Writing is an outlet and form of expression that is deeply personal — fueled by individual experiences, beliefs, and a desire to connect. There’s a certain solace that comes with writing, knowing that you can convey so much with simple words on the page: paint images, construct ideas, and speak to the humanness within all of us. A piece of writing can bring joy, move you to tears, and change nations. As the old adage goes, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
That’s why, 18 years ago, a young Arif Kabir, former student of Al-Huda School, set on a mission: to create a writing platform for Muslim youth, by Muslim youth.
He founded his nonprofit Muslim Youth Musings (MYM) in 2007, and over the years, more than 100 Muslim writers have found his platform a place of refuge and belonging, where their voices are heard and celebrated — not filtered or made mainstream. MYM’s vision is simple: it’s to create a space “where Muslim writers come home to reflect.”
Reflecting on the beginning, Arif shared: “Muslim Youth Musings began when I was a student at Dar-us-Salaam’s Hifzh School. After a day of memorizing Qur’an, I’d find myself writing late at night—reflecting, processing, and wondering if stories like ours could ever find a real place in the world. One of the first people to believe they could was Br. Minhaj Hasan, then editor-in-chief of Dar-us- Salaam’s The Muslim Link newspaper. After reading one of my early pieces, he wrote to me, ‘I think you will end up writing as a career, although right now you might just think it’s fun. You might start out as an engineer or doctor, but I think eventually … you will find yourself a writer. Allah Knows Best!’ I’ve kept that letter for nearly two decades—and he was right.
“From the start, the goal of MYM wasn’t literature for literature’s sake. It was to carve out a genre of high-quality, reflective writing where young Muslims could express themselves and come closer to Allah through the process. Alhamdulillah, this anthology is proof that we are doing just that. May Allah accept.”
This summer, MYM hit an incredible milestone with the launch of their first anthology “Hand Me Down Your Revolution,” a collection of 100 pieces of writing, memoirs, short stories, and poems by 60 Muslim authors.
Some of these writers are from within the very midst of our Dar-us-Salaam community and Al-Huda School alumni, including Arif Kabir himself, Amer Nazar, Sumaiyah Khan, Shahin Indorewala, Rahma Zakaria, and Sameera Hijazi.
In 2023, MYM formally became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and has since grown into a small but dedicated team of editors and program staff. What makes the literary nonprofit unique is not just what it publishes, but how it nurtures writers along the way. Through its free cohort program, writers are selected to join a seasonal three-month journey filled with programming designed to inspire reflection and growth. This includes monthly huddles, writing hours, reflection nights, book club, guest speakers, workshops, and 1:1 editing sessions, ensuring writers are supported both creatively and spiritually throughout their development.
“Joining MYM has made such an impact on my life,” said Sameera Hijazi. “It’s such a blessing to have a supportive community of like-minded writers who all get to learn from and inspire one another. My dream is to leave a positive legacy on the Ummah through my writing, and MYM has paved the way for many writers like myself to make a change in the world. I am honored to have my first ever published piece be in MYM’s debut collection.”
Learn more about Muslim Youth Musings and order the anthology, “Hand Me Down Your Revolution,” at www. mymonline.org
