British baking competition’s Muslim contestant feared being dismissed over religious discrimination

Nadiya Jamir Hussain says the response to the programme has shown how tolerant and accepting British society is

A Muslim contestant on the show The Great British Bake Off revealed she had originally feared that she would be dismissed by viewers in Britain as a “Muslim in a headscarf”.

“Originally, I was a bit nervous that perhaps people would look at me, a Muslim in a headscarf and wonder if I could bake. But I hope that, week by week, people have realised that I can bake – and just because I’m not a stereotypical British person, it doesn’t mean that I am not into bunting, cake and tea,” Nadiya Jamir Hussain told the Radio Times.

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Hussain, who is one of four semi-finalists, said that the response to the programme had shown how tolerant and accepting British society is. “I’m just as British as anyone else, and I hope I have proved that. I think the show is a fantastic representation of British society today. The feedback I have had reveals how accepting people are of different cultures and religions. Now people know who I am, I can see how tolerant and accepting British society is.”

Talking about desserts, the 30-year-old mother of three, said, “My family is from Bangladesh, and we don’t really have desserts in our culture. If there are sweet things to eat, they are eaten as a snack beforehand. But once I started to make desserts, crumbles and pies at home, it caught on. Now my family always expect one.”

The show aired on BBC1 has a host of other contestants whose families migrated from Lithuania, the Caribbean and the Philippines, as well as fellow semi-finalist Tamal Ray, whose parents moved to the UK from India in the 1960s.

Ray, a senior house officer in intensive care at a hospital in Manchester, said he talked about the show to relax patients before an operation. “I’m a Hindu, and I prayed quite a lot. I suppose there is a god of food, but I didn’t pray to him. I just prayed in a general sense and sent it out there,” he told Radio Times.

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Charlotte Moore, BBC1’s controller, said, “I want BBC1 to continue to move with the times and bring audiences a range of distinctive, high-quality programmes that feel relevant and reflect the diversity of modern Britain.”

A spokesperson for programme-maker Love Productions, was also of the opinion that the contestants reflected modern Britain, “We are looking for Britain’s best amateur bakers and the 12 contestants were chosen on the basis of baking ability. They reflect modern Britain.”

The new series of the show, presented by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, is the most popular yet. It has averaged about 12 million viewers and is expected to top the audience for last year’s final, won by Nancy Birtwhistle, which attracted 13.5 million viewers and was the most-watched entertainment show of 2014.

This article originally appeared on The Guardian