Hammasa Kohistani
Encyclopedia
Hammasa Kohistani is a British
model
, who became the first Muslim
beauty contest
ant to be crowned Miss England
in 2005. She was crowned at the age of 18, following a two-day competition at Liverpool
's Olympia Theatre on 3 September 2005, and was chosen from 40 contestants. She attended Lampton School
in Hounslow
.
, Uzbekistan
, when it was part of the USSR while her parents living there as Afghan refugees. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan
her parents fled to what was then the Uzbek SSR
in the Soviet Union
. She and her parents returned to Kabul
, Afghanistan
, but in 1996 they escaped from there when the Taliban
took control of the city. They eventually made it to the United Kingdom
and settled in Southall, in West London
, where her father Kushal set up a fast food restaurant.
Kohistani is of Tajik ethnic background and speaks six languages, including English
, Russian
and her native Persian.
She won the competition as a brunette, dressed in an ivory white chiffon and silk ball gown. She later said "When they announced that I had won I thought I had misheard. I hoped they hadn't, but it took a second to sink in."
She also said that she was "happy to make history," that "I'm making history and I'm very happy. Hopefully I won't be the last" and that she was looking forward to representing England in the Miss World championships.
She was known as "Miss Maya" after the Asian fashion house which sponsored her, and has reportedly been offered a part in a forthcoming Bollywood
movie.
The Miss England competition included another Muslim, Sarah Mendly, who had been voted Miss Nottingham. Her entry had caused controversy, since contestants typically wear relatively little clothing, and was called upon to pull out of the contest by the Liverpool Islamic Institute.
Kohistani represented England in the Miss World
championships in China in December 2005, but despite being one of the favourites, she failed to advance to the semifinal of 16.
Kohistani was featured in Teen Vogue
magazine, in May 2006.
Kohistani was a student at Uxbridge College
.
After Prime Minister Tony Blair
spoke to members of parliament on the anniversary of the 7 July 2005 London bombings
, saying that Muslims needed to curb extremism, Kohistani criticised the government as stirring up animosity against Muslims.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, who became the first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
ant to be crowned Miss England
Miss England
The Miss England competition is an annual beauty pageant targeted at young females aged 17–24 years living in England. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter....
in 2005. She was crowned at the age of 18, following a two-day competition at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's Olympia Theatre on 3 September 2005, and was chosen from 40 contestants. She attended Lampton School
Lampton School
Lampton School is a comprehensive secondary school, located in Hounslow, Middlesex, England.-Admissions:Lampton is a Humanities Specialist School, Leading Edge, and training school which currently has around 1,350 students on roll. Lampton borders the A4 Great West Road in Hounslow, and is next to...
in Hounslow
Hounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
.
Biography
Kohistani was born in 1987 in TashkentTashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, when it was part of the USSR while her parents living there as Afghan refugees. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
her parents fled to what was then the Uzbek SSR
Uzbek SSR
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Uzbek SSR for short, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union since its creation in 1924...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. She and her parents returned to Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, but in 1996 they escaped from there when the Taliban
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001...
took control of the city. They eventually made it to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and settled in Southall, in West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where her father Kushal set up a fast food restaurant.
Kohistani is of Tajik ethnic background and speaks six languages, including English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and her native Persian.
She won the competition as a brunette, dressed in an ivory white chiffon and silk ball gown. She later said "When they announced that I had won I thought I had misheard. I hoped they hadn't, but it took a second to sink in."
She also said that she was "happy to make history," that "I'm making history and I'm very happy. Hopefully I won't be the last" and that she was looking forward to representing England in the Miss World championships.
She was known as "Miss Maya" after the Asian fashion house which sponsored her, and has reportedly been offered a part in a forthcoming Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie.
The Miss England competition included another Muslim, Sarah Mendly, who had been voted Miss Nottingham. Her entry had caused controversy, since contestants typically wear relatively little clothing, and was called upon to pull out of the contest by the Liverpool Islamic Institute.
Kohistani represented England in the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
championships in China in December 2005, but despite being one of the favourites, she failed to advance to the semifinal of 16.
Kohistani was featured in Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
magazine, in May 2006.
Kohistani was a student at Uxbridge College
Uxbridge College
Uxbridge College is one of the general further education with colleges in London. It has two campuses one in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon and the other one in Hayes in the same borough.-Facilities:...
.
After Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
spoke to members of parliament on the anniversary of the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
, saying that Muslims needed to curb extremism, Kohistani criticised the government as stirring up animosity against Muslims.
External links
- Hammasa Kohistani – official Miss World biography
- Hammasa Kohistani – Miss England