Young Muslim Writers Awards 2011 by Young Muslim Writers Awards

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ONTENTS 2

Young Muslim Writers Awards – The story so far

Puffin Books – Shannon Park

Let your experiences guide your pen – Elizabeth Laird

Meet the Judges

Against all odds – Farahad Zama

Books are a little bit of heaven – Anna Perera

Notebook of mishaps – Sufiya Ahmed

I want to be.... a writer – Dr. Claire Chambers

Before literature, came writing – Shadab Zeest Hashmi

Shortlist

Judge me, please – Leila Aboulela

Bedtime Journeys – Na’ima B. Robert

But what if you can’t see the words? – Shemiza Rashid

We were all supposed to cry! – Sagheer Afzal

Performers

MWA is so much more than a ceremony and a celebration of success of our young writers. YMWA is in fact, a natural extension of our work around education, spanning many continents over the last 15 years. We know how important it is to support, nurture and mentor young minds. With over 400 schools and almost 40,000 children in our care across some of the poorest regions, we can realistically claim to know 1 or 2 things about education. It’s this track record, along with the energy and zeal that the Muslim Hands team has applied over the last few years, which is now adding an international dimension to our work. Closer to home, it is allowing the project to grow to include programmes like Food4thought which works with state schools up and down the country, helping to improve literacy and numeracy rates and improving GCSE results. We understand the importance of investing in our children’s future. Join us in supporting our work and help us to inspire future generations of children everywhere.

he Institute of English Studies is delighted to host the Young Muslim Writers Awards for the second year in succession. The Institute has, in recent years, lent its support to a number of literary awards, such as the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, the Caine Prize for African Writing, and the Stephen Spender Memorial Trust’s Translation Prize. Literary Awards and Prizes provide important foci in the contemporary literary scene, and their proliferation is a sign of the diversity which has come to characterize our consciousness of the writers amongst us. To put the matter simply, prizes encourage the growth of literary talent and help us all to focus attention upon its fruits.

Chairman Muslim Hands

profile of contemporary British writing in all genres is a particularly exciting challenge to the Institute of English Studies. We also look forward to promoting a series of workshops with the Young Muslim Writers, to encourage ongoing reflection and study of new writing in between the annual events.

FRSL, FRSA, FEA Director, Institute of English Studies, University of London

Our mission in the School of Advanced Study is to facilitate and promote research inside and outside the world of Higher Education, and the exploration and understanding of the growing and changing

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he Young Muslim Writers Awards story so far.... Well to put it simply, it’s been quite a journey! We’ve always known that the most exciting, creative and interesting entries to Muslim Writers Awards are to be found in the under 16’s categories and so in 2009 we decided to have a separate awards ceremony for under 16 writers. What started off as a wish to celebrate and acknowledge young writers across the UK to give them a platform for their work, quickly evolved into a project with a life of its own. Below are just a few highlights of some of the work we have been doing over the last year

TAHMINA’S BOOK LAUNCH On Saturday 2nd April 2011, less than a year after receiving the award for 14-16 Best Short Story, Tahmina Jahan Hadi invited the YMWA team to join her for the launch of her first novel, See Red (Urbantopia Books), under her pen name Mina Bint Muhammad. Aged only 15 and still studying for GCSE’s Tahmina has been interviewed by the BBC, the Guardian, Newham Recorder and many others. In May 2011 Tahmina was shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards.

SAY IT IN 50 WORDS OF LESS Writing just 50 interesting words is harder than it sounds, but plenty of people gave it a go when we asked them to at the Global Peace and Unity event held at the ExCeL Centre in October 2010. Writers of all ages entered our 50 interesting words competition with added incentive of winning an iPad. Well done to Imran Ahmed, aged 13 from Manchester for his most interesting entry.

ne year ago, I was in exactly the same position as the shortlisted young writers now. Last year I entered the Young Muslim Writers Awards, and to be honest, I didn’t think I’d even get shortlisted. But then I did, and naturally, my mother excitedly informed my family. Despite this, I kept reassuring them that I wouldn’t win. This was a nationwide competition, after all, and I was simply grateful for being in the 14-16 Short Story shortlist. My uncle had a friend who was looking for ethnic minority writers for her new publishing house, Urbantopia Books. She asked to see my entry, we met and it was agreed shortly prior to the awards that I would write a novel based on my short story, Colour Coded. When the day came, I attended the awards and I was astounded to discover that I had actually won the award.

RETURNING TO ROCHDALE For the second year YMWA judges Sufiyah Ahmed and Qaisra Shahraz returned to Rochdale to run writing workshops for school children and to encourage them to put pen to. Rochdale Town hall was the first place YMWA was launched and home to many of the shortlists from YMWA 2010.

MINA BINT MUHAMMAD, WINNER OF YOUNG MUSLIM WRITERS AWARDS 14-16 BEST SHORT STORY 2010, AND AUTHOR OF SEE RED

INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE, STRATFORD CENTRAL LIBRARY In the run up to YMWA competitions we held creative writing workshops in libraries and schools around the UK to encourage young people to turn their creative thoughts into written stories. With help from YMWA judge and author Sufiyah Ahmed, children wrote the beginnings of their short stories which they would then submit to YMWA. We are pleased to say one participant from this particular workshop has been shortlisted today! With the help and support of Local Authorities, teachers, librarians and others working with young people we were able to encourage many more young people to put pen to paper and get writing, to all these individuals, for their hard work and commitment we owe so much. We hope that you’ll continue to help us for many more years to come.

The Young Muslim Writers Awards gave me the determination and motivation to start writing stories and at least trying to gain recognition for it. My entry was initially the idea for the book. The Awards helped push me in the right direction, towards writing. Sufiya Ahmed and Sagheer Afzhal (authors of the Zahra series and The Reluctant Mullah respectively) also attended my book launch to support me. If it wasn’t for the YMWA, I wouldn’t be where I am now, so I am truly grateful to them for that.

