Elaha Soroor, 20, (right) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is listening to some of her songs with her younger brother (centre) and a female member of her music group (left) in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis.
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