Wajahat Ali, an American Muslim playwright, journalist, blogger, short-story writer and Attorney at Law, will be recognized on April 25 by the Muslim Public Affairs Council at the 18th annual Media Awards Gala.

His major play, "The Domestic Crusaders" is the first major play about the American Muslim experience. It debuted at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in 2005 and is scheduled to make its New York appearance on September 11, 2009.

"The Domestic Crusaders" focuses on a day in the life of a modern Muslim Pakistani-American family of six members, who convene at the family house to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of the youngest child. With a background of 9/11, the tensions and sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader" struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.

Ali has been previously honored as an "Influential Muslim American Artist" by the State Department and also recently honored as a "Muslim Leader of Tomorrow" for his journalism work and was invited to participate in the "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow" conference in Doha, Qatar this January The 2009 MLT Doha Conference was organized by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), in collaboration with the Cordoba Initiative and UN Alliance of Civilizations (AoC).

For more information on Ali and his play, “Domestic Crusaders” see: http://domesticcrusaders.com/

Posted April 7, 2009