Young Muslim Writers Awards 2010 shortlisted entrants

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LET YOUR EXPERIENCES GUIDE YOUR PEN

’m sorry to be really boring, but I’m going to offer the same old tired advice that everyone gives to people learning to write. Don’t copy other writers. Dig into your own life and draw on your own experiences. There. I’ve said it. Told you it was boring. But it doesn’t need to be! Here’s my take on copying other writers: it never works. Take my word for it: there may be writers you admire and that you’d love to emulate. But if you set out be like them, you just won’t be true to yourself, and it will show. Now for the bit about drawing on your own experience. You might think that there’s nothing much that you’d seen or done that’s worth writing about. But if you’re anything like a normal human being, you’ll have experienced all kinds of feelings – anger, sadness, joy, frustration, hope, love, loathing, anxiety and sheer blind panic. Those feelings are yours. They belong to you, and to no one else. That’s your subject matter. That’s where you start from.

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There. I’ve said it. Told you it was boring. But it doesn’t need to be!

That’s true in my case, anyway. A story nearly always comes out of a feeling I want to express. Once I start thinking about it, and letting myself explore it, I can dress it up in a situation, a place and a time. A character or characters begin to emerge. They start to move and think and feel themselves. Then I’m off! The novel is taking shape.

My last novel (not published till next year and I haven’t thought of a title yet) is about a young Ethiopian prince, who, in the nineteenth century, became an orphan and was brought to Britain. The feeling I wanted to explore was loneliness. I’m not an Ethiopian. I don’t live in the nineteenth century (I’m not that old!)and I’m certainly not a prince, but I have been lonely many times in my life. I can put myself in his shoes and write about how it felt to be him.That’s not to say that you can’t try to write about your own life and the people you know. Of course you can. Many people do it brilliantly, and many first novels are based on real life events. (Mine was. Red Sky in the Morning was my first novel, and it was about my little brother.) So good luck, all you aspiring writers! Get out that computer (or a pencil and a piece of paper, in my case) and start putting it all down. You’ll only learn to write by writing, just as you only learn to ride a bicycle by getting on and falling off.

Good luck! Author of ‘Kiss the Dust’ and ‘The Garbage King’

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Meet the Judges Akeela Ahmed Chief Executive of Muslim Youth

Helpline. Previously, she specialised in providing high intensity support services to vulnerable homeless people from diverse backgrounds. She regularly sits on roundtables for the Department of Communities and Local Government, Home Office, and hosts diplomatic delegations for the British Foreign Office and other countries. She is listed in the Muslim Power List 2010.

Dr. Claire Chambers

Senior lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University, where she researches and teaches twentieth- and twentyfirst-century writing in English from South Asia, the Arab world, and their diasporas. She is the author of British Muslim Fictions: Interviews with Contemporary Writers (ISBN: 978-0-230-30878-7). Her research has been supported by grants from HEFCE, the AHRC and British Academy. She has published widely in such journals as Postcolonial Text, Crossings and Contemporary Women’s Writing, and is Co-editor of the Journal of Commonwealth Literature

Farahad Zama Born in

Vizag, on the eastern coast of India, Farahad is the author of The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, The Many Conditions of Love and The Wedding Wallah. Farahad is the winner of Melissa Nathan award for comedy/ romance and was shortlisted for Best New Writer at the British Book Awards 2009 and a finalist for Best Published Fiction at Muslim Writer’s Awards 2009. Farahad is an engineer and works in the City. He lives in south London with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE

An educationalist, community activist, author and parenting consultant. He is Chairman of the board of trustees of East London Mosque and a board member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG. He was Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, from 2006 until 2010. He was conferred an MBE in 2003, made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2005 and an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary, University of London in 2008.

Babar Mirza Vice-Chair and Director of Education

for Nida Trust, a national education consultancy charity, which delivers educational services and courses to the voluntary and maintained sectors. He is presenter and producer of the Education Matters show on Islam Channel, and founder and host of the National GPU Education Awards. Babar is a school teacher and senior leader responsible for whole school ICT and Literacy at a secondary comprehensive school.

David Grant

Co-founder and joint Managing Director of Infinite Ideas, an independent Oxford-based publishing and content business set up in 2004. David has a wealth of experience in international publishing and held senior roles in sales and marketing for a number of top companies before setting up his own business in 1992. His first novel Elephant was published in 2007.

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Following the success of her irreverent memoir Love in a Headscarf, about a British Muslim looking for love, Shelina has written articles for The Times, The Guardian, The National, The Muslim News and Emel magazine, focusing on Islam and current affairs with a particular interest in British and European Muslim women.

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Rasha reports on the multicultural and inter-religious topics in the Middle East and the Americas. She works as senior editor of Culture & Entertainment & Back to Religions pages of OnIslam. net, and is the Middle-East reporter of the American online magazine “College World Reporters”. She also freelances for international media outlets, and has worked as a foreign correspondent in the United States in 2010.

Sagheer Afzal Teacher and author, but as a child

Anna Perera With an MA in

Writing for Children at Winchester University, Anna is the author of the critically acclaimed Guantanamo Boy, shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her recent Young Adult novel, The Glass Collector is set in Cairo. Anna has worked as an English teacher in secondary schools in London, later becoming responsible for a unit for excluded boys.

Rasha Mohammad

Dr. Musharraf Hussain Al- Azari OBE Chief Executive of the Karimia Institute, Nottingham and the Chief Editor of The Invitation a Muslim community magazine. He has translated and written twenty books and his book on introduction to Islam has been published by Nelson and Thornes and is taught in secondary schools in England. He is a familiar voice on BBC Radio Nottingham’s ‘Thought For the Day’ and Radio 2’s ‘Pause for Thought’. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Staffordshire University in 2005,and conferred an OBE in 2008.

