SOAS Graduate wins HBKU’s Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization Undergraduate Essay ...

2 August 2021

Umrah Khan (BA History and Arabic) has been awarded one of the undergraduate essay prizes in a competition held by the Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization (CMCC) of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

First held in 2017 and occurring biennially, the competition reflects a commitment by the College’s Center to creating and raising awareness among young people about the contributions Muslims have made to human civilization. In doing so, the competition is also designed to disseminate a culture of research and instil a greater sense of civilizational responsibility among undergraduate students. Awards of between USD 2,000 and USD 10,000 are given to the winning Arabic and English language submissions.

The subject of this year’s competition was ‘Muslim Intellectual Life in 2nd Century Hijri/8th Century CE Baghdad.’ Participants were tasked with basing their submissions around a range of themes, including religion and ethics, literature and poetry, architecture, and political thought and governance. In response, the CMCC attracted submissions from across 10 countries.

Umran's prize comes alongside a first class honours degree from SOAS this year.