Brierfield student’s Pakistan beauty crown tilt

10:32pm Monday 14th April 2008

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A STUDENT is hoping to belly dance her way to success in an international beauty contest.

Nosheen Idrees, 22, from Brierfield, is one of 16 women from all over the world who will compete in the Miss Pakistan World beauty pageant in Toronto on Friday, May 23.

During the show, Nosheen will attempt to win the judges over in four different rounds including showing off her talent for belly dancing.

Before the talents round, Nosheen will have to wear an evening gown, Asianwear and take part in a question and answer session.

Nosheen has belly danced for about a year but is concerned about the big performance. She said: "The belly dancing is what I'm most worried about. I haven't got a routine sorted."

A degree student in communication studies at Sheffield University and a part-time model, Nosheen heard about the competition through friends.

She said: "One of my friends told me about the competition so I decided to enter it on their website. Two weeks later I got a call from the organisers telling me I was through to the final."

Despite always having lived in Lancashire, Nosheen qualifies for the competition because of her Pakistani heritage.

Nosheen attended Mansfield High School in Brierfield and studied a BTEC in Media at Burnley College before going to Sheffield University.

She will fly out for a week on May 16 with her mum and dad and some of her friends from university.

Miss Pakistan World is based in Toronto and has been holding beauty contests since 2003. The contest is held in Canada as Pakistani law and custom prevents any such contests from being held there.

Nosheens said: "At the present time it wouldn't be accepted by many people but it would help for things like tourism. Also, Toronto has a lot more facilities available to the organisers than Pakistan."

But Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: "Behaviour of that nature is not encouraged at all.

"Beauty pageants are not in line with the ethics of the religion and are not supported by the community."

The goal of the pageant is to allow Pakistani women to showcase their talents and beauty on an international stage and the winner goes on to compete in Miss Earth, an environmentally orientated beauty pageant.