Hassan Mahamdallie

With a background in theatre and campaigning journalism, Hassan is a senior strategy officer at Arts Council England. He writes on issues of race, religion and the history of black people in the West. Hassan contributed to the book Tell It Like It Is - How Our Schools Fail Black Children (2005). His biography of radical artist William Morris, Crossing the River of Fire, was published in 2008. He is presently editing a book in defence of multicuturalism.

Leila Aboulela Leila was awarded the Caine Prize

for African Writing. Her new novel Lyrics Alley was longlisted for the Orange Prize and short-listed for the South Asia and Europe Region in the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. Her novels The Translator and Minaret were long listed for the Orange Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Award, and her short story collection Coloured Lights was short-listed for the Macmillan/Silver PEN Award. BBC Radio has adapted her work and broadcast a number of her plays. www.leila-aboulela.com

Elizabeth Laird Born in

New Zealand, but of Scottish descent, Elizabeth was educated at Croydon High School. She spent a year teaching in Malaysia, before studying languages at Bristol and Edinburgh universities. Elizabeth has spent many years living and working abroad, including Lebanon, Ethiopia and India. She lives in Richmond with her husband, David McDowall, a writer on Middle Eastern Affairs. Elizabeth is the author of children’s books which include Kiss the Dust and The Garbage King.

Qaisra Shahraz Critically

acclaimed novelist and scriptwriter, Member of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her novel, The Holy Woman, won the Golden Jubilee Award in 2001 and was awarded the title Best Book of the Month by Waterstone’s. Her novel, Typhoon, became a bestseller in Holland. Her award-winning short stories are studied in schools and colleges, and her books are translated into several languages.

never considered himself a writer, even though he won a prize for a short story he wrote. At university he gained a reputation for his story telling which grew stronger whilst studying for his MSc at Kent University. After working in IT, Sagheer ventured into the world of education. Sagheer is the author of the teenage novel The Reluctant Mullah.

Sarwat Chadda

Author of Devil’s Kiss and Dark Goddess, which are published in Holland, the US, Poland, Indonesia, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Turkey and Brazil. Sarwat lives in South London with his wife and two daughters. Sarwat was recipient of the SCWBI Undiscovered Voices’ Award 2008, shortlisted for the American Library Association award for Best Young Adult Book 2009, and shortlisted for the We Read Book Award 2010.

Sufiya Ahmed Author of the Zahra series: ‘Zahra’s

First Term at the Khadija Academy’, ‘Zahra’s Great Debate’, ‘Zahra’s Trip to Misr’ and to be released ‘Zahra’s Second Year at the Khadija Academy’ and ‘Zahra’s Arabian Adventure’. Sufiya’s first book ‘Zahra’s First Term at the Khadija Academy’ was shortlisted in the published category at the 2008 Muslim Writers Awards. Since then she has worked closely with MWA, delivering creative writing workshops in schools nationwide. In 2011 Sufiya’s new book, about a teenager’s ordeal with a forced marriage, was signed by Puffin Books for release in 2012.

Rizwan Hussain is television presenter and an

international humanitarian worker. He is also a former musician and producer and is best known for being a presenting the National Qir’at Competition on Islam Channel and Islam Essentials and Thinking Allowed on Channel S. Rizwan Hussain has a varied career and has so far has been a Lecturer of Laws, police officer and journalist.

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The experience of being hooked by a good book is something that’s hard to forget and as a young child I was so in awe of the creators of my favourite stories: A. A. Milne, Lewis Carroll and the Brothers Grimm, that the idea I might one day become a writer felt as impossible as winning a marathon. Little did I know then, that a love of reading is the best indication of a future writer.

In survey after survey, a majority of young people in the West say that their aim is to be rich and famous. So, how would you rate the chances of this fifty-eight year-old man?

n his youth, this man committed a crime and had to leave his home with policemen chasing after him. He joined as a soldier, sustained an injury that rendered his left arm useless, was captured and made a slave. He was ransomed by his parents and once home, wrote a book and several dramas to make money, but they were failures. He then lived a nomadic life, unable to settle anywhere, became a tax collector, went bankrupt and went to prison at least twice for irregularities in his accounts. Nobody would rate this man’s chances as promising, but it was 1605; the man was Miguel de Cervantes, and that year his book, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, was published to great success and acclaim. It is considered the first modern novel and his influence on Spanish was so great that it is sometimes referred to as La Lengua de Cervantes (“the language of Cervantes”). The difference between his earlier dramas and his latest work was that Cervantes wasn’t writing it to make money – at least not directly. He wrote the novel with a purpose. It is stated again and again that he wrote it in order to satirize the romance of chivalry and to challenge the popularity of a form of literature that had been a favorite of the general public for more than a century. His idea was to give a picture of real life and manners, and to express himself in clear language. The use of everyday speech in a literary context was a new concept and amazed readers of the time.

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BOOKS ARE A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a fable with a similar moral. The gulls on a stretch of coast spend all their time looking for food. But Jonathan has a different idea. He wants to become the best flyer and spends his time perfecting the art of flying – as high as he can, as low as he can go, faster than anybody else and he practises acrobatic tricks – loops, flips, you name it. The other birds mock him – saying that he is wasting his time, for why would any bird need to fly better than it took to catch a fish? And they were right, for a time. Jonathon grew thinner and thinner because he didn’t eat as much as the others. But soon, he became the best at flying and found that food was no longer a problem. He could catch fish that swam deeper and further out than any other bird.

ooks gave me hope when I was sad, consolation when things were going badly, plus adventure, friendship, laughter and information. And when I picked up a book at home that I didn’t understand, I just skipped the boring bits and let the words carry me along with them because inside those pages was a journey I wanted to take with characters that often felt more real than the people I knew. It was thrilling to puzzle over the meaning of a story and the effect was like having a private movie playing in my head. Through reading I learnt how satisfying it is to use the imagination to fill in missing scenes and maybe change the ending. When I finished a book and sat for ages staring out of the window, it was because I was still in that other world and couldn’t bear to leave it behind. I feel sorry for people who can’t or don’t want to read because books are a little bit of heaven on earth and I wish everyone knew that.

