The Dangerous Commonalities Between the Religious Rights |
We have good news to share! University of San Francisco’s Professor Maziar Behrooz’s case against him, accused of being an Islamophobe for sharing the image of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his Islamic Art class, has been dismissed!
We can never get to a world of understanding each other if we choose to discriminate against one another. The Sunni student who filed a complaint to Professor Behrooz should have welcomed the opportunity to learn about the Shia tradition of depicting images of the Prophet. The dismissal of his case confirms the university as a secular institution because no religious authority should dictate how a religion should be depicted. If we can’t get the truth from most of our religious leaders, we can at least count on our educational institutions to be non-bias.
Growing up in New Delhi, I used to play soccer with the son of a dalit, the “untouchable” caste. One day, my mother called me over to share with me, “people have been whispering how inappropriate it is for an ambassador’s daughter to play with a dalit”. She continued, “don’t bother with what they say, continue playing”.
That was a lesson on non-discrimination I learned at 12 years old. It is with great disgust that I find out that the caste system has made a home in the U.S. and especially in my liberal home state of California. It has permeated employment systems, dating apps, and labor exploitation. We are happy that new legislation now includes “caste” as a discriminatory class alongside race, religion and sexual identity. You can read more about this below.
To further advance our philosophy of non-discrimination, we are organizing a two-day conference at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where we will be convening progressive and inclusive Muslims and our allies. Day 1 on September 30th will be open to the public, while Day 2 on October 1 will be a closed session for MPVers, our community and board members only. Purchase your tickets today to join us!
If you cannot attend but would like to play a role in what we anticipate will be a pivotal day for the progressive community, we invite you to sponsor the event here.
Onward and upward…
Ani Zonneveld,
President & Founder
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MPV's 2023 National Conference |
Muslims for Progressive Values takes pleasure in inviting you to our 2023 National Conference convening progressive and inclusive Muslims, Muslim organizations, as well as our non-Muslim friends and allies. Our objective is to formulate collective strategies and actions, uniting our voices effectively in the pursuit of promoting and upholding human rights values and social justice for all. The conference also aims to strategize how progressive Muslim voices can actively contribute to broader progressive discussions and play a significant role in shaping conversations within and outside the Muslim community.
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We are pleased to invite you to Accelerating Action toward Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030, taking place on 14 September 2023 from 10:00 – 11:45 am EST. This strategic conversation with the partners of Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030: A Multi-stakeholder Strategy for Accelerated Action gathers an interdisciplinary group of distinguished panelists to evaluate progress, heighten attention to gaps that have persisted in the law, and emphasize the urgent need for reform.
Join us for an interactive discussion co-moderated by MPV’s Founder & President Ani Zonneveld, which will include a call to action and insights on galvanizing leadership, inspiring activism, and harnessing data for change. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Uprising, Extremism, and Abuse of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan |
On August 26th, MPV-Boston hosted a virtual event, "Uprising, Extremism and Abuse of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan" to discuss the horrific act of genocide on a Christian colony. This event was a collaboration between Muslims for Progressive Values and Pakistanis for Peace. The discussion panel addressed the overwhelming number of cases where we see bias towards religious minorities in obtaining justice in Pakistan’s judicial system. Panelists Kandeel Javid (MPV) and Manzer Munir (Pakistanis for Peace), concluded that in addition to immediate aid for the victims of this event, officials in the United States and at the United Nations need to take this matter very seriously and challenge the brutality and abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan.
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The Purple Check Mark Project |
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The Purple Check Mark Project is an initiative created to fill the gap for the Queer Muslim community seeking mental health care from providers that are Muslim and LGBTQ affirming. Our Purple Check Mark Database now includes nearly 10 highly qualified Muslim mental health providers who are Queer or Queer Affirming and ready to offer culturally competent mental health care to Queer Muslims.
If you’re a mental health care provider interested in applying for a place in our database, we encourage you to apply today.
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Parliament of World Religions |
Muslims for Progressive Values spent August 14th and 15th representing the Progressive Muslim movement at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. We had a wonderful time meeting old and new friends and sharing more information about the Inclusive Islam Curriculums that we have developed. We also distributed our new educational fliers “4 Tips for Talking with your Muslim Child about LGBTQIA+ Rights” to Muslim and non-Muslim attendees to combat the narrative that Muslims don’t support LGBTQIA+ rights.
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MPV Stands Up To The Caste System |
We endorsed the letter to Assembly members Evan Low & Alex Lee regarding their position on SB 403 which reads:
"Dear Assembly Members Low and Lee,
We write to you today as a group of organizations transcending lines of faith and race to stand firmly in support of SB403 and the fight to end caste discrimination. We represent the full diversity of the Asian American community, as well as a number of queer liberation organizations.1 Informed by a deep understanding of our shared struggles for civil rights and an ethic of mutual solidarity, we express full support for SB403 and the struggle against caste discrimination."
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Getting Religion in Chicago | The Media Line | August 22, 2023 |
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MPV-Boston was very delighted to participate in the 53rd Memoriam service for Baba Bujha Singh (1890-1970). Baba Bujha Singh was a freedom fighter and leader of the Dadar party, who was killed in a fake encounter on July 27th, 1970 by police. We received a very warm and comforting welcome at the local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Medford, MA. The first hour was dedicated to embellish the human rights for freedom by Baba Bujha Singh and the second hour was such an honor to share a meal with our local Sikh Brothers and Sisters.
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The San Francisco Bay Chapter of MPV participated in Silicon Valley Pride on August 27th, with one of our directors speaking at the Interfaith Worship Service and members helping out with an interfaith booth. The interfaith worship event is in its third year, with our chapter represented since its inception. It is organized by an informal group of local faith leaders.
Members also attended an interfaith fundraiser for a village in Palestine.
MPV SF Bay also hosted Kei Takahashi, a faculty member at Toyo University in Kanagawa, Japan. Professor Takahashi is a scholar of Islam with a keen eye on Muslims in the West and America, in particular. He has become a regular visitor for the chapter and members look forward to learning a bit more about his work and hearing his thoughts, and he likes to learn about conditions and happenings in the US. Some of his work can be found on Academia.edu.
In September, MPV SF Bay will be marking Arba’in/Chehlum, which marks forty after Ashura/Ashur, the anniversary of the events of Karbala. The event is marked with much fervor by Shia Muslims and members are looking forward to learning more about the history and significance of the event. In this day and age, it is important to be reminded, as the line of Farsi poetry goes, “Hur Phir’aon ra Musa; hur Karbala ra Hussain” or "For every Pharoah, a Moses; for every Karbala a Hussain".
Of course members are also looking forward to attending MPV’s 2023 National Conference at the end of the month and meeting members from across the country. Be there or be square, as they say!
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