Muslim woman crowned 'Great British Bake Off' champion

After 11 weeks of baking trials and triumphs, 30-year-old Nadiya Hussain was this week crowned the 2015 Great British Bake Off champion.

Over the course of the competition, the British Muslim mother of three generated many fans for her iconic facial expressions and show-stopping skills.

Some 14.5 million viewers tuned in Wednesday night to watch Hussain take the crown - the most watched British TV show of the year.

Her “big fat British wedding cake,” decorated with jewels from her own special day, dazzled the judges in the finale.

Hussain also impressed with her iced buns for the signature dish, and took the lead in the mille-feuille technical challenge.
Since her win, fans - describing themselves as “Nadiyators” - have taken to Twitter to express their pride and inspiration in her.

“Nadiya Hussein, a Muslim in a headscarf, wins Great British Bake Off. Stick that in your lemon drizzle, bigots,” tweeted journalist and TV celebrity Piers Morgan.

Noreen Khan tweeted: “Isn’t it amazing to see a Muslim person making headlines everywhere, and everything about this story is POSITIVE!!”

Akeela Ahmed, founder of the blog She Speaks We Hear - which provides a platform for Muslim women to share their experiences of identity, culture and faith - told Al Arabiya News: “What’s brilliant about Nadiya’s win is that her wonderful personality and amazing talent shone through.

“Her lack of self-confidence resonated with the nation, and everyone could get behind her. It didn’t matter that she wore a headscarf or that she was Muslim.

“Finally, we have a story about a Muslim woman and her achievements. This and Nadiya’s words will inspire Muslims and women to not let their background stop them from trying to achieve their dreams.”

Hussain’s passion for baking started from an early age, inspired by her school teacher.

“I’m never going to put boundaries on myself ever again,” she said following her win. “I’m never going to say ‘I don’t think I can.’ I can and I will.”