In an effort to show the positive civic contributions of Muslims, the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta is seeking nominations to honor 100 Muslims in Georgia.

Nomination forms may be accessed by clicking here, and must be completed by a deadline of May 15.

“We feel that there is a new story unfolding for Muslims because of their contributions in their cities, in their regions and in the country as a whole,” Soumaya Khalifa, who is the president of the bureau she founded in 2001, told Global Atlanta.

Ms. Khalifa’s own leadership role in the Muslim community has been recognized with awards from a wide array of groups including the FBI and the state of Georgia. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, she was raised in Texas and moved to Georgia in the 1980s. 

During the holy month of Ramadan in 2012, Ms. Khalifa joined other Islamic leaders from throughout the country to share in the traditional White House Iftar dinner with President Obama.

“There is a belief that Muslims were in their golden age over 800 years ago. By sharing the contributions of individual Muslims today, we think that a new story will emerge,” Ms. Khalifa said.

The 100GAMuslims, who are to be honored, will be selected for their accomplishments in transforming vision into action, surmounting challenges, breaking down barriers, sparking innovation and attaining success for their organizations and communities.

Qualifications for the honor include having lived in Georgia for at least a year, identifying oneself as Muslim, being available in person at a gala celebrating in the fall of 2014 his or her success and being endorsed by two people willing to substantiate the nomination.

Nominations will be accepted from anyone who has personal knowledge of the individual and can attest to his or her contributions. Only applications that are thoroughly completed will be considered.