Author of Guantanamo Boy

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Aim to be a great writer, computer programmer, mathematician, cricketer, whatever – and you’ll find that the money will take care of itself. And finally, remember the Hadith of the Prophet: Richness does not mean having a great amount of property, but richness is self-contentment.

I feel sorry for people who can’t or don’t want to read because books are a little bit of heaven on earth and I wish everyone knew that.

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AGAINST ALL ODDS

Author of The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

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NOTEBOOK OF MISHAPS spend a lot of time visiting schools these days. You could say that this is now my full time job, sitting in front of an assembly of children and reading from my new book ‘Zahra’s Trip to Misr’. This is followed by questions from pupils curious about the life and times of a children’s author. One question which I’m always asked is when did I start to write? Like all the budding writers that have entered the Young Muslim Writers Awards I started at a very young age. I was probably about eight years old when I discovered my all time favourite author’s classic, ‘The Twits’. Roald Dahl’s book is perfect but that still didn’t stop me from re-writing it with my own twists and turns with a new ending. As I grew older, my little notebook with new mishaps for Mr and Mrs Twit was soon replaced by a big folder of stories that I’d deliciously dreamt up all on my own. I didn’t need Mr Dahl and his characters anymore for I had learnt to use my own imagination. I grew so confident with my stories that when I was fourteen I wrote to Puffin Publishers asking if they would like to publish my books. They didn’t reply immediately. In fact it took a few years for them to become interested in my story and I am pleased to anno unce my novel with Puffin will be published next year.

Sufiya Ahmed

Children’s author and MWA 2008 Shortlist For more information on Sufiya’s books and school visits, go to: www.bibipublishing.co.uk

My tips for budding writers: 1. Read, read and read 2. Keep a notebook with you at all time to capture the splurge of imagination when it strikes. 3 Collect stories from everyone you meet – the strange, the unusual, the amazing 4. Write regularly every day, even if it’s just a paragraph or two.

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I WANT TO BE… A WRITER

Admittedly, my sample is hardly representative, but I find it interesting that not one of the young people questioned listed a career in the arts as a future option. Perhaps they are wise in this choice, given that the median earning for a professional writer in the UK is a paltry £13,000 per year. In relation to the demographic group of Muslims, despite their large numbers, decades of settlement in Britain, and the fact that they are expected to become the fastest growing sector of the book-buying public over the coming years, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage children tend to underachieve through Key Stages 1-4, especially in English. South Asian Muslim young people (along with Black Other) are also underrepresented at universities compared to 16-24 year olds generally.

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These inequalities seem to be connected to class and deprivation rather than cultural, linguistic, family, or religious influences, although further research in this area is needed. As such, and based on my research and teaching initiatives in the area of writing by authors of Muslim heritage, I would argue that organizations such as the Muslim Writers Awards are taking some very positive steps to counter these problems. By indicating the great breadth of the ‘Muslim world’, introducing young people to role models who will help them develop their talents, and by giving them confidence to express themselves and to become front-runners in their chosen fields, I think MWA is changing opinions so that ‘writer’ may find its place in more young people’s career plans.

BEFORE LITERATURE, CAME WRITING Shadab Zeest Hashmi has an MFA from Warren Wilson. She has been the editor of the annual Magee Park Poets Anthology since 2000. Originally from Pakistan, she lives in San Diego. Her work has appeared in Nimrod International, New Millennium Writings, The Bitter Oleander, Hubbub, Poetry Conspiracy, Pakistani Literature, Contemporary World Literature, Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies and will appear in the forthcoming issues of Poetry International, South Asian Review and the Journal of Postcolonial Writings. She has been published online in The Cortland Review and UniVerse: A United Nations of Poetry among other publications. Her book of poems Baker of Tarifa (Poetic Matrix Press) was published in 2010.

Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial Literatures and Course Leader, MA Contemporary Literatures, Leeds Metropolitan University

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recently had the opportunity to ask small, but diverse groups of schoolchildren in the north of England about their career ambitions. The primary school group gave answers ranging from firefighter and computer technician to ladybird and princess! Among the high school students I spoke to, on the other hand, the girls were interested in such professions as nursing, teaching, and retail management, while the boys gravitated towards sport, specifying that they wanted to become PE teachers, sports centre managers, physiotherapists, or professional rugby players, as well as engineers and doctors.

I Want to be… a Writer

TO ME, WRITING IS ALL ABOUT EXTENDING When I was a child, I heard the story of the scholar jinn disguised as a boy, who once extended his arm all the way to the end of the palace courtyard to reach his inkpot, thus exposing his identity to his human tutor and risking rejection. Was he that absorbed in what he wrote, how he wrote? The tutor forgave his pupil’s deceptive guise on the grounds of his deep attention to the work at hand. BEFORE LITERATURE, CAME WRITING Penmanship was a dying art even in my school days, but luckily I learned to use a traditional bamboo pen at home; forming letters of the Nastaliq script of Urdu in jet-black ink. Layering the hand held

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wooden board with white clay paste, drying it in the sun, and writing with a reed pen that needed to be filled every few minutes, was a messy and frustrating process. As I fumbled with the materials, I began to acknowledge the muscles that are engaged in the physical work of writing. Forming letters became a fascinating study of lines and curves, symmetry and alignment. Soon I began to have a deeper appreciation for the calligraphic pieces hanging in the house. I noticed how well the artists conformed to rules and how gracefully they deviated, playing with form to create visual effects that influenced the meaning of the words. In learning to see patterns and variations, I was learning to extend myself, to make imprints of my inner life onto the outer reality of the page. Words had created visual fields for me— allowing endless possibilities of expressing meaning. AND OF COURSE, MUSIC There were the sonic fields too, the textures of my mother tongue Urdu, as well as the other languages around me, chiefly English, but to varying extents: Arabic, Persian, Pushto, Punjabi. I heard each or a mixture of these languages on the street, in the class room, on TV, on tapes of Shakespeare’s plays, recited or sung on my parents’ LPs. Words collided, chimed, made leaps across different worlds: from the abstract to the concrete, emotional to intellectual, imaginary to the palpably real. Words became a means of extending experience into expression. THEN, LIKE THE JINN IN THE STORY, I felt I could enter different realms at will; secretly, invisibly, until the filled pages were like mirrors in which my reader and I were both visible.

