Rima Fakih, from Dearborn, Michigan, won the pageant last night after nearly stumbling in her evening gown.

A 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant has been crowned Miss U.S.A.

Rima Fakih, from Dearborn, Michigan, is believed to be the first Muslim to win the pageant despite nearly stumbling over in her evening gown last night.

Born in Lebanon, she emigrated with her parents to the U.S. as a baby. She was raised in New York and attended a Catholic school. Miss Fakih told pageant judges that her family celebrates both the Christian and the Muslim faiths.

They moved to Michigan in 2003, where she was later crowned Miss Michigan.

Pageant officials said competition records were not detailed enough to confirm if she is the first Arab-American or Muslim woman to win the contest. Miss Fakih competed against 50 others in the swimsuit, evening gown and interview competitions.

She nearly fell while finishing her walk in a long, strapless gown because of the length of its train - but managed to recover.

The gown that nearly cost her the crown: Miss Fakih models in the evening gown part of the competition - just before nearly tripping over the train of her dress
In the interview, Miss Fakih was asked whether she thought birth control should be paid for by health insurance.

She said believed it should as it is expensive. 'I believe that birth control is just like every other medication even though it’s a controlled substance,' she said.

'This is the real face of Arab Americans, not the stereotypes you hear about,' Zouheir Alawieh, 51, of Dearborn, told the Detroit Free Press.

'We have culture. We have beauty. We have history, and today we made history... She believed in her dreams.'