Iqra Has a New Look, letter from the editor
Iqra Newspaper has a new look.
Iqra has made some cosmetic changes to the latest edition. First, we have decided to print quarterly, with special editions during each Islamic holiday. Second we have revised our logo and front page. Third, we have added an Islamic Writers / Fiction section where we will post stories and book reviews. This section will be created to encourage more Muslims journalist and writers.
[rushed and unedited]
Asalaam alaikum,
I wanted to say a little about our newest edition, and how I feel about Muslim Media.
First about this edition
I took my time to carefully reconstruct each and every section with the hopes of raising the quality of the newspaper. We were forced to move from a PC environment to a Mac environment. This means that we had to purchase new software and transfer everything to our Mac computer. The process was timely, and extremely expensive, however I strongly feel it was a much needed change.
I took my time to methodically plan each section of the newspaper. I did not want to change the paper, but rather enhance it. Khalil, a Palestinian graphic designer inspired me to take an objective look at things such as the masthead, and type size. It caused me to step up my own design chops a bit and not be afraid to move in another direction. Khalil actually designed the top part of the featured page about Dubai, and a great deal of the front page.
Taking this type of time to improve not only the look of the paper, but also the content was a risky move (considering that our production came to a halt for 4 months). We were operating in crisis mood. Hearing about other Muslim publications closing operations caused even more distress.
I am excited about the latest edition, and look forward to making more improvements, and reaching more readers. I hope that we are able to maintain a good balance between, religion, Muslim Culture and politics. I pray for guidance and success.
If you like what we are doing and would like others to be exposed to Iqra Newspaper, ask your Imam to bring Iqra to your community. You can do something as well, you can sponsor 100 newspapers for as little as $30. This amount doesn’t even cover our printing cost.
Please download the pdf copy of the newspaper if you have not seen the printed edition. We welcome your ideas and feed-back.
It is almost 3:00 AM and I haven’t had dinner. I wanted to share these things with you. I will come back to this letter and edit it for clarity at a later time.
I look forward to hearing from you
Saturday, August 16, 2008
