<[link removed]> April 2025 Newsletter President’s Note The fasting month is coming to an end and in Los Angeles we’re celebrating the month by organizing a final community iftar, followed by a pre-Eid dance party! It’s been a difficult month for many of us, but all of the MPV community gatherings, from Boston to San Francisco, reminded us of the importance of community, both near and far. Even those who could not participate in our community events managed to support MPV from afar. So many of you donated to MPV <[link removed]> this month, and we want to thank you for your support. It is much needed. At a reception in New York for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), I was happy to announce that after 4+ years as co-chair of the Gender Working Group <[link removed]> for the UN’s Inter-Agency Task Force's Multi-Faith Advisory Council, I stepped down and was elated to welcome the new co-chairs, Dimitra Missira (KAICIID), and Jessica Roland (The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers.) During my time in New York, I had the opportunity to meet a number of women’s groups and organizations, all facing a funding crisis similar to one that we at MPV are facing. It was sobering to listen to them fret about the funding cuts, not just from USAID, but also from the development agencies of other foreign governments. With the exception of pet projects, foundations too are scrapping and scaling back funding. And amidst all of this reduction in funding few, if any, of the benchmarks on women and girls’ rights have been met, with progress only regressing since COVID. At the crux of these rights violations for women and girls, is a particularly disturbing form of violence, intimate violence, in the space where all humans deserve to feel safe, at home. Laws of the land, including Sharia law, don't protect them, and at times, protect the abuser. To highlight this abuse, in collaboration with the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law <[link removed]> (pictured below), we co-organized two events focusing on strategies to combat unequal family laws and build connections across the globe between individuals and organizations with similar missions. The insidious undermining of women and girls’ rights is a constant battle. Here in the U.S., it has been undermined just when we saw a glimpse of progress. As of today, the Trump Administration has tasked V.P. Vance with “restoring truth and sanity to American history” targeting the Women’s History Museum, which is in development, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016. The effort to strip away egalitarianism and human dignity for all is a common denominator amongst all supremacists, regardless of their particular identity - White, Zionist, Christian, Muslim, and Hindutva. They all share the same desire to craft an unequal and segregated society based on hatred. And here’s an example of the climate we are enduring. The effort to utilize the government to strip away non-profit status of those they disagree with. Regardless, in solidarity with humanity, we’re co-sponsoring a Parents Circle event in Los Angeles. Please see MPV-LA calendar <[link removed]> for details. Unfortunately, an event with Salt of the Earth had to be cancelled because Osama Iliwat, the Palestinian partner, was not allowed to board his plane to the US despite having a visa. However, this is a month of beauty so I want to end on a beautiful note. In Los Angeles a Lent, Shabbat and Iftar we co-organized was attended by over 150 people, all celebrating our collective humanity. We left with our hearts full. I invite you to check out a video and photos from my Instagram account here <[link removed]> . Onward and upward… Ani Zonneveld Founder, President National Updates April 5, 2025 | Registration for the second Progressive Islam Curriculum Live Workshop with Kendra Cordova <[link removed]> is open! The second workshop will be held on April 5 at 9 PM CT and will cover part 1 of Unit 2 of the Progressive Islam Curriculum <[link removed]> , Foundations and Practices of Progressive Islam, to introduce attendees to a concise and clear description of the term Progressive Islam and the values and beliefs associated with this term. RSVP Here! <[link removed]> A Book Recommendation MPV is proud to share that a member of our Board of Advisors, Samina Ali, has published their memoir “Pieces You’ll Never Get Back” and it’s already been receiving positive press, having been recently named Los Angeles Times’ Best Book of March. We encourage you to pre-order <[link removed]> her book today! Event Spotlight Join Race Brook Lodge from April 4th - 6th for their Spring Festival. Featuring performances from Huda Asfour, Ecstatic Dance with Omar Aena, Live concert with AlSarah & The Nubatones, Jazz Brunch with legendary bassist Tarik Shah, and a special Sunday night appearance by Amal Murkus & Firas Zreik. You can purchase a ticket for each event individually or get full-weekend pass for $70 here <[link removed]> . National Updates Check out our new store <[link removed]> and for national and chapter events, check our calendar here <[link removed]> . MPV in the Media Los Angeles Daily News | During Ramadan, Southern California Muslims come together in prayer amid political turmoil <[link removed]> | March 4, 2025 MPV Boston March 15: MPV-Boston held an iftar in Boston on the theme of “My Muslim Identity”, with spoken and musical contributions from talented members of our community. Community artists contributed their art and books for our fundraising raffle to raise money for families in need and chapter expenses. It was a heartwarming gathering and the community potluck was enjoyed by all! April 6: MPV-Boston is co-sponsoring the festival selection “Interwoven: Muslim & SWANA voices” at the Wicked Queer Film Festival. Join us at 4pm Sunday 4/6 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge <[link removed]> to enjoy a tapestry of diverse queer Muslim voices exploring multifaceted identities, from cross-dressing in the 1920s Ottoman Empire to pursuing the American dream today. MPV New York April 26: MPV New York is planning an Eid / Spring community picnic. More details will be shared on MPV New York’s Facebook page here <[link removed]> . MPV San Francisco April 19: Join the chapter on April 19th 6:30-9pm for an in-person community gathering in a member’s home. Sister Noor will lead Maghrib prayer, give a short talk and there will be an informal discussion about a topic while sharing food. For RSVP, address, and updated details, check the Meetup <[link removed]> announcement that will come out soon. If you subscribe, you can keep up with all the local in-person and virtual events. More information about the group with social media links can be found here <[link removed]> . <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <mailto:[email protected]> Muslims for Progressive Values 1626 N. WILCOX AVE, SUITE 702 LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 U.S.A. Powered by Squarespace <[link removed]> Unsubscribe <[link removed]>