A Special Celebration: Honoring the Contributions of Muslims of African and African American Heritage
Throughout the month of February, ISLA hosted a contest inviting Muslim middle schoolers to submit presentations on a Muslim of African and African American heritage. This contest was a direct response to findings from ISLA’s research with Islamic school alumni conducted in 2021. Throughout many interviews, ISLA heard from participants who felt their Islamic schools could have done more to teach about the contributions of African American and African Muslims. This contest was launched to encourage Islamic schools to explore this history and help Muslim middle schoolers learn more. Moreover, the winning submissions will help create a resource library that students and teachers can tap into year after year.
Awards Ceremony
On February 28, 2022, an awards ceremony was hosted to recognize the efforts of over 100 students from across the US who participated in this inaugural contest. The celebration started with Nabel Hamza, a student from IANT Quaranic Academy (TX), reciting Surah Hujurat, verses 10-13.
Following, Brother Salahuddeen explained the importance of visibility of African American Muslim and African Muslim achievements that are not often recognized and the general lack of information on their impact on history. Sr. Quran concluded with a powerful reminder about our responsibility to expand and nurture relationships and knowledge.
Surprise Guest Speakers
We had a few surprises for our student viewers, with messages of congrats and inspiration provided by prominent African and African American Muslim brothers and sisters.
Maryum Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali
Dr. Yusef Salaam, Member of Exonerated Five, activist, scholar and motivational speaker
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, former NBA Star, activist and motivational speaker
Submissions & Winners Selection
We had about 120 submissions of middle schoolers, all with special features and great information. Given the high caliber of the submissions, ISLA had to engage in a second round of judging for the top 10 submissions in each category, and a plagiarism check was run before confirming each winner.
ISLA is so proud of all of the contestants and would like to especially recognize this year’s winners.
6th grade Winners
1st- Ahmad Nisar
Ilm Academy GA
Muhammad Ali- Celebrating African and African American History
2nd- Aliza Zafar
Quba Islamic School CA
Ibtihaj Muhammad: An Impressive African American Muslim Woman
3rd- Sakeena Maniar
Al-Rahmah School MD
Sumayyah Bint Khayyat
4th- Juhi Naeema
Good Tree Academy TX
Ilhan Omar
5th- Ayaan Riaz
Engineering and Science University Magnet School CT
Muhammad Ali ‘An American Boxer’
7th grade Winners
1st Ameera Qureshi
ILM Academy GA
Keith Ellison
2nd Ameera Smadi
Quba Islamic School CA
Life of Halima Aden
3rd Yara Shahadeh
Lexington Universal Academy KY
Nana Asma’u
4th Ayaana Abdul-Mateen
Al Madina School of Richmond VA
Fatima Al FIhri
5th Jenna Ahmad
Montessori School of Excellence TX
Ibtihaj Muhammad
8th grade Winners
1st Inaya Khwaja
Herricks Middle School NY
How Halima Aden Debunks the Ideas Society has About Muslim Women
2nd Hadicha Abduvalieva
Faith Islamic Academy OH
Najashi: The Great King of Abyssinia
3rd Fahmeeda Mohammad
Nur Islamic School of Louisville KY
Ibtihaj Muhammad: An African American Women, Hijabi, Athlete, & Fencer
3rd Ayyub Muhammad Dhamim
Bright Horizon Academy CA
Malcolm X
4th Aisha Abdulbaqi
Nur Islamic School of Louisville KY
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar
5th Maha Shaikh
Noor-ul-Iman NJ
Sumayyah Bint Khayyat
Thank You Sponsors
ISLA wishes to express its gratitude to our sponsors for assisting us in recognizing the importance of African Muslim & African American Muslim history.
MyDeen, Islamic Magazine for Children
Kindness and Care Beyond Borders, Inc.
and, Qiblah Circle of Brotherhood & Sisterhood, a group of Muslim brothers and sisters who meet weekly to expand their understanding on a variety of topics.
Awards Ceremony Recording
Did you miss the awards ceremony? No worries, we’ve got a recording of it for you to watch!
ISLA plans to continue this contest annually. We will be posting the winning submissions on our website soon. We encourage you to come back and visit and browse through the spectacular presentations that the Muslim middle schoolers created for this important contest.
