$1000 prize in the Al-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X) Islamic Sermon Competition

Are you sick of haiku?  Was a measly $10 iTunes gift certificate not worth your time?  Well, if you’re Muslim, you’re now invited to submit a sermon to the first ever Malcolm X sermon competition, hosted by Muslims for Progressive Values.  First place gets you $1,000.

As many of you know, my research is on Islamic sermons produced by the Turkish government, so this competition caught my eye.  From the organizers:

Sermon entries for the year 2007 should describe ways in which North American Muslims can apply Islamic principles to better our world, country, communities, and the lives of family, friends, and others. Special consideration will be given to sermons which demonstrate how North American Muslims, individually or collectively, can take leadership roles in long-term civic engagement efforts. The focus should be on turning hope and good intentions into practical action, with the goal of making Islamic principles come alive to solve problems and move the Muslim community and American society to a better place.  All khutbahs should be between 3000 and 7500 words (approximately 20-40 minutes delivery time), and must be written in English.

Sounds like an interesting concept, and an interesting organization.  For more info, check out the competition announcement.

What also struck me was the length of the sermon entries.  Turkish sermons (hutbe/khutbah) are usually shorter than 500 words and never last more than 10 minutes.  I’ve yet to figure out why, when, or how Turkish sermons came to be so much shorter than sermons in other Muslims countries or communities.  Does anyone know about this?