A young writer has been nominated for a national award encouraging creative writing in the Muslim community.

Secondary school pupil Hajar Saihi, from Harrow, will find out this weekend if her poem has been picked as a winner in this year’s Young Muslim Writers Awards (YMWA).

Writers from across the country from the age of five to 16 entered the competition, which is in its ninth year.

Her poem, called She Lost A Soul, A Breath; Dead has been nominated in the Key Stage Four group and the winners will be announced on Saturday October 18 at a ceremony at Senate House, in central London.

The awards are run by charity Muslim Hands, in association with the Yusuf Islam Foundation, set up by the singer Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens.

Chairman of the charity Lakhte Hassanain said: “We want to nurture talent, instil a love for the written word and develop more confident communicators.

“By developing the writing skills of young people we hope to create a more vibrant society.

“We were very impressed with the continual improvement in the submissions we received this year and look forward to meeting the young stars at the awards ceremony.”