Muslim Student Becomes First Hijab-Wearing Miss England Finalist

In a previous article, we featured Ibtihaj Muhammad, a prize-winning fencer and the first American athlete who wore a hijab while competing at the Olympics. Today, we would like to present another beautiful, hijab-clad lady who is making history: Sara Iftekhar.

Sara is a 20-year-old Muslim student taking up law at the University of Huddersfield. She recently won the Miss Huddersfield title and Miss Yorkshire Popularity 2018 — thus securing her place as a finalist in the Miss England national competition, as reported by The National.

SOCIAL MEDIA ROUND! For me to be crowned Miss Social Media England 2018?? Please follow the rules: 1) LIKE THIS PHOTO. 1 Like = 1 Vote. 2) DROP A FOLLOW @missenglandnews It would really mean a lot to me if you all like this photo. Lots of love Sara iftekhar ~ Miss huddersfield 2018 ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #missengland #missengland2018 #misspopularity #misshuddersfield #fashionblogger #pakistanifashion #muslimahfashion #like #hijab #fashionblogger #ootd #hijabfashion #pakistanlookbook #pakistantrendsetter #pakistanstreetstyle #likeforlike #pakistanvogue #modestroute

A post shared by S A R A? (@sara_iftekhar) on Jul 17, 2018 at 11:38am PDT

Hijab-Clad Student Makes Pageant History

Aside from her stunning looks and alluring fashion sense, Sara is definitely an achiever! At the age of 16, she had already established her own clothing business. On her Instagram page, she excitedly shared about her Miss England experience.

“Wow, I can’t even comprehend how amazing it felt for my name to be announced as a finalist in the Miss England Finals 2018,” Sara told her Instagram followers. “It was an incredible experience and something which I will never be able to forget.”

“The opportunities which I have received with being a finalist in Miss England are opportunities which I would never have thought of, and will forever be grateful for,” she added.

My eco dress for the Miss England semi finals ❤️ Guess who got extra creative and decided to create a dress out of bin bags ??? #misshuddersfield #missengland #missenglandfinalist #michealkors #recycling #savetheworld @missenglandnews

A post shared by S A R A? (@sara_iftekhar) on Jul 20, 2018 at 1:16pm PDT

Beauty with a Purpose
Notably, Sara has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for Beauty with a Purpose, a charity organisation that sends cleft palate teams to Russia, Sri Lanka, and South America.

On her fund-raising page, Sara explains that she joined the Miss 2018 competition “to show that beauty doesn’t have a definition, everyone is beautiful in their own ways, regardless of their weight, race, colour or shape.”

My eco dress for the Miss England 2018 Finals ?? (Thank you all for the nice messages, I really do appreciate it?) @wedoethicalliving @missenglandnews #missengland #misshuddersfield #eco #ecodress #saraiftekhar

A post shared by S A R A? (@sara_iftekhar) on Sep 3, 2018 at 3:05pm PDT

Going for the Crown
If Sara wins the Miss England title, she will go on to compete at the Miss World competition, along with Miss Northern Ireland, Miss Scotland, and Miss Wales. The Miss World pageant will take place in Sanya, China — and comes with a USD 100,000 (AED 367,000) grand prize.

Regardless of whether she wins the title or not, Sara has definitely made a mark on history! Her beauty, talent, and individuality shines, and she is an inspiration to young women everywhere. Speaking of which, did you know that female employees in the UAE have special provisions under the Labour Law? Here’s an article about the rights of women in the workplace.