Editor of Magee Park Poets Anthology

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Shortlist 5 - 7 Poetry Shortlist Hamza Memon Zakareya Ahmad Ayah Shakur Amud Ahmed Maryam Mamum Ayan Muhammed

5 – 7 Short Story Shortlist The Sea The Sea Be Kind My Apples Prophets Two Little Angels

Liyana Glenn Abdullah Akmal Sufyaan Ali Mujaahid Arian Hafsah Deen Ibrahim Syed

8 -1 1 Poetry Shortlist

8 -11 Short Story Shortlist

Ayeesha Monks

Only Remains

Mariam Tahir

A Brave Libyan Soldier

Khadeejah Abdus-Samee

Runaway

Sumaya Ali-Nur Adnan Iman

Friendship

Tanveer Ahmed Ammaarah Karim Tahseen Yusuf Himnah Kibuka

The Valley of Light

Mariam Hussain Amani Uddin Mohammad Adnan Omer Mohamed Alshimaa Elmasry

Endless Road The Boy and the Thief Serene Hostilities Your Mothers Letter To You The Norm

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Have Faith The Last Supper Survival, A Lost Hope Enticing the Vulture Thief

14- 16 Short Story Shortlist

14 - 16 Poetry Shortlist Farjana Matin Khalid Nur Ruhi Ur Rashid Razina Patel Amran Abdirahman

The Choco Charm of Doom Tower Prank A Strange Love Story Unexpected Moments

11-14 Short Story Shortlist

11 - 14 Poetry Shortlist Sideek Tawil Isse Ali Amir Alzarrad Sarah Elawad Sadia Khanum

The Step of a Thousand Cats Sam and The Giant My Not So Lost Rabbit The Giant Sea Monster The Little Bird Stone Soup

Life In Book Form Long Live Somalia Love No Moor Changes Whispers of Ascension, Murmurs of Dissent

Jaasir Jabbar Tooba Malik

The City of Dreams When the World Pushes You Down to Your Knees,You’re in the Perfect Position to Pray

Arzanish Mansha Mahdi Ahmed Nadia Ali Sharmin Akhtar

The Night Queen! My Path The Pretence of Hate Who Am I?

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JUDGE ME, PLEASE My best friend, Leena, laid down the law regarding clothes; no grey with green, no checks with stripes, purple is superior to pink and certain shades of blue. ‘I will judge my future husband’, she said, ‘’by the state of his shoes.” We were eleven at the time and I was impressed. In the playground, I smoothed down my new Eid dress, loving its loose softness and flowers. Leena studied me and said, ‘How can you wear this- it makes you look pregnant!’ When I followed her advice, she sighed and said, ‘You’re so repetitive. Must you wear the same thing again and again and again!’ Her comments about other’s scruffiness and vulgar tastes were often sharp and shocking. Or she would make pronouncements like, “An ugly couple will have a beautiful baby” and rattle off the names of acquaintances to prove her point. I laughed at her victims. “This one looks like a peasant,” she would say. Or, “He looks like he hadn’t had a shower today or …..she’s so fat, have you seen her from behind!” She was ruthless about her own looks. Every pimple was dealt with without mercy; every excess hair removed. She wore a wide belt under her clothes in order to slim her waist. Even when she dressed casual, it was deliberate and thought-out. The right jewellery, the right shoes, her hair done in a different style, the look innovative and well-matched. I remember the day she frowned and said, “You really must do something about your bushy hair. Are you competing with Einstein?” In the school-yard, I walked next to her, conscious of her grooming, her self-conscious hair, her aura of fashion. One day I made a mistake, a silly mistake. I blurted out, “Leena tell me the truth, the real truth. Am I pretty?”

Author of Lyrics Alley

ow more than ever the Muslim Writers Awards is an organisation whose importance cannot be overstated. Along with the awards, the different seminars and workshops are allowing a whole generation of Muslims both young and old to find their voice, define their experiences and provide an authentic narrative to being a Muslim in modern Britain. The Association of Muslim Schools and its affiliates supports the Muslim Writers Awards in all of its efforts and encourages all schools and other organisations and groups to assist the MWA in achieving its goals. Only when Muslims learn to speak for themselves will the true message of Islam be heard.

Director Association of Muslim Schools

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BEDTIME JOURNEYS

Those of us who write stories for young people - and, indeed, the young people who write their own stories - speak in the voice of childhood and revel in the wonderment of youth, the innocent eye that sees what adults have ceased to see, that feel what adults are too afraid to feel. I feel privileged, as a children’s author, to support the Young Muslim Writers Awards and I wish them every success in encouraging and celebrating the voices of our young people so that they may grow up confident, articulate and ready to share their stories with the world - and bring about the dialogue and understanding that is so sorely needed. May Allah bless this project with success. We look forward to reading more from these bright young people, both now and in the future, insha Allah.’

ords can help you fly, make you jump, and even give you tummy ache is the definition given to me by my four year old, ’but what if you can’t see the words’, she piped, did she know my secret? I spent most of my childhood pretending to read in the most animated way, telling everyone that would listen that I had an allergy to words. Words to me were like a freaky rollercoaster ride and writing them down was even scarier they gave me indigestion. But dyslexia didn’t not stop me from trying. Childhood trips to the library and the mantra from Mr Bill, the librarian; ‘today a reader, tomorrow a leader,’ made me want to nurture and savour every word. I decided at the age of seven that if I didn’t become an author then I would be a librarian and look after books and get a Guinness Book World record for doing it. Decades later the allergy has turned into a source of joy in the form of ‘Shining Ummah’ my award winning children’s performing poetry group.

