Eid Kareem!
ISSUE #85 CONTENTS:
- Civil Rights Essay Contest Winners
- Highlights from Winning Essays
- Film Contest with $20,000 in Prizes
- Quiz: Civil Rights Icon Immortalized in Stone?
- Become a Partner in CRIME
- Forward this newsletter to friends & encourage them to subscribe.
- Join 11,000 others in demanding Nokia stop aiding Iran's crackdown.
SPOTLIGHT CASES:
Civil Rights Essay Contest Winners
The American Islamic Congress is pleased to announce the winners of the sixth annual Dream Deferred Essay Contest on Civil Rights in the Middle East. This year, hundreds of young thinkers from 19 countries submitted essays – and the contest’s focus on civil rights reform in the Middle East was more relevant than ever. The 2011 winners reflect the historic moment’s mix of promise and peril.
This year, first place winners in the Mideast and the US were both Syrians. One is a young man who describes visiting Cairo’s Tahrir Square the moment Hosni Mubarak resigns; he reflects on how his generation has spent their entire lives repressed by Syria’s so-called “Emergency Law.” The other is a young woman in Arkansas, the daughter of Syrian exiles, who pours her heart into a simple video encouraging Syrians to take a stand for freedom. That video has already attracted over 25,000 views on YouTube.
Every year, there are 10 cash prizes – a total of $10,000 – divided between young Middle Easterners and young Americans. In addition, 50 entrants also received book prizes for their notable essays. Congratulations to all the winners – and to everyone who entered the contest. The seventh annual run of the essay contest will be announced soon.
Highlights from Winning Essays
This year’s winning essays addressed a range of civil rights challenges and opportunities in the Middle East. One recurring theme was the plight of minorities in the region.
Sarah, a young Kuwaiti, asked her readers to consider the "bedoon," native Kuwaitis who have been denied citizenship because of political whims: "Take a second to think – What if you were them? Your father unemployed because he lacks a valid passport. Your mother unable to drive because her license was not renewed."
S.B., a young Tunisian, wrote about the difficulties faced by her gay friends: "Many times did Mahdi think of applying for asylum in a European country, but he told me, 'My dearest wish is to live in my own country and be treated just like everyone else.'"
Another theme was cautious hope for the future – that newly-gained political freedoms would not be overturned by radicals. In the words of M.E., a young Egyptian: "I dream that one day we would recall the Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan, Yemeni, Bahraini and other Middle Eastern revolutions as steps on the right track and that no Khomeinis nor Qaradawis manage to shatter our dreams."
Film Contest Opportunity, $20,000 in prizes
The 2011 Dream Deferred essay contest included a new question that offered participants the chance to make a brief video on civil rights in the Mideast. Continuing that theme, AIC has launched an international short film contest called “From the Eyes to the Heart.” Essay contest entrants are encouraged to submit entries. $20,000 in prize money is available.
The contest draws inspiration from an Arabic expression of thanks that says “I show my appreciation by focusing my eyes upon you.” Indeed, truths of the heart can be expressed by focusing one’s eyes, which in turn serve as a gateway to the heart – and the contest aims to inspire young Middle Eastern thinkers to investigate moral character by engaging the eyes of their peers.
In the past decade, a nihilistic genre of viral videos has tried to influence young Middle Easterners’ perceptions of character – the “martyrdom” videos of suicide bombers. But now young people armed only with a cell phone camera have captured the attention of global audiences by documenting uprisings sweeping the region. In that spirit, this contest asks young people to imagine a better future by creating videos or screenplays that explore positive values.
QUIZ: What civil rights hero is now immortalized in stone?
ANSWER: Martin Luther King, Jr. While statues of dictators are crumbling across the Mideast – Qaddafi statues in Tripoli are just the latest example – a new grand statue of the civil rights hero has been unveiled in Washington. A recent article in the Washington Post about the new memorial noted how a comic book about King in Arabic and Farsi - “The Montgomery Story” – continues to inspire young people in the Middle East.
BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here are some ways you can contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement:
