Former Miss Universe Malaysia Samantha Katie James faced severe criticism after she called the Black Lives Matter protesters demanding justice in George Floyd's death, "foolish humans", through her Instagram account.
The 25-year-old social media influencer, who goes by the name of Samantha Brahmacharini on Instagram, has 163,000 followers on the site. In a series of Instagram stories posted on her account, James also stated that they were born as colored persons in America to learn a certain lesson.
'White People Have Power Over You'
Stating that the protests, which ran into their sixth straight day across US cities, were proof that "the whites [have] won", the Malaysian-Chinese-Brazilian beauty queen wrote in her first post: "I don't live in America and it has nothing to do with me, but to me, it seems like the 'whites' won."
"If you're angry, you response in rage and anguish and that means it has power over you. They have power over you. To the black people: Relax, take it as a challenge, makes you stronger. You chose to be born as a 'colored' person in America for a reason. To learn a certain lesson," she added.
"Accept it as it is, till now hunger and poverty still exists. It is what it is. It's inevitable. Best you can do is remain calm, protect heart, don't allow it to crumble. That's your responsibility," she wrote.
Explaining her "chose to be born colored' remark, James wrote: "Like our souls. Chose this life, this country, this race, this human form, specifically... I always wonder why I'm born in Malaysia, as a white girl, with Chinese mom and Indian grandparents and Brazilian dad. But I chose this all for a reason, as a soul."
MUMO Distances Itself From James
Soon after James' remarks generated controversy and led to anger, especially among Malaysians, the Miss Universe Malaysia Organization (MUMO) slammed the beauty queen. According to Malay Mail, a statement issued by MUMO read: "Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (MUMO) notes with dismay the recent social media posts made by Samantha Kate James, a past winner of Miss Universe Malaysia. We also note that these posts are inappropriate, offensive, unacceptable and hurtful."
Distancing itself from the controversial beauty queen, MUMO added: "The views expressed on Samantha's personal Instagram account are her own personal views and are neither the view nor position of MUMO. Samantha Katie James is not contracted to MUMO and has not represented the organisation since June 2018. MUMO stands for a non-racial society and strongly condemns all acts of racism and prejudice anywhere in the world."
Aghast over her hateful remarks, several people demanded that James' crown to be revoked by Miss Universe Malaysia.
"While you may mean well, you've made some grave errors that are both disrespectful and hurtful in the extreme. African Americans have not been treated with anything near equality for close to 400 years," commented one user on her Instagram page.
"Miss Universe Malaysia. More like Miss Gaslighting and Racism," wrote a user on Twitter.