Na’ima B. Robert is an author of several multicultural children’s books, including ‘The Swirling Hijaab’ and ‘Ramadan Moon’. Her teen novels include ‘From Somalia, with love’ and ‘Boy vs. Girl’.

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YMWA is helping children to fly to greater heights exploring and nurturing untapped talent. MWA is helping fill children’s book shelves with a new generation of writers like Mina Bint Mohammed sitting snug with the legendary greats like Roald Dahl.

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But dyslexia didn’t stop me from trying.

Thank you YMWA for allowing me to be part of this exciting journey. And oh yes, I did grow up to get a Guinness Book of World Record for reading.

Shemiza Rashid,

Director, Creative Muslim Network Creative Director, Shining Ummah Presenter, inspireFM - Luton

Na’ima B. Robert www.naimabrobert.co.uk

As the Creative Director I have the pleasure of sharing the beauty and power of words, engaging children through poetry to raise a wareness of global issues and the plight of the unfortunate.

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s a child, books and stories formed the basis for my education, my play time and my knowledge of the outside world. My father used to read to us every night and would often make up his own stories about other children like us, growing up in Ethiopia, in South Africa, in Zimbabwe. Through stories, I learned about other countries and my own, other cultures and my own, other times and my own, about the humanity of others and my own.

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WE WERE ALL SUPPOSED TO CRY! t was my first experience of a Sufi gathering. The event was to be hosted by an American Sufi called Abdullah Kabaz. His name when pronounced had an unmistakable showbiz ring to it – the kind you would associate with a Las Vegas performer – immediately I decided I must attend. Upon arrival at the community centre I saw a sign dangling dangerously above the animated crowd. The sign said it best.

AIN’T NO HELL IN THE SKY WORSE THAN WHEN YOU DON’T CRY COME TO PARADISE OR DIE FROM MATERIAL LICE. Footsteps were heard and everybody immediately sat down on the red-carpeted expanse. A brother walked over to the microphone and spoke. “Dearest brothers. Today I present to you something rarely seen. An American on his way to paradise. Abdullah Kabaz.” Slowly the heavy backstage curtain opened and a gigantic long bearded African man in a white robe walked to the microphone and looked at us gravely. He leant over to the microphone and screamed. “ASSS- ALAAAMU-LAIKUMMMM! EVERYBODY!!!” “Wa – alaikum- salaam,” we all replied tremulously. Abdullah Kabaz frowned: his displeasure evident. For a long minute he did not speak. Menace sizzled in the air like burnt chapattis. He spoke softly but sternly; the way people sometimes speak to naughty children. “Brothers. We is all guilty of evil. You all think I pray; I don’t watch TV, I don’t listen to music. I am certain of my place in the garden. But no one can ever be certain of anything. There was a time when the Angel Gabriel was ordered to destroy a village. He said whoooah! Wait a minute there’s a guy down there who ain’t ever done a single thing wrong!! Gabriel was told that sucker never said anything to nobody who was doing wrong. That poor fool he was like us, thinking if I ain’t doing it. It ain’t my neck on the line. But in the end that guy fried like everyone else.You know our problem brothers. We don’t do repentance. We do mortgages and careers but we don’t do repentance!”

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“Do you know what we are all going to do now?” said Abdullah Kabaz. “We is all gonna close our eyes now and repent for the evil that we have done.” He clicked his fingers and as if by magic the room instantly became dark. We all sat frozen: befuddled by the veil of darkness. I wondered if Abdullah Kabaz would give further instructions; but he just stood like a mountain. Everybody began to shift awkwardly in their seats. Discomfort crackled in the air. Then, all of a sudden a sound came; a crazed giggle in a deep baritone. The giggle swelled and cracked. Brother Kabaz bowed and began to sob. I smiled and nudged the brother next to me; expecting a wink in return. The brother however seemed to stiffen up. I though he was angry because I nudged him. But when I saw his eyes crease up and the veins on his neck bulge; it suddenly dawned on me.

‘Islam Channel is once again honoured to be supporting the Young Muslim Writers Awards in the capacity of a Media Partner. Following the success of the event last year, we are looking forward to another great event which recognizes creativity and encourages achievement in the young. As the leading specialist/ethnic channel, the Islam Channel is excited to be a part of such an event that contributes to the advancement of Muslims in the UK. Over the years . The Muslim Writers Awards which has expanded to The Young Muslim Writers Awards has developed and we hope it continues to grow in the future.’

Mohamed Ali CEO Islam Channel

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WE WERE ALL SUPPOSED TO CRY! Within seconds the room was filled with the sound of wailing. The brother next to me suddenly fell weeping into my lap. I wondered if he had killed someone. I tried desperately to think of a sin but I couldn’t concentrate for all the noise. Worse still; people began to head butt me from all sides. Grief had made them jerk like electric eels. Gently, I pushed the brother away from my lap, and slowly got up. I bent down and gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder. In complete darkness I ran to the door. As I ran somebody grabbed my leg and tucked it to his chest all the time weeping uncontrollably. I too began to jerk like an electric eel. With an effort, I kicked him away and sped outside. The lamentation of that night haunted me for years to come. Upon reflection, I realised that my weeping brothers were not guilty of untold murders; but rather, they were sincere sheep, and Abdullah Kabaz was the charismatic Shepard.The need to be herded is intrinsic to many people searching for the truth. Like angels, such people hear and obey; but I find nothing angelic in such obedience because it defies reason. The very faculty which differentiates us from angels and can, if used, deepen our faith.

