Asalamulaikum everyone, my name is Sahar N. Khan. I can understand the cultural shock faced by some of the families, especially the girls, women from Pakistan. Some women or girls tend to forget their cultural values, or get confused in the midst of living aboard. Balancing this cultural shock is very important and maintaining could be perplexing. Stepping into this pageant is another step towards that change in our Pakistani community. Our Pakistani roots are just as important as our way of living and accepting who we are as a person. I am a multi-faceted individual: a daughter, a sister, a student – but I identify myself as a Pakistani. Pakistani woman have had the strongest impact on my life and aspirations. I was born in Dubai and arrived in the United States when I was two years old. Growing up in poverty helped me value the inner gifts that nobody can take away. With immigrant parents who worked very hard, it pushed me as a Pakistani woman to grow beyond the traditional roles that my culture laid out for me. Being part of this pageant I want to implement the images of what a Pakistani woman of 2015 has become.
Could we be more than mothers, sisters, daughters and wives? Not to undermine these roles, or diminish the roles that women play in the society, but I want to have just as many doors of opportunity opened for Pakistani woman as a Pakistani man may have.
If I will become Miss Pakistan U.S.A. tomorrow, only one thing will be on top of my mind, to protect and pursue a more educated approach to the people of Pakistan, especially Pakistani women. We tend to forget the rights, respect and justice of our own kind. . I have never been afraid to face the unknown, but people’s expectations and assumptions about me as a Pakistani woman here in the United States meant I need to do a little extra just to show that I, too, am capable. Many Pakistani women do not have the courage to fight against the injustice done to them. I would like to become the voice for such women and fight against such factors in my community. The women in my community are brought to be introverts, and not all women have the strength to speak against the wrong. I will to go the extra mile to prove myself, but I am proud to take the journey with determination and dignity. I will tell the people around me, who doubted that a woman could go so far, that I have done it. I am no longer a trembling powerless girl, but a woman filled with potential. It is important for such a community to be represented, and I would like to be that person.
Let’s start implementing what should have been established long ago! Feel free to ask me questions or leave me comments below. Thank you!