In 2006, hundreds of young thinkers from 20 different countries submitted essays in English, Arabic, French, and Farsi. Ten cash prize winners were selected, along with 50 book prize winners. From among hundreds of strong essays, the winners below stood out for their bold ideas and compelling messages. Their varying approaches reflect the need for diverse responses to the problems posed by civil rights repression in the Middle East.

Middle East Prize Winners

American Prize Winners

First Place ($2,000): Tarek Shahin, age 23
Egyptian Apostate Refuses Asylum in the United States

Shahin’s mock news story examines the stark fact that “apostasy is punishable by death under Shariaa (Islamic law).” While addressing one of the most sensitive civil rights taboos in the Middle East, the essay’s factual reportage nonetheless lets readers draw their own conclusions. The sobering result identifies serious obstacles before dissidents, the audacity they will have to summon to make progress, and the need for outside support. Still, difficult questions linger: Who will actually support the cartoonist’s right to free speech? Can he survive even a day without police protection? And will the regime ever allow his views to be aired openly on TV?

First Place ($2,000): Mohammed Halawi, 22
A Strategic and Moral U.S. Imperative

Halawi argues that Americans must be engaged in the struggle for civil rights in the Middle East. He warns about the danger of abandoning indigenous reformers, and argues that those who value individual liberty – and global security – cannot watch from the sidelines as a showdown between oppressive regimes and a “reform generation” unfolds. Halawi exhorts Americans to utilize non-violent strategies to confront repression and provide vital assistance to civil liberties advocates. The imperative to support the region’s nascent civil rights movement is both moral and strategic, Halawi affirms, and the result will benefit both Middle Easterners and Americans.

Second Place ($1,500): M. Salem, age 24
Denied to Protest Terrorism: A True Story

This essay pulls no punches in exposing the pain and internal contradictions spawned by civil rights repression: Government restriction of basic liberties, coupled with scapegoating propaganda in regime-controlled media, has generated intense misplaced anger in contemporary Middle Eastern societies. Salem’s firsthand account of a grassroots anti-terror rally shut down by police also reveals how dictators and the Islamist opposition effectively suppress the free expression essential to civil society. Still, support from motorists driving by the rally reveals a potential that could be unleashed for positive change.

Second Place ($1,500): Sarah Swick, age 24
Modest Beginning for Global Student Movement

Swick’s dream deferred hones in on Muslim-Americans’ unique potential to promote civil rights for all in the Middle East. Instead of Wahhabi extremists exporting their repressive ideology to U.S. mosques, Swick envisions Muslim-Americans leveraging their freedom in America to act as a natural bridge to the region. The depiction of Muslim-American students standing up for women’s equality and minority rights in Saudi Arabia is particularly poignant. Swick’s ending disclaimer issues a challenge: What is stopping this dream from becoming a reality today?

Third Place ($500 prize each):
Roba Assi, age 20, -Pause-
A compelling collage featuring snippets of Langston Hughes’s poetry and snapshots of a young woman’s tribulations advocating for basic equality and free expression. When challenged to accept her limited role in society, Assi responds with a simple but profound truth about individual rights: “I have formed my own political and economic opinions, and I believe that they should be respected.” While lamenting the obstacles before her, Assi defines her struggle as laying a solid groundwork for the next generation and expresses confidence that her dream, rather than collapse, will burst forth.

M. El Dahshan, 22, Just Another Day in 2010
El Dahshan invites readers to share his hopeful vision of an imperfect yet burgeoning free society. His essay discusses the basic reforms required for a new civic dynamism: essential rights of self-expression, government accountability, and respect for the political economy of freedom. A walking tour illustrates the tangible impact such changes could have, as the author browses a newspaper article on government corruption and passes by a student rally. In a moment of optimism, despite the odds, the author concludes by responding to Langston Hughes with a poem of his own about a dream ripened and spread via a “Zephyr’s breath” wind from the west.

Taha Belal, age 22, Parallels between Art and Society
This elegantly written exposé explores how artistic censorship reflects larger civil rights restrictions that hinder social development and human potential. By taking readers inside Middle Eastern art galleries and exhibitions, Belal demonstrates concrete manifestations of repression in a field that cannot thrive without free thought. The essay provides an unusual and compelling argument for the importance of critical thinking and open inquiry.

Third Place ($500 prize each):
Alex Morris, age 18, Array of Partners Promotes Civil Rights at Ahl Ar-ra’y
Morris is a high school student who understands that he can contribute to the Middle East civil rights struggle, even from Dallas, Texas. While his enthusiasm sometimes leads to overreach, Morris grounds his vision by describing how young adults can build an international coalition to support civil rights reformers and by taking the initiative to create a website for the proposed campaign. His creative solution identifies inspiring rhetoric, specific causes, and organizing mechanisms that can unite young Americans and their Middle Eastern counterparts.

Zeina Saab, age 22, Supporting the Heroes of the Middle East: An Act of Good Conscience
Saab takes readers inside the dynamics of civil rights repression in the Middle East, while affirming the vital role of outsiders in buoying reformers. She provides specific examples of how dictatorial regimes restrict free society, how the support of Americans has made a difference for repressed minority groups, and how American civil society can mobilize to make a positive impact. Though Saab’s treatment of the root causes of terrorism, as well as her critique of US foreign policy, are open for debate, her call for Americans to engage and take personal responsibility is undeniable.

Cecilia Scott, age 18, Taking the Front Seat in Saudi Arabia
One day in 1990 a group of Saudi Arabian women drove through the streets of Riyadh. While policemen quickly crushed their fledgling protest, this essay dreams about reinvigorating the drivers’ cause and explores how to launch a civil rights campaign under a repressive regime. Though Scott’s reference to “my followers” may evoke a 'Lawrence of Arabia' image, the essay challenges readers to consider how American activists can make an impact on the ground. In the end, her coalition scores only a modest victory, a reminder of the absurdity of civil rights restrictions – and of how much remains to be achieved.

• Samira Hokamazadeh
• Dalia Ziada (العربية)
• A.E.
• Qusay Hussein
• Noha Roushdy
• E.J.
• Esra'a Al Shafei
• Mohammed Barghouthi
• Ahmad Ali Ghamshary (العربية)
• Noura Mansour (العربية)