Malak Amira was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, with her parents coming to the country as refugees in the early 1980s. Arriving from Palestine, they suffered just as many Kurds do in being displaced from their homeland and longing for it. Currently studying social education at College Campus Carlsberg, Amira also works as a model, and was chosen as one of the top 30 finalists in the Miss Denmark 2024 beauty pageant. She recently sat down with Kurdistan Chronicle to discuss her journey and deeply personal connections with Kurdistan.
In Copenhagen, Amira grew up in a multicultural society among some Kurdish families, so she made many Kurdish friends. “I felt connected to the Kurds in many ways, notably because of the common Kurdish and Palestinian history of genocide. I felt as if the Kurdish community understood my background the best,” she shared.
She also, occasionally, had the opportunity to enjoy Kurdish food. “I have tasted many Kurdish dishes, such as yaprax, qoraw, rice and soup and my all-time favorite Kurdish dish, kifta,” she told Kurdistan Chronicle.
Amira sees many similarities between the Kurdish and Palestinian cultures. “Old Kurdish culture has many similarities with Palestinian culture; for example the old Kurdish deq tattoos look a lot like Palestinian tribal tattoos. Music, both traditional and modern, also plays a big role in both Palestinian and Kurdish culture. There is a lot of musical and poetic passion shared by the Kurds and Palestinians,” she said.
Sacrifice
Amira’s biggest wish is to inspire Middle Eastern women to embrace their beauty and to land on the cover of magazines. In her opinion Middle Eastern women have the beauty, talent, and strength to succeed in whatever they put their minds to. She hopes that her participation in Miss Denmark and future modelling competitions and professions will motivate and inspire women all over the world to follow their dreams. “Kurdish and Palestinian women have, in my estimation, the smallest representation as characters in movies, theaters, music, or novels in Denmark,” she said.
Amira had a personal message to Kurdish girls around the world: “I know that you might not always feel heard. I know that there is a lack of representation of you, your talents, and your beauty in the media. I know that you don’t always feel seen. I know the opportunities do not come easy to you and sometimes they might not even exist for you yet. I know that following your dreams and wishes is not an easy path to take. But dear Kurdish girl, I grew up among your Kurdish sisters in Denmark. I have witnessed how they turn suffering into strength and tragedy into art. I took a leap of faith to pursue a modeling career against Middle Eastern cultural barriers, with the help of Kurdish women,” she said.
The road to the Miss Denmark beauty pageant was not easy for Amira, but as she highlighted, she had the courage, strength, willpower, and beauty to take the leap. “I grew up watching my best friend Norah Hussein – a Kurdish poet from Halabja, Kurdistan living in Denmark and author of Poetic Pulse – realize her success and grow her career. I grew up seeing her turn pain into poetry and push the boundaries of equality for Middle Eastern women. She taught me how to make sacrifices for what I believed in,” she emphasized.
Sacrifice is a part of every dream, as Amira pointed out. “I sacrificed a lot but gained so much more, internally, spiritually, and externally. I became living proof that any Middle Eastern girl can follow their dream without getting permission from anyone.”
During challenging times, Amira turns to reading Hussein’s poem called “Inspire Me,” which has empowered her through the hardships that life brings.
“Inspire Me”
I kept looking for souls
in the nature of my reflection
Where my skin color is not covered in shame
and seeing hair as black as a poets ink
Or looking at the hill on my nose
To remind me of the heritage of my roots
I keep searching for ideals
To inspire me for the better
Not to change me
Into something else
Kurdish connection
As a stateless Palestinian, Amira considers herself a global citizen. “Home is not a location but a feeling. I feel at home where people respect me and value my integrity. Home could also be Kurdistan for me,” she said.
She plans to visit the Kurdistan Region someday. “I have promised myself that Kurdistan is on the top of my list of places that I must visit in the next five years. I would love to go and support the Miss Kurdistan beauty pageant, and who knows, even mentor some of them,” Amira shared.
Amira grew up around Kurdish families and has a lot of knowledge about the history of the Kurds. “Norah (Hussein) and her family taught me about the 1988 Halabja massacre, which had a huge impact on her parents and Norah’s life,” she said. “I grew up listening to her parents talk about the beauty of the city, the innocence of the Kurdish people, and the traumatizing horror that happened to them.”
Amira has also participated in many Newroz, or Kurdish New Year, parties with her Kurdish friends. “The daffodil flower holds great symbolic value for the Kurds. All my Kurdish friends buy Danish daffodils at the beginning of spring and decorate their living rooms and kitchens with them,” she shared.
She also described Kurds as belonging to the mountains and being very fond of nature, birds, waterfalls, and especially flowers. “I am also aware of Kurdistan’s division into four parts, Turkiye, Syria, Iran, and Iraq, but to a Palestinian woman like me, there’s only one Kurdistan.”
Goran Shakhawan is a Kurdish-American journalist and author based in the United States. He has covered news for several Kurdish news outlets and was a former senior correspondent for Kurdistan24 in Erbil and Washington D.C. He has published several books in Kurdish.
