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The Oldest Progressive Muslim Organization in America |
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Institutionalizing Progressive Islam
Despite the comeback of COVID-19, MPV’s activities have intensified, with some major outcomes to share.
First, our legal activism seems to be bearing fruit.
In advance of the decision made by the US Supreme Court in Bostock v. Clayton County, MPV’s Board member Adeel Mangi spearheaded the filing of an amicus brief. He had the following to say about the Supreme Court’s decision on on Title VII : “We are delighted that the Court heard the voice of MPV and other Muslim groups that filed an amicus brief in support of construing Title VII to defend the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In this environment, all communities under attack must stand up for each other—only then can we make progress together.” Coincidentally, MPV’s co-Chair Kevin Jenning’s organization LAMBDA Legal led the charge in the suit. A huge win for them and for human rights for all.
MPV also contributed an amicus brief related to Louisiana’s abortion restrictions, which the Supreme Court struck down this month, protecting the rights of women to reproductive justice.
Meanwhile, I am overseeing the development of the toolkit toward reforming the Kadhi Court in Kenya, and an Inclusive Islam Curriculum in Burundi for children ages 5-12. Both projects are progressing really well, so well that the Foreign Ministry of The Netherlands was kind enough to promote the curriculum project on their social media page.
An update on a few benchmark: I am officially a member of the prestigious think-tank Council on Foriegn Relations, which was over a year in the making.
In the last few years, MPV’s work has been documented in various academic publications. A new one I discovered by chance is Rumee Ahmad’s book Sharia Compliant: A User’s Guide to Hacking Sharia Law. And, I co-authored a chapter with Professor Adis Duderija titled “Transnational Progressive Islam: Theory, Networks”, and Lived Experience, in Ronald Lukens-Bull and Mark Woodward (Eds): Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives, Springer. In this chapter I covered MPV’s work, the globalization of our values and the launching of Alliance of Inclusive Muslims. You can read the full chapter here.
Here is the abstract for the chapter:
This chapter provides a snapshot outline of the theory, networks, and lived experiences of transnational progressive Islam and the major milestones and developments associated with it over the last decade and a half. In the first part of the article, a broad overview of the major themes underpinning progressive Muslim thought is presented. In the subsequent parts, the discussion centers on recounting and analyzing the lived experiences of what it means to be a progressive Muslim. More specifically, the historical context in which progressive Muslim organizations have emerged noting their increasing transnational character is described. The chapter also emphasizes the kinds of issues progressive Muslim organizations have been engaged in and significant challenges they have faced in embodying the kinds of values and practices they consider to be the ideals and normative teachings of the Islamic faith which often are at odds with the mainstream approaches to these teachings. The authors conclude that transnational progressive Islam has found a firm place in the rich medley of contemporary Islamic movements and intellectual streams.
No longer can any government, institution or individual deny the embodiment and lived realities of Progressive Islam.
Onward and upward . . .
Ani Zonneveld
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National Updates
In Case You Missed It!
3 women from 3 different faith communities on a wonderful Council on Foreign Relations' "Faith and Social Justice" panel. We were able to address patriarchy, supremacy, All Black Lives Matter, Title VII, and some! Join Ani Zonneveld as president of Muslims for Progressive Values and newly minted Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member in conversation, with Reverend Najuma Smith-Pollard (program manager of the University of Southern California’s Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement), and Ruth Messinger (current  global ambassador of American Jewish World Service), on this lively panel chaired by Irina Faskianos (Vice President for National Program and Outreach, CFR). Please watch and share.
July 11, 5:00 p.m. EDT: 2020 Young Jain of America (YJA) Convention
Join MPV’s President Ani Zonneveld and co-panelists Simran Jeet Singh (Becoming Less Racist), Anjli Shah (Jains for Justice), and Hari Venkatachalam (Sadhana). For more details please visit YJA website.
July 21, 3:00 p.m. New York EDT: World Parliament of Religions
Join the Parliament of World’s Religions on a virtual panel "Faith Perspectives on Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Faith Spaces". On the panel are: Vyda Ng (Executive Director of the Canadian Unitarian Council), Michael Schuenemeyer (Executive of the Office for Health and Wholeness Advocacy of Wider Church Ministries), Rabbi Becky Silverstein (Rabbi/Founder of Beyn Kodesh l’Chol), Ani Zonneveld (Founder, president Muslims for Progressive Values). Moderated by Bruce Knox (Director of the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations).
August 1, 2020: Eid al-Hajj Service and Celebration with Dr. Amina Wadud, The Lady Imam
 Thanks to the positive community response to the Eid al-Fitri Service and Celebration, El-Tawhid Juma Circle (ETJC): The Unity Mosque and Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) are coming together to celebrate Eid al-Hajj via Zoom on August 1, 2020. Please RSVP here.
We are honored and excited to announce that Dr. Amina Wadud, The Lady Imam will be our imam and khateeb.
The Quran enjoins the Hajj on all believers. Eid al-Hajj is the celebration at the end of the Hajj or pilgrimage season. The Hajj is the sunnah (tradition) of Sayeedina Hajjar (phuh). Pilgrims re-enact Hajjar’s quest for water for herself and her amanah (trust), her baby Ismail (pbuh), by running between the hills of Safa and Marwa. According to traditions of Sayeedina Muhammad (pbuh), the angel Gabriel came to her, and gave her the gift of the waters of Zamzam, which continue to flow today, as well as knowledge of things to be.
