Applications are open.

What the Index is

The AMWASA Index is our content review programme for Muslim women’s literature. Authors submit a manuscript or published title, and it is assessed against published criteria covering creed, worship, morality, representation, cultural depiction, and suitability for the stated readership. The outcome is a considered report. It is not a rubber stamp, and it is not a rejection notice. It is an honest account of what a careful Muslim reader found in the book.

What a sensitivity reader does

You receive a manuscript with a written brief and a reporting template. You read it in full. You complete the report, identifying anything that may be of concern to a Muslim readership, with page or chapter references and a short explanation of your reasoning.

What the role is not:

• You are not the editor. Grammar, structure and style are not your responsibility.
• You are not issuing a religious ruling. Where a matter is genuinely disputed between schools of thought, you note it as disputed rather than settling it.
• You are not the decision-maker. You report. AMWASA and the author decide what follows.

Your job is to see clearly and say so plainly.

Who we are looking for

Essential

• A practising Muslim woman
• Formal Islamic education — an aalimah course, darul uloom study, a madrasah teaching qualification, an Islamic studies degree, or an equivalent grounding you can describe
• Strong written and spoken English of a professional standard
• A fast reader with real attention to detail, able to complete a full manuscript and report within the agreed turnaround
• Wide reading across genres, including fiction, memoir, and children’s and young adult writing
• Able to separate a genuine content concern from a personal preference, and to note differences across mazhab (schools of thought) rather than impose one
• Able to write specific, referenced feedback rather than general impressions
• Trustworthy without qualification. Manuscripts are unpublished work and must never be shared, quoted, forwarded, discussed or stored outside the agreed process
• Willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement
• Comfortable working digitally
  • own device and reliable internet access
  • Email, Google Workspace, PDF annotation and online forms
• Willing to declare a conflict of interest and step away from a project where one exists
• Willing to decline work when your capacity is full, rather than accept and miss a deadline
• Aged 21 or older

Also valued

• Familiarity with the range of the South African Muslim readership — our authors write from many different backgrounds
• Previous editorial, proofreading, teaching or book club experience

Terms

This is project-based work, not employment. Readers are independent contributors. There is no salary, no fixed hours, and no obligation on either side to offer or accept any particular project.

• A stipend is paid per completed report as is calculated by word count
• Turnaround is agreed with you before you accept a project
• Every reader signs a non-disclosure agreement and a short reader agreement before receiving any material
• Manuscripts are shared through controlled access only
• Panel readers remain entirely anonymous throughout the process and beyond!

Confidentiality protects three people at once: the author, whose unpublished work is at stake; AMWASA, whose programme depends on it; and you, whose name should never be attached to a manuscript’s contents.

Conflicts of interest

You must tell us if you are connected to a submission — as a relative or close friend of the author, as her publisher, agent, editor or employer, or through any financial interest in the book. Declaring a conflict costs you nothing. Failing to declare one ends your place on the panel.

Apply

Fill in the form below. If you would rather ask a question before applying, write to us.