From The Daily Mail (UK)
- Esma Voloder, 25, was named Miss World Australia in Melbourne on Friday night
- Came to Australia after escaping a refugee camp when she was five months old
- Her parents fled their native Bosnia during the war that raged from 1992-1995
- Esma hopes to break down the misconceptions that surround her Islamic faith
A criminal profiler from Melbourne with an incredible life story has been named Miss World Australia 2017.
Esma Voloder, 25, has come a long way from the refugee camp she and her family escaped in the midst of the Bosnian war more than two decades ago.
The seasoned pageant competitor, who practices Islam, hopes to use the title to help break down the prejudices that surround her religion.
‘The Islam that I know, that is in the Koran, I don’t associate that with any acts that are occurring around the world,’ she said after taking the crown.
‘People tend to blame religion for the atrocities that are happening, but if we do that we take responsibility away from the individuals.’
‘And then we are not able to assess them, and deal with them effectively, because we are blaming an external source,’ she added.
Esma hopes that she can break down the misconceptions that have haunted the Islamic faith.
‘A lot of things have been misconstrued about Islam,’ she said.
‘I feel that a category has been created that is not really what the Koran actually promotes. I believe Islam is about peace, unity, prosperity and inclusion.’
Esma moved to Australia when she was just five months old and in 2008 was named Miss Teen Australia.
She went on to compete in a number of pageants as well as pursue fashion and modelling, but education was always her number one priority.
Esma earned a degree in psychology and is now works as a criminal profiler in Melbourne.
