyway that is your problem, not mine.