Sagheer Afzal , Author of The Reluctant Mullah

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l Khair Foundation is proud to be sponsor of the Young Muslim Writers award 2011 and congratulates all the nominees on reaching this the final stage of nomination. Our association with the YMWA is a special one as we both share the common goal of providing young Muslims with opportunities to develop their skills within the fields of literature and education. The work and events of the YMWA are to be celebrated as being inspirational in developing the creative and linguistic skills and talents of the youth. The challenge of their awards scheme, alongside the opportunities it provides, is a boost to the abilities, character and confidence of the youth.

INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH STUDIES

Khair School. Today with an enrolment of 250 pupils (which include boys and girls from the levels of nursery to GCSEs) we are one of most respected Islamic education institutions in the country.

LECTURES & READINGS | SUMMER 2011

We believe our affiliation with the YMWA to be a milestone in our striving to provide young Muslims with the best possible start in life and hope that our ongoing association is fruitful and beneficial to us both, and especially to the youth.

H. R. WOUDHUYSEN (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON) ‘ “Ha-ha-ha. Hi-hi-hi. Ho-ho-ho. Ha-hi-ho”: Representing Sounds in 16th- and 17th-century English Literature’. Hilda Hulme Memorial Lecture 2 June | 6pm | Senate House

CEO, Al Khair Foundation

CATHERINE ROBSON (NEW YORK UNIVERSITY) ‘Reciting Gray’s Elegy: Cultural Capital and the Scholarship Boy’. Sally Ledger Memorial Lecture 10 June | 6pm | Senate House MICHAEL WOOD (PRINCETON UNIVERSITY) ‘ “What room for worse”: Adventures of Disorder in Joyce and After’. John Coffin Memorial Lecture 13 June | 6pm | Senate House

In comparison, Al Khair Foundation established in 2003 on a platform of education started out as Al

MICHAEL SYMMONS ROBERTS (WHITBREAD AWARD 2004) ‘The Power of the Poetic Word’. John Coffin Memorial Lecture 17 June | 6pm | Heythrop College, Kensington Square, London W8 5HN ADRIAN JOHNS (UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO) ‘Imperialism, Ecology, and the Origins of the Anti-Copyright Movement in the 19th Century’. John Coffin Lecture in the History of the Book 28 June | 6pm | Senate House here are many good news stories emanating from the British Muslim community which are not heard. The Young Muslim Writers’ Awards, sponsored by Muslim Hands, helps to bridge that gap. The Young Muslim Writers’ Awards project is all the more important as we have huge talent in the young Muslim community that can make a real difference. It is commendable that this is being showcased. In today’s world where it is very difficult to find any positive stories about Muslims, this event will go a long way to counter this misinformation and will highlight the brilliant work, achievements and tremendous contributions that young Muslims make to Britain. By outing the young achievers we are identifying Muslim role models for tomorrow - something that is so very needed. Writers are important in a society as they influence the way we think and act. By rewarding young Muslims for their work in this field, the Young Muslim Writers’ Awards will encourage and motivate others to strive to improve and excel them to help the improvement of not only Muslims but of wider society too.

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The work of those who have been short listed will be an inspiration to all of us and encourage the wider community to take up writing. The event is befitting to honour and acknowledge our shining stars. I am looking forward to reading and being inspired by the works of those who have been nominated for the awards. What we will see today is just a drop in the ocean of talent that we have in our community. We can draw an enormous pride from the nominations alone. I hope you all have an enjoyable evening.

CONFERENCES | SUMMER 2011 Joycean Literature: Fiction and Poetry 1910-2010: 13-14 June The Power of the Word: Poetry, Theology and Life: 17-18 June The Romantic Book: 23 June Ezra Pound and London: 24th International Ezra Pound Conference: 6-9 July Caine Prize for African Writing Symposium: 13 July Sex, Courtship and Marriage in Victorian Popular Culture: 18-19 July Representations of London in Literature: Literary London Conference 2011: 20-22 July Language, Culture, Society in Russian/English Studies: 25-26 July British Muslim Writers Workshop: 27 July English Literary Manuscripts 1450-1700: 29 July For Details | http://ies.sas.ac.uk/events Enquiries | +44 (0)20 7664 4859 jon.millington@sas.ac.uk

Trustee, Muslim Community Fund

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As a Chartered Accountant by profession we may be known for our numbers one could say! However, my support for YMWA stems from my volunteer-run social enterprise - Emerald Network - with a vision is to unite the Ummah (Muslim community) and showcase the best in Arts, Business and Charity. YMWA achieves this beautifully - showcasing the best in arts, in the written form, with the emerging creative talent. We often forget in history that books were held in high regard, and the authors were highly rewarded for their religious duty to seek, record and interpret knowledge. More often than not, writing in Islam was for academic, legal or scientific purposes, YMWA showcases poetry and fiction – the art of creative writing which I am pleased to support. Rooful Amin Ali Founder, Emerald Network [www.emeraldnetwork.co.uk] CEDAR - European Muslim Professionals Network

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Don’t let Haroon stay excluded! Haroon is an eight year old who lives in East London. He loves playing football in the park, but at his own pace. Though there is an large Muslim Community surrounding him, there are no activities catering for his needs. He has autism and is a slow communicator. But just like any other boy, he loves to play and run around. Haroon hasn’t been able to find any Muslim groups that offer simple activities for people like him to enjoy, while appreciating the bounds of his faith. Muslim Community Fund is working with partners, as well as parents like Haroon’s to offer activities to those young Muslim’s currently socially excluded.

