The first woman of Indian descent to be crowned Miss America has become the victim of intense racist abuse on Twitter.
Users of the social networking site accused Nina Davuluri of being an “Arab” and “terrorist” and told her to get out of the country — despite the fact she was born in the US.
Miss Davuluri, 24, said she intended to ignore the attacks, saying: “I have to rise above that. I’ve always viewed myself as first and foremost American.”
She was born in Syracuse, New York, after her parents moved to the US from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 1981. She was crowned Miss New York before taking the US crown.
But within hours of her victory she was being targeted by Twitter users who accused her of not being American.
One said: “I’m literally soo mad right now an Arab won” while another posted: “How the **** does a foreigner win Miss America? She is a Arab!” A third user said: “Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America” and another added: “It’s called Miss America, Get outta here New York you look like a terrorist.”
Miss Davuluri’s father is a doctor and she intends to use her prize money from the competition to study at medical school in the US.
The Miss America competition had been praised this year for celebrating diversity, with contestants including an Army officer with tattoos and a woman missing the lower part of one arm.
At a press conference, the new Miss America said: “I’m so happy that this organisation has embraced diversity.
“I am thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.”
She performed a Bollywood style dance as part of the talent segment of the contest, held in Atlantic City, and said she wanted to use her role to “celebrate diversity through cultural competency”.
