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.
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Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
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Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
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Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
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Columbus
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Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
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Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
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Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
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Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
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Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
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New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
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New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
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NorCal
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Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
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Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
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Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
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St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
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SoCal (Southern California)
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Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
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Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
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 3, 4, or 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
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
{{Reflist
External links
Official MIST Website
Islamic education