Mariyah Moten
Encyclopedia
Biography
Mariyah was born in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan. She moved to the US with her family at the age of 5 and currently resides in the United States.
Mariyah Moten graduated from University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in with a degree in hotel management.
Beauty pageants
After placing Top 5 at the Miss Pakistan National Competition, she went off to represent Pakistan at the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant in 2006, where she won the Miss Charity Title among 87 other contestants. Later that year she competed in the Miss Bikini of the UniverseMiss Bikini of the Universe
Miss Bikini of the Universe is an international beauty pageant held annually in Beihai, Guangxi, China.In 2009 the pageant was held from September 30 to October 6. It was planned to make a Guiness World Record with a 209 meter T-shaped runway...
pageant which was held in Beihai
Beihai
Beihai is a prefecture-level city of Guangxi, China. Beihai means "north of the sea" in Chinese, signifying its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city...
, China. This created an outrage among the Muslim community in Pakistan and all around the world. This was the first time a Pakistani girl has participated in a bikini pageant representing the Islamic nation. Due to this controversy, Mariyah Moten won the Best In Media/Miss Press title for being the most photographed and interviewed contestant in the entire pageant.
A year later in 2007 Mariyah Moten participated in another pageant, Miss Asia International 2007 where she won 2nd Runner up, a huge victory for Pakistan since this was the first time Pakistan placed in the Top 3 at an international beauty contest
In September 2009, Mariyah represented Pakistan in the Miss Intercontinental which took place in Minsk, Belarus. Miss Afghanishtan, Zallascht Sadat
Zallascht Sadat
Zallascht Sadat was crowned Miss Afghanistan in Germany 2008 in the Miss Afghanistan Germany beauty pageant held by Afghan Models in Hamburg, Germany....
, also took part in this beauty pageant making it the first time for two Muslim contestants to take part in beauty pageant during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
. The finals were held at the Football Manege Arena in Minsk. The 38th annual pageant was attended by the President of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
and was shown live all over Europe by ONT TV.
Mariyah Moten continues to model in the US and has attended the New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy - School of Film and Acting is a film school andacting school based in New York City, Universal City, California, USA and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. NYFA offers short-term film-making and acting courses, as well as one- and two-year conservatory and Master of Fine Arts...
Acting School to pursue an acting career.
Bikini contest
In 2006, Mariyah Moten received criticism from Pakistani government officials for using the title Miss Pakistan Bikini. This was the first time a Pakistani girl participated in an international bikini beauty pageant overcoming the traditional barriers of the conservative Islamic nation. Muslim leaders showed outrage when she won Best in Media. "We have asked our missions in Washington and Beijing to investigate this because it is against our policy, culture and religion." Senior Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry said. "She is an American passport holder. She is an American national of Pakistani origin, so how did she get entry as a Pakistani?" Chaudhry's statements only brought about more controversy in the media and threats to remove Pakistani passport holders living abroad their legal right to travel within Pakistan without the use of a travel visa.Mariyah's controversy landed her on the cover of Sexy South Asian Girls 2007 calendar.
Other related news
In 2009, Mariyah Moten was noted in the news when she met with General Pervez MusharrafPervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
, former President of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, USA.
Mariyah Moten and other delegates of Miss Intercontinental 2009 attended the official state dinner ceremony with President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
and other government officials.