27-Year-old muslim Miss Universe Great Britain contestant will become the first to wear a kaftan during the competition's swimsuit segment.

                                    

A muslim Miss Universe Great Britain contestant will become the first to wear a kaftan during the competition's swimsuit segment. 27-year-old Muna Jama informed organizers that she was uncomfortable wearing a swimsuit because of her religious beliefs.

In an interview, the London-based contestant said: “I wouldn’t wear a bikini to a beach, so I’m not going to wear one in a competition to score points.”

                                        

The competition will be held in Cardiff next month and the winner will represent Great Britain in the 2017 Miss Universe contest.

This is Muna’s second attempt at requesting the organizers to allow her to wear a kaftan. She pulled out of the contest two years ago after her request was denied.

Her experience of witnessing the migrant crisis during visits to Egypt and Somalia prompted her to enter the competition again this year with the aim of raising awareness.

The Somalia-born model said: “These pageants are associated with beauty and modelling but over the years there has been a platform for other females using their platform differently. What I wanted to do was to raise awareness of what I have been working so hard for.