This project helps Minnesotan Muslims to find their voices and confidently say, “This is who we are, and this is what we believe,” leading to an engagement with the greater community. We hope, through this effort, to build a bridge of dialogue that will foster mutual understanding and cooperation.

We write about the Muslim experience in Minnesota and interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Minnesota and beyond.

We invite you to contribute to this project by writing and submitting your essay, feature, or opinion piece. Submission is not a guarantee your work will be posted, but it is certainly a chance to grow as a writer. After all, the best way to improve your writing is through practice.

If you have something to submit, email us at info@engagemn.com.

If you have an idea, but don’t know where to start, email us your idea at info@engagem.com. We have qualified editors who can suggest a structure and help you shape your work.

To help you get started, we offer a few suggestions:

EngageMN Essay-Writing Tips
Tell a story: Be specific! We can’t stress enough how important this is. Think about starting with a specific moment or anecdote. For an example, you can look at Heba Abd-el Karim’s piece, “The True Act of a Muslim.”

Focus on your experience, and tell about how things affect you personally, both as a Muslim and as a Minnesotan. Your writing can be informative, gut-wrenching, heart-warming, or funny, but it must be specific. Use concrete images. Where appropriate, include dates and times and reasons.