Meet the refugee who fled the Taliban and became Belgium’s beauty queen

Since she emigrated to Belgium from Afghanistan 14 years ago, Madina Hamidi has been crowned a beauty queen, dabbled in the film and music industry, and written a popular book called From Hell to Heaven (Van Hel tot Hemel) about her escape from the Taliban. 

Hers is the classic and inspiring tale of an immigrant who survived and continues to thrive. 

“Life hasn’t been easy on me,” Madina said to MySalaam, “but I managed to turn each tear into a pearl of wisdom and every pain into strength. All the setbacks persuaded me to go on no matter what.” 

She is now working on a master’s degree in law and psychology, awaiting the publication of two new books due to be published this year, and working on her own eco-friendly fashion line that uses traditional Afghan hand embroidery. 

In the pre-Taliban era, Madina lived a comfortable life in Afghanistan. Her father was a prominent and successful engineer in Russia. She said of him, “His ultimate dream was for us to get the best education, as according to my father, learning was the most important thing in life. He fought very hard for women’s rights and democracy. Unfortunately, his dedication cost him his life.” 

Her father was killed for his progressive views. “The death of my father also meant the end of our happy life. During the terror under the Taliban regime we suffered a lot and were [likely] to die of hunger and other war-related causes. Poverty, misery and affliction became our daily reality. The only way out was to escape and flee our country.” 

She escaped the Taliban via a treacherous smuggler’s route to Europe along with her mother and siblings. The journey, which she describes as one of the most horrific experiences of her childhood, took months, during which they were exposed to abuse, fear and threats. But they made it, and the family made Belgium their home. 

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I consider myself Belgian, but of course I'll never forget where I come from,” Madina said. She added that what she misses most about Afghanistan is the food. “In my opinion, Afghans have the most delicious cuisine in the whole world!” 

“As a young girl, I used to withdraw [to] my room and spent hours reading books, which I always considered as my best friends. And most of the time I also used to dress up whilst playing before the mirror and imagined myself as some kind of superstar. I never thought that my innocent childish dream could ever become the reality one day. But it did. I was crowned as Miss Diamond Belgium 2010 and Miss Earth Belgium 2012. That was a turning point in my life and the beginning of my showbiz carrier,” said Madina. 

Reactions to her modelling career were mixed, as some in the Muslim community didn’t approve of her chosen path. “But what really touched my heart were messages from young girls who saw me as their role model and inspiration to pursue their dreams … Muslim women are smart and strong enough to choose their own path and live the life they always dreamed of. Women’s oppression, repression and abuse finally have to stop!” 

She went on to say that everyone has his or her interpretation of a religion. “My definition is touching people’s hearts by spreading love, encouragement and the motivation to save thousands of lives. I know that I can’t change the world. But instead of waiting for a change to happen, I want to be THE change.”