Hammasa Kohistani: the daughter of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban revises England's notion of the Muslim woman.The first Muslim to be crowned Miss England warned that stereotyping members of her community is leading some towards extremism.

Hammasa Kohistani made history three years ago when she was chosen to represent England in the Miss World pageant.

But one year later, the then-19-year-old student from Hounslow felt that winning the coveted beauty title was a "sugar coating" for Muslims who have become more alienated in the years since 9/11.

She said: "The attitude towards Muslims has got worse...Also the Muslims' attitude to British people has got worse.

"Even moderate Muslims are turning to terrorism to prove themselves. They think they might as well support it because they are stereotyped anyway. It will take a long time for communities to start mixing in more.

"People may feel I am just a sugar coating on the situation. I am a symbol to show it's not really that bad.

But at the same time, she said, "there is this hostility" which comes "mainly from the Government."

The Prime Minister told MPs that moderate Muslims were not doing enough to tackle extremists in their own community.

Raised in Afghanistan of Uzbeki origin, Miss Kohistani divided Muslim opinion when she entered and won the Miss England pageant in Liverpool.

After her parents were forced to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan, she was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She speaks six languages including Russian and Persian, her mother tongue. Ethnically, she is a Tajik from Afghanistan.

Several community leaders openly declared her to be betraying the laws of Islam while radical Muslims sent the teenager and her family death threats.

But after a busy year travelling around the world as an ambassador for England, Miss Kohistani said she feels Muslims are unfairly being branded as terrorists.

She added: "For a Muslim to represent England is asking for controversy at the moment. I feel after everything that's happened Muslims are being stereotyped negatively. The whole community has been labelled and, whether they are guilty of crime or not, they are getting penalized for it.

"I like being in the limelight because people can look at me and see I am a Muslim but good. Most of the people being pinpointed are judged by their outer appearances and people assume because they are Muslim and have a beard they have done something wrong."

She continued: "The bridge I have made is slowly being broken by more and more wars. Now the Iran situation is brought up and another Islamic country is under scrutiny—and the recent Heathrow scare. I guess I am needed even more now than last year to an extent because of what has happened.

"It is not for me to answer how to get people to turn away from terrorism. The politicians don't know what to do and I am just a 19-year-old."

courtesy Daily Mail