in partnership with Shahed Amanullah of altmuslim.com, I am pleased to announce that the 5th Annual Brass Crescent Awards are now underway!

What
are the Brass Crescent Awards? They are named for the Story of the City
of Brass in the Thousand and One Nights. Today, the Islamsphere is
forging a new synthesis of Islam and modernity, and is the intellectual
heir to the traditions of philosophy and learning that was once the
hallmark of Islamic civilization – a heritage scarcely recognizable
today in the Islamic world after a century’s ravages of colonialism,
tyrants, and religious fundamentalism. We believe that Islam transcends
history, and we are forging history anew for tomorrow’s Islam. These
awards are a means to honor ourselves and celebrate our nascent
community, and promote its growth.

The categories this year are as follows:

BEST BLOG: This category honors the most indispensable, Muslim-authored blog there is. Period.

BEST WRITER: Who is the most stimulating, insightful, and
philosophically wise among us? This category is intended to highlight a
blogger who may not post daily, but when they do post, they really make
an impact.

BEST NON-MUSLIM BLOG: Which blog writen by a non-Muslim is most respectful of Islam and seeks genuine dialogue with Muslims?

BEST BLOG DESIGN: Which blog has the most aesthetically pleasing
site design, appealing to the eye, evoking Islamic themes, and/or
facilitating debate and discussion?

BEST POST OR SERIES: Which single post or group of posts in the Islamsphere was the most original and important, above all the others?

BEST FEMALE BLOG: The woman’s voice in Islam is equal to the
man’s, and in the Islamsphere we seek to make sure the female
perspective is highlighted and given its rightful due. Which Muslim
woman’s blog has done the most to explore the role that women play
within Islam and society?

BEST NEW BLOG: Which blog is a true diamond in the rough, one that everyone should be reading but who most just haven’t heard of (yet)?

BEST GROUP BLOG: Which multiple group blog in the Islamsphere
has the best diversity of writers and the most interesting debate on
Muslim issues?

BEST HUMOR BLOG: Which blog gets their point across by using humor in the most effective way?

BEST MIDDLE EAST/AFRICAN, EUROPEAN, SOUTH ASIAN, AND ASIAN BLOGGERS:
The Islamsphere is truly a global phenomenon. In Iraq, despite the
chaos and uncertainty, there is a sea change of free speech and
expression, the vanguard of which are blogs. There are also bloggers in
India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Palestine, Jordan, and most
other countries that host Muslims, all of whom have their own
perspectives on faith, culture, and politics.

The nominations phase for all 13 categories is now underway, so head over and start nominating your favorite blogs now!

Note, that the Awards methodology is slightly different this year:

1. Nomination phase (Wed Oct 1 – Fri Oct 24). Anyone with a valid email address may nominate blogs to appropriate categories. Note that blogs may only be nominated once per category. We also encourage you to nominate your own blog!

2. Panel phase (Fri Oct 24th to Fri Nov 7th). The top nominees in each category will be forwarded to the judges’ panel, who will review the nominees and select the finalists.

3. Voting phase (Fri Nov 7 to Fri Dec 1).

4. Winners will be announced at brasscrescemt.org around Eid ul-Adha.

I am very excited about this year’s Awards – it is amazing to think that we have already reached our fifth year! The methodology above includes some changes to addresss some criticism we received last year, so I think this will be the best BCA yet. Please start nominating, and spread the word!