Mariyah Moten is a Pakistani American beauty pageant runner up 4 of

Miss Pakistan World Miss Pakistan World is a beauty pageant for women of Pakistani descent from around the world. The event is held annually in Canada. History The pageant was originally launched in 2002 by Sonia Ahmed under the name of Miss Canada Pakistan. ...

2006.

Biography

Mariyah was born in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, 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 The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

in with a degree in hotel management. Moten is now married to an American and resides in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Beauty pageants

After placing Top 5 at the

, a, the

organization sent Moten 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 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 Guinness World Record with a T-shaped runway. The theme ...

pageant which was held in Beihai, 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 majority 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. Mariyah Moten, then represented Pakistan in a few other international pageants.

Controversy

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 Islamic majority nation. Muslim leaders showed outrage when she won Best in Media. Mariyah's controversy landed her on the cover
''Gulf News'' of ''Sexy South Asian Girls'' 2007 calendar.
DNA India

References

External links

Miss Pakistan World WebsiteMiss Pakistan World Official Facebook GroupMiss Pakistan World Fan pageOfficial Blogsite for Mariyah Moten
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moten, Mariyah Pakistani female models Pakistani emigrants to the United States University of Houston alumni Living people 1984 births Miss Pakistan World winners People with acquired American citizenship American beauty pageant winners American female models Pakistani beauty pageant winners 21st-century American women

Biography

Beauty pageants

Controversy

See also

References

External links