The Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) is an annual three-day competition that takes place in multiple regions across the United States and Canada. Founded in 2002 in Houston, Texas, MIST brings together Muslim high school students to participate in a variety of academic, artistic, and athletic competitions. The event aims to promote personal development, foster community engagement, and encourage a deeper understanding of Islamic values among youth.
Overview MIST operates on two levels: regional tournaments and a national tournament. Regional competitions serve as qualifiers and are typically held over a single weekend or spread across two weekends, involving preliminary rounds and an awards ceremony. Top performers from regional events advance to the national tournament, which occurs over three consecutive days during the summer.
History Founded in 2002 by Shazia Siddiqi in Houston, Texas, MIST began as a local initiative to provide Muslim high school students with opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth through competition and collaboration. Since its inception, the tournament has expanded significantly, now encompassing over 20 regions in North America. The organization is entirely volunteer-run and continues to grow in participation and scope each year.
Competitions MIST features a wide array of competitions categorized into knowledge, arts, writing and oratory, brackets, group projects, and sports. The competitions are designed to cater to diverse talents and interests, encouraging students to showcase their abilities in various fields.
Category I: Knowledge and Quran
Knowledge Tests Quran Memorization
Category II: Arts
2D Art 3D Art Fashion Design Graphic Design Photography
Category III: Writing and Oratory
Extemporaneous Essay Extemporaneous Speaking Original Oratory Poetry Prepared Essay Short Fiction Spoken Word
Category IV: Brackets
Debate Math Olympics MIST Quiz Bowl Improv
Category V: Group Projects
Business Venture Nasheed Humanitarian Service (formerly Community Service) Science Fair Short Film Social Media
Category VI: Sports
Basketball
Participation
Regions Below is a list of regions that host their own regional tournaments and participate in the national tournament, listed alphabetically.
Atlanta Chicago Dallas Detroit Houston Nashville New Jersey New York Philadelphia St. Louis SoCal (Southern California) Toronto Washington D.C.
Notable participants One of MIST's notable alumni is Noor Tagouri, a Libyan American journalist known for her work on documentaries such as "The Trouble They've Seen: The Forest Haven Story" and "Sold in America". Tagouri participated in MIST as a high school student and has since served as a keynote speaker at multiple MIST events, including MIST Chicago in 2016.
Demographics As of 2007, MIST participants were predominantly of South Asian descent (60%), followed by Arab (20%), Black (17%), and other ethnicities (3%). In terms of religious affiliation, approximately 82% identified as Sunni Muslim, 15% as Shia Muslim, and 3% were non-Muslim.Khan, Shaza. De-MIST-Ifying the Adolescent Development of Muslim American High School Students: A Qualitative Study of Schooling and Youth Programming Experiences of Participants in the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2009, De-MIST-Ifying the Adolescent Development of Muslim American High School Students: A Qualitative Study of Schooling and Youth Programming Experiences of Participants in the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament
National Tournament The top 5 competitors in a competition at a regional tournament qualifies for the National Tournament. National Tournaments take place in a different city each year.
2011: Atlanta 2012: Toronto 2013: Detroit 2014: Washington DC 2015: Houston 2016: Toronto 2017: Detroit 2018: New York 2019: Baltimore The 2020 National Tournament was slated to take place in Chicago; it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2021 National Tournament was conducted online. 2022: New Jersey 2023: North Carolina 2024: Atlanta 2025: Detroit 2026: St. Louis
Preparation and Organization Preparation for MIST begins in November when regional organizers plan events, secure venues, and recruit volunteers. High school students register in the winter and begin preparing for their selected competitions. Regional tournaments typically occur in late March or early April, while the national tournament takes place between July and August.
References
External links
Official MIST Website