The stories of Ibrahim, Hajjar and Ismail, peace be upon them all, illuminate the amanah that is placed upon those who parent. Hajjar defies the desolate desert against all odds for the life of her child. Years later, Ibrahim (attempts to) enact his vision only after his and Hajjar’s son, Ismail, willfully choses to do so. Their examples, and this Eid celebration underscore that our children are our amanat, not our possessions or our property.
Hajjar (pbuh) is a story of a defiant, non-conformist outcast Black African woman who survived and excelled. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is reported to have called her an ideal immigrant. Hajjar was an active agent of social change; an environmentalist and water-protector; a single mother who ensured a life and future for her child; an enslaved royal who built a city; and is the spiritual mother to billions.
Sayeedina Hajjar’s story is the promise of a better tomorrow. This Eid celebrates her, single mothers, single caregivers, and all those who nurture and parent.
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Chapter Updates
MPV-LA
July 25, 1:00 p.m. PDT: The MPV-LA Book Club will discuss Lesley Hazleton's book The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad. Although we prefer to support local bookstores, if you do purchase on Amazon, please do so through Amazon Smile and select Muslims for Progressive Values as your non-profit of choice. Amazon donates a percentage of all purchases to your designated charity. To join the discussion, check out the details here.
MPV-NY
On June 17, to create more visibility and communication, MPV-NY and the progressive Hindu organization Sadhana hosted a joint panel featuring progressive South Asian and Indo-Caribbean political candidates running for public office in New York City. Moderators focused on asking questions about policing and the criminal legal system; immigration; racial and religious supremacy in the USA and abroad; and economic challenges in the age of Covid-19. Candidates from various political races joined us, including:
Over the past two weeks, MPV-NY has been working to find a new board member to join the team. They have been delighted to speak with a variety of individuals, all possessing unique skills and perspectives on what progressive values entail and what they would contribute to the team. Because the team received a delightfully overwhelming amount of applications, MPV-NY has decided to bring two fresh faces into the fold: Asma and Nimra. They are excited to start spending the next few weeks getting their handle on chapter operations and organizing community events.
MPV-DC
On June 19, MPV-DC participated in a Juneteenth service and janaza for Sarah Hegazy hosted by the Toronto el-Tawhid Jummah Circle (Unity Mosque) and MPV-Atlanta.
On June 30, MPV-DC, along with other MPV chapters, participated in the first National Queer Youth of Faith Day (#QYFDay). #QYFDay is the first national multi-faith celebration of queer youth from all religious backgrounds. Launched on June 30, the last day of Pride, #QYFDay has a simple message to youth: Take pride in all of who you are, including your gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, and faith! #QYFDay was organized by Beloved Arise, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and empowering LGBTQIA+ youth and actively seeking other faith traditions and organizations to celebrate and promote #QYFDay.
On June 30, a #QYFDay party was streamed as a virtual event through Beloved Arise’s Instagram, featuring youth speakers, essay winners of Beloved Arise’s essay contest, and musicians such as Trey Pearson, a GLAAD Award nominated musician, and Brian Falduto who will release an official theme song and music video. MPV is proud to co-sponsor this important event.
Also on June 30, MPV-DC participated, as it does each year, in the DC Pride Interfaith Service. This year, the service took place virtually and MPV-DC member Nabeel Kirmani represented MPV at the service.
In July, MPV-DC will be hosting additional virtual gatherings. Details can be found here.
MPV-Boston
On June 20, 2020, MPV-Boston organized a virtual event, Muslims for Black Lives. This event was broken down into two segments. For the first part, Abdi Nor Iftin, the author of Call me American shared his incredible story of being black, Muslim and a naturalized American of a Somali heritage. For the second half of this event, an honored Lawyer, Nour Sualiman, shared the details of embedded systemic racism in the judiciary system in America and potential fixes for these problems. MPV-Boston has taken initiatives to work on challenging the anti-black narratives among our networks and local levels.
 On June 26, 2020, MPV-Boston organized a friendly trivia game night, Pride Mubarak. This event was a community event to bring all LGBTQ+ Muslims, Allies and family members in one space to enjoy a night of drag. Trivia was conducted in a fun, with focus on educating folks about incredible work of LGBTQ+ Muslims in the West. Attendees enjoyed this game night with our very beautiful drag queens who also educated the audience of LGBTQ+ Muslims from the incredible work of Ani Zonneveld and her lecture series with Imam Daayieh to the involvement of Blair Imani in the World Pride in NYC in 2019. This event can be found on our YouTube channel or by clicking this link. Performers are active leader in a local LGBTQ+ youth, North Shore Alliance of GLBTO Youth.
MPV-Boston has officially partnered with the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization to improve housing and healthcare, reform our criminal justice system, address racial disparities in our city, and rebuild schools and neighborhoods, among other issues.
In the month of August, MPV-Boston is planning to have a socially distant celebration of Eid al-Adha. The event is still being planned. Please follow our Facebook page for more details.
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MPV in the News
"Beloved Arise, a Christian group that celebrates and empowers LGBTQ youth of faith . . . To mark Pride Month, the group is hosting a Queer Youth of Faith Day on Tuesday to celebrate LGBTQ youth from all faiths. Along with several cosponsors, Beloved Arise will use the event to affirm youth and let them know they are loved for exactly who they are . . . Maliha Khan, director of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Muslims for Progressive Values, another cosponsor, said LGBTQ people are a big part of the community her group serves, and she welcomed the opportunity to collaborate."
"The joint statement, organised by Muslim Wellness Foundation and Muslim Advocates, brings together a vast cross-section of Muslim community organisations in support of Black Muslims, Black Lives Matter and major policing reforms amid the ongoing, nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd and other Black victims"
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- President's Greeting
- National Updates
- Chapter Updates
- MPV in the Media
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