Pitch a story to Riwaq
Interested in showcasing your work on Riwaq? We accept submissions on a rolling basis, either as completed projects or unimplemented ideas. Writers, journalists, researchers, filmmakers, and all creatives whose work explores the Riwaq themes are welcome to apply.
Riwaq themes
- Faith & the human self: Explorations of self, faith, doubt and uncertainty, purpose, and connection with Allah.
- Women’s lived experience: Perspectives on identity, agency, and navigating contemporary realities and expectations.
- Knowledge & meaning: Studies and applications of Islamic teachings, history, and scholarship in today’s world.
- Ethics & responsibility: Examinations of justice, stewardship, moral tensions, and individual or collective accountability.
- Community & belonging: Narratives of navigating spaces of inclusion and exclusion.
How to apply the themes
Educate: Make Islamic knowledge more accessible. Our platform aims to make Qur’anic and prophetic insights meaningful to a modern reader.
Humanize: Narrate lived realities. We prioritize stories where Muslim women are seen as full human beings with rich lives, struggles, and distinct voices.
Advocate: Supplement public discourse with thoughtful questions. Our community champions this approach through careful provocations.
Diagnose: Address the distinct tensions Muslim women face. The work we support names these challenges, tells their stories, or does both at once.
Illustrate: Show, don't tell. Prioritize personal narratives, scenes, and specific examples over generalizations or distant, academic descriptions.
Connect: Express genuine care for your topic. We do not publish pieces that generalize Muslim women or rely on controversy rather than substance.
How to apply
We accept applications to Riwaq through two tracks.
The commission track (new, original work)
Pitch a fresh, unpublished, and original idea. If selected, we will fund and commission the piece to live on our platform. The product will be designated as ‘Al-Mujadilah Production’—created for and owned by Al-Mujadilah, with full and clear credit to the contributor.
Documentary
Film
The submission track (existing work)
Submit existing, completed work for consideration. If accepted, it will be hosted and amplified on our platform. Your intellectual property remains entirely your own, and Al-Mujadilah will host and attribute the work to you.
Documentary
Essay
Language and translation
We welcome stories told in any language spoken by Muslim communities worldwide (Arabic, English, Urdu, Bahasa, Turkish, French, etc.). The only requirement is that all submitted work, written or filmed, must be accompanied by English text or English subtitles for our editorial review. Accepted written pieces may be adapted into Arabic by our in-house team for our Arabic-speaking audience, in close consultation and with clear attribution to the creator.