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£10 a month can help take care of activity costs to engage these lovely

Nida Trust is proud to support this year’s Young Muslim Writers Awards as the awards play an important role in promoting and cultivating literacy. The very existence of the awards means young writers are supported and young talent is encouraged. Not only is it a chance to celebrate success and show pride in the talent that stems from our community but also an opportunity for young writers to have their work showcased to some of the most prominent publishers in the industry. Such empowerment can only bring about confidence, strength and success for our young writers.

£5 a month can help cover the expenses of the volunteers, who provide one-to-one support to children like Haroon during such sessions £3 a month can help us to continue to raise awareness of this issue in our

community

Will you join the others, not forgetting their neighbours and contribute just £3 a month or more?

Foezul Ali Chairman, Nida Trust

To make a regular contribution please visit: www.mcfund.org.uk/donate

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children in a variety of ways

To make a one off contribution to this campaign you can do so at: www.charitygiving.co.uk/haroon

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The Muslim Writers Awards is a wonderful opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the rising talent of young Muslim writers within our communities.

he Young Muslim Writers Awards is a fantastic recognition of the talents of young Muslim’s around the world. The awards act as a platform for expression, achievement and progression. It is imperative that in today’s world as young Muslims face such great challenges that we strive to empower and mobilise these young Muslims to fulfil their potential. At Muslim Youth Helpline we endeavour to give youth a brighter future through free listening services, vital engagement work and distributing the necessary tools for their empowerment. Therefore it is with great pleasure that we commend the work of the Young Muslim Writers Awards in paving a way for a brighter future for young Muslims.

Chief Executive Muslim Youth Helpline

HSBC believes that the key to promoting greater financial responsibility and wellbeing is in the education of future generations. In 2010 The Young Muslim Writers provided a wonderful platform to educate children on how to cope with money as they mature and take steps to avoid Interest, which is one of the fundamental prohibitions in Islam. The HSBC Amanah Mini Muslims and Money Awards were designed in a way that encouraged young writers to produce creative pieces on the principles of Islamic finance looking beyond the classroom and to involve family members and the local community. We felt that this was an important avenue to prepare Young Muslims for the economic realities of life and to enable them to make independent and informed decisions about their future without compromising their religious beliefs. We were pleased to see a positive response to the competition and impressed with the calibre of written pieces submitted by many talented youngsters across the country.

National Sales Manager, HSBC Amanah

the storyboards of future novels, plays, films, operas and poetry.

ll of us at Khayaal Theatre Company are honoured and delighted to support Young Muslim Writers Awards again this year. The work to encourage and promote writing by young Muslims is of paramount importance to the health, confidence and prosperity of our community and society. The extensive work that we’ve been doing in secondary schools across the country over the last 3 years in particular has shown us how many millions of words are at this moment germinating and coalescing into

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We are extremely proud to be supporting such a unique initiative; celebrating, and nurturing writing talent at the grassroots of our community. We hope the Muslim Writers Awards continues to prosper. We will always be here to support.

From the dot of my pen falling upon the page, I draw out a treasury of words to engage your soul with mine in a gargantuan age old quest to find ourselves on this cosmic stage.

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Through the work that YMWA does and the opportunities that it offers to young people, it is watering and nurturing these fertile and expectant minds, hearts and imaginations. Undoubtedly, gardens of lush literature shall spring forth thereof providing insight, nurture, delight and wonder to countless readers and viewers. We couldn’t be more excited about this as we look forward to working with these emerging writers to bring their work to larger audiences through the media of theatre and film. In the meantime we would like to congratulate all of the participants in this years awards and salute the winners. Right now and write again!

Ameen Mohammed CEO & Artistic Director Khayaal Theatre Company

Trustee, Muslim Community Fund

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ENTERTAINERS Wajid Hussain

Radikal Queen

David C. Byrne

Shahbaz Ahmed

Lubna Iqbal

Hana Amer

Wajid is a 3-D Poet and artist, bringing his work to life. Wajid’s creative work reflects both his background in engineering and a fascination with words and their power to create emotion. He has performed in the UK and internationally, and with his witty and perceptive approach to delivery is in demand in his native north east England. Wajid also runs creative writing workshops for a wide range of ages and abilities, inspiring participants to express themselves in new and positive ways.

Radikal Queen is a poet and story teller from Newcastle and is a member of Wor Poets. Her writings aim to consciously provoke and entice audiences with an alternate reality. With a big following amongst fellow writers and community activists, Radikal Queen has been described to possess a unique ability to literally talk to everyone.

With humble beginnings, Shahbaz has been nurtured around music from a young age, spending many years mastering his art in music. Shahbaz has played with some of the biggest musical artists in the Asian subcontinent, namely Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shaukat Ali and Attaullah Khan. Shahbaz has also received many international accolades and awards, dedicating his life in the pursuit of musical excellence. He also performs with his band “Music Masti” as both a vocalist and musician.

A former graduate of Carol Ann Duffy, David has been writing for 16 years and has had poems published in Muse 6, Conversation Quarterly (Refugee Week special) and Succour Issue 4. He won in the Adult Poetry category for the Brit Writers’ Awards Unpublished 2010 and since then I have had a poem commissioned by Tunelit. His collections, From There to Here with illustrations with John Hamiltion, and Foreign Bodies, will be launched this year.

Hana was born in Egypt and has lived in Saudi Arabia, but at the age of 12 moved to London with her parents who were required for a diplomatic post. Here, she was exposed to diverse cultures and ethnicities, and at the age of 17 enrolled as a student at the London College of Fashion. Hana is currently studying Costume for Performance at the College, where she constantly finds herself turning to her rich Arabian heritage for inspiration in her works.

A teacher by profession, Lubna has been writing and publishing in Urdu literary monthlies in Pakistan, UK and Germany. She also writes short stories and poems in Urdu and English and has led poetry and story writing workshops with children, young people and women. Her work has been warmly praised for performance in International Urdu mushaeras and celebrated by international poets.

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