Research & Resources > Press Releases > February 8, 2007

MPV Announces Malcolm X Khutbah Competition

Muslims for Progressive Values announces the Al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X) Khutbah Competition

Feb 8, 2007 | Los Angeles, California

Vie with one another in doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto Himself: for, verily, God has the power to do anything.” [The Qur’an, 2:148]

Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. [The Qur’an, 16:125]

In light of these Qur’anic verses, Muslims for Progressive Values announces the establishment of the al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X) Khutbah Competition, an annual competition and award for excellence in sermon writing for Muslims worldwide. Al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, one of the best known and best loved American Muslims, was a brilliant orator. His speeches and sermons combined exhortation to justice, dignity, and righteousness, with extraordinary eloquence. MPV hopes this competition named in honor of Al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz will encourage other Muslims to follow in his footsteps, to consider seriously the task of preparing sermons that not only teach, but also uplift and inspire. We hope to promote excellence in writing and delivering khutbahs throughout the Muslim community, and to foster an environment where excellence in preaching is valued as greatly as the erudition and education of the preacher. For 2007, two prizes will be awarded:

  • $1000 for The al-Hajj Malik Ash-Shabbazz (Malcolm X) Prize for Excellence in Sermon Writing, which is a juried competition
  • $500 for The People’s Choice award for Excellence in Sermon Writing, which will be a popular award based upon rankings given by readers who visit the competition website and vote on the khutbahs.

Additionally, the winners will be invited to deliver their sermons during the first conference of Muslims for Progressive Values, to be held at Sarah Lawrence College June 15-17, 2007. MPV also intends to publish the winning essays in a booklet which will be available to the public.

The judges for the first year include:

  • al-Husein N. Madhany, PhD Program, Medieval Islamic History and Theology, University of Chicago.
  • Kerry Gearin, lawyer; advocate for abused women and children
  • Jack Fertig, columnist; head of the San Francisco Progressive Muslim Meetup Groups
  • Laury Silvers, Assistant Professor of Religion specializing in Islam at Skidmore College; founder of progressiveislam.org

Call for Entries

The Al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X) Khutbah Competition Submission Guidelines:

The competition opens February 15th, 2007; Final Deadline to submit entries is May 15th, 2007.

Winners will be announced June 15th, 2007, at the MPV Conference.

Sermon entries for the year 2007 should describe ways in which Muslims can apply Islamic principles to better our world, country, communities, and the lives of family, friends, and others. Special consideration will be given to sermons which demonstrate how North American Muslims, individually or collectively, can take leadership roles in long-term civic engagement efforts. The focus should be on turning hope and good intentions into practical action, with the goal of making Islamic principles come alive to solve problems and move the Muslim community and our societies to a better place. All khutbahs should be between 3000 and 7500 words (approximately 20-40 minutes delivery time), and must be written in English. Qur’an and hadith may be quoted in Arabic, although it is not required. If Arabic is used, translation should be provided. Use of technical language from fiqh and theology, Arabic phrases, and other jargon should be kept to a minimum. The competition is open to all Muslims, of any race, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, and religious affiliation (Sunni, Shia, Sufi, etc). While imams and chaplains are encouraged to submit entries, no official position, title, or educational background is required of contestants. Judging will be upon the merits of the khutbah, not the merits of the writer.All identifying information (including name, gender, age, ethnicity, and contact information) will be stripped from the written entries before being sent to the judges or being posted on the competition website to ensure a fair competition. In the juried competition, each khutbah will be given 1-5 points in five categories:

  1. Content (including clarity, organization, understandability)
  2. Use of Qur’an and/or hadith
  3. Rhetoric/strength of argument
  4. Emotional appeal
  5. Relevance to the North American context

Thus, there will be a maximum of 25 points from each judge, or 100 points total. The khutbah receiving the highest cumulative marks will be the winner.

In the people’s choice award, readers will rate each khutbah on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the best, 10 being the worst). Each khutbah will be ranked according to the average of all scores received. In the event of a tie, the khutbah with the largest readership among those who received the top marks will be deemed the winner.

Entries should be in Times New Roman, 12 point, double spaced, and with at least 1 inch margins on all sides. All entries should include a cover sheet with a title for the khutbah, author’s name, address, phone number, and email. Only title, with no personal identifying information, should be on the subsequent pages of the khutbah itself.

Submission to this competition constitutes agreement on the part of the author that the submitted khutbah may be posted on the People’s Choice website and may be included in any compilation/publication of winning entries.

Email all entries, inquiries to the competition coordinator, Ani Zonneveld at ani@mpvusa.org.