What is MIST?

By Aqsa Owais

As hundreds of voices intertwine, we stand there united, the best version of ourselves. It is a bittersweet moment for all of us as it signifies the end of a truly enlightening weekend along with the beginning of a newfound yearning to explore the beauty and depth of Islam.

My time competing at the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) comprises some of my best memories. But what is MIST? MIST is a tournament held every year for the duration of one weekend in several states including New Jersey and New York, and countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom at a state and national level. The purpose of MIST is to promote acceptance amongst all groups, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, which is why the competition is inclusive to all high schoolers regardless of their religion. MIST provides participants to utilize their talents and abilities in a multitude of competitions including debate, art, short film, soccer, basketball, Quran memorization, and improvisation. As you can see, their competitions range from non-religious to religious competitions.

Ironically, this year’s theme for MIST was “Trusting the Process: Contentment Through Adversity”. Therefore, all the competitors were tasked with creatively exploring this concept through their competitions. Nationals were supposed to be held in Chicago; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, numerous regional competitions and the national competition had to be canceled to ensure everyone’s safety.

In light of this, MIST has organized the MIST Games to replace its annual national competition. The MIST Games are completely FREE and open to ALL high school students and include a variety of competitions ranging from graphic design and 2D art to hackathons and virtual videogames (such as Brawlhalla). The MIST Games will be held between August 2-15 with featured competitions being broadcasted LIVE! The competitors are encouraged to continue to follow the theme of this year.

If you would like to register, please use the following link. Registration will be open at least 24-48 hours prior to the beginning of the competitions.

If you would like more information on the MIST Games, I urge you to reach out to the organizers and explore the website for the event.