READ: Your local and national newspapers and magazines. Discuss the issues that you’ve read about with family, friends, teachers and schoolmates. Find your passion in all subjects: Islam, the environment, social issues, youth issues, sports, crime, education …whatever you care about. Get inspired to voice your opinion!

WRITE: Write letters to the editors about the issues that inspire you, anger you or please you.

WIN BIG! If you get published, send the clipping to us. We’ll award $40 for the first 25 printed letters or essays per quarterly contest period*.

WIN BIGGER! Four times a year we’ll award $250 to the best of the best published letters or essays.

The Young Muslim Writer’s Alliance is a new initiative sponsored by America’s Muslim Family magazine with the generous support of Dr. Mohammed J. Khan. The goal of the Alliance is to encourage our best and brightest Muslim American generation to develop excellent writing skills, and to help make their voices heard clearly and brightly through America’s mainstream media. The first step in reaching this objective is through the “Letters to the Editor” campaign.

One way to change public perception of Muslims and Islam is through the mainstream media. Young Muslim Americans have a keen understanding of several distinct cultures; they move fluidly between their family’s ethnic culture, the culture of modern America, and the culture of their faith, Islam. Muslim students can effect positive change in America by voicing their unique experiences, cultural knowledge and strong faith to the public square.

Dr. Khan conducted the “Letters to the Editor” campaign through one New Jersey Islamic school, and many letters were published in New Jersey newspapers last year from Muslim kids as young as 12! Imagine the possibilities if students across the country begin to focus some effort in this direction—we can’t complain about being misunderstood if we’re not “out there” doing something about it.

The rules are simple: 1) you must be a student under the age of 24; 2) when your letter to the editor or opinion piece is published in a newspaper or magazine–big or small–send us a clipping of it—no copies! You can also send the URL of the publication’s website if they have an online edition of their opinion page.

We will publish your letter on our website, and we’ll print several of the best in each issue of America’s Muslim Family as well. We’ll award $40 for first 25 entries mailed to us during the quarterly contest period. One entry per contest period deemed best by our editorial staff (chosen from all entries, not just the first 25) will be awarded $250, and their letter will be featured on our YMWA page in America’s Muslim Family Magazine.
Involve your school, MSA or any other Muslim youth organization and let us know about it! Check our website for more details.

We are expecting awesome letters from the most dynamic generation of Muslims living in America so far!

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