About Us

What is Al-Talib?

Al-Talib is the first and largest Muslim student  news magazine in America.

Al-Talib provides an insight into Islam and the  Muslim-American ethos. Furthermore, Al-Talib serves the American community with  deeper understanding of events that occur throughout the world.

The word “al talib” -or “the student”- underlines a vision  of authentic, candid, and accurate journalism, based on extensive learning.  Ultimately, the student is the embodiment of learning — searching for facts,  recording notes, analyzing, and citing authentic sources, the student is  constantly pursuing the truth.

In its 20th year of publication, Al-Talib has grown to  20,000 copies per issue and has an estimated national readership of 56,000. It  is distributed en masse to over 150 locations in over 40 states covering most major  US cities. Al Talib is found in businesses, organizations, community centers and  our booths can be found at many special events. Moreover, Al-Talib is made  available to the incarcerated population as it may be their only source of news  and awareness of international events. In their time of reflection, we hope  Al-Talib is their bridge to the outside world and a means to expand their  knowledge of Islam.

The quality of paper used, combined with the nature of the  stories covered makes Al-Talib more comparable to a magazine than a newspaper,  thus increasing its “shelf-life” as well as actual readership. Every issue is  donned with a cutting edge design worthy of artistic praise. We strive to  enhance our publication quality, not only in content, but in appearance as well.

What do we write about?

Al-Talib has distinguished itself by emphasizing: analysis  over reporting, specifics over generalizations and pragmatism over impossible  idealism. Moreover, Al-Talib functions as an independent voice for Muslims in  the United States.

Our main goal is to remain an independent forum for a  diverse spectrum of views and concerns. Each issue has a focus centered on a  topic affecting Muslims in America. There are several focus articles that  analyze issues from different angles. Topic points include: spirituality,  politics, Islamic history, and challenges facing Muslim-Americans. One of our  goals is to correct the mainstream media’s misconceptions about Islam and  enlighten the readers of the true teachings of Islam. Other sections include:  datelines, national, history, noble figures, international, voices from within  and poetry.

Who are we?

Al-Talib is part of Student Media UCLA which is the home  of UCLA’s student-run media, including the campus newspaper, magazines, and  radio and television stations. We are proud that our staff is completely  volunteer and are all students. We are thankful for the support and guidance of  Student Media UCLA as well as the UCLA Communications Board which is the board  of directors that oversees Student Media UCLA and its media. Our writers are  current students or alumni. We also methodically publish correspondence letters we  receive through our Al Murasalah program from incarcerated Muslims.

Unsigned editorials represent a majority opinion of the  Al-Talib Editorial Board. All other columns, cartoons, and letters represent the  opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Al-Talib  Editorial Board. The ASUCLA Communications Board has a media grievance procedure  for resolving general grievances against any of its publication. For a copy of  the complete procedure, contact the Publications Office at 118 Kerckhoff  Hall.

Interested?

Join more than 800 subscribers that receive Al-Talib.  Subscriptions are only $20. You will receive at least six issues delivered to  your house in a sealed envelope as we strive to ensure quality and your satisfaction.  Your subscription money will be used to subsidize the growth and distribution of  Al-Talib.