Apprentice contestant sparks race row

[Harry!]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/35/20090406/ttv-the-apprentice-contestant-sparks-rac-7f3be95.html

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/my/yplus/csp_pcm_bt_dsl/cms1.my.sp1.yahoo.com/uploads/apr2009/siadatanbangshowbiz200.jpg

'The Apprentice' star Yasmina Siadatan has been embroiled in a race row.


The half-Iranian contestant on the BBC business reality show caused outrage after she requested a white person star in a sportswear advert produced by her team in this week's challenge.

In the show, which will air on Wednesday (08.04.09) Sir Alan Sugar asks the contestants to invent and promote a new piece of sports equipment.

But sparks flew during the challenge when 27-year-old Yasmina objected to two of her colleagues - Asian science teacher Noorul Choudhury, 33, and Tanzanian beauty Mona Lewis, 28 - both starring in a promotional poster.

She said: "We have already got an ethnic minority. If we have two ethnic minorities, it will be like we are advertising for The Ethnic Minorities Sportswear Club.

"I think we have to have a white person in there as well. There's nothing wrong with Noorul, but we've got Mona."

Speaking of her white, English teammate she added: "Phil Taylor should be in the pictures. He looks so much better."

However, her comments caused uproar with others in the team.

Contestant Debra Barr, 24, retorted: "How can we say that? I am gobsmacked we can say that. I am offended. If I had a child and someone said: 'Sorry, you can't go in my ad campaign because you're black,' I'd kick off."

Despite upsetting her teammates, Yasmina insisted she has not done anything wrong.

She said: "Well, I'm Iranian so I can say it. I am just being honest. Debra can ****** off."

[*mazedsalv**]

Ohh no.... lets not get into this again!:rolleyes:

[xDramatick]

Wow.
Good job it ain't Big Brother.

[Tom]

Anyone with at least 1 braincell can see what she is getting at

"Half Iranian" says it all really

Complete non story :sleep:

[JOSHUAH!]

I knew it would be her.
Argumentative cow.

:nono:

[Tom]

In context it was nowhere near as bad as they made out!!

[Lauren]

The actual thing that caused controversy is nothing.

The thing that got me was the "Well I'm Iranian so I can say it" - huh?!

[Tom]

I don't think she meant it in that way, I think she meant that she knows it won't cause offence because shes Iranian (in response to "you can't say that" ... "yes I can say that because its not offensive etc" ..), not shes Iranian so can make racist remarks and such. Mona wasn't bothered

[Fom]

I dont even get the racist comment... so it can't of been that bad.

[Tom]

Originally posted by Fom
I dont even get the racist comment... so it can't of been that bad.

equal opportunities type thing "you cant do this because you're black"

[Tom4784]

I cringed at this part, She might as well have just said what she was thinking that Noorul's as ugly as sin. She was looking for a way to get him off the poster and went about it in an horrific fashion.

[andyman]

So if she said there is too many white people that would be ok?

They should have tossed a coin..

[30stone]

:rolleyes:

Surprise surprise.

I think every reality show has one of these now.

[~Kizwiz~]

Blown out of all proportion.

She was trying to give a balanced visual view and she got jumped on by Debra.....:bored:

[Spike]

I could see her point but she didn't go about saying it very well, and yeah I don't think it was racist or anything
but the thing which annoyed me was when she said ""Well, I'm Iranian so I can say it." because thats the attitude which isn't needed and causes a lot of problems

[GiRTh]

It was a storm in a teacup. I dont think anybody was being racist especially not Yasmina.

I'm on of the few people who agree with how Debra handled it but I think she handled it that way because she didnt know all the facts.