“The Oldest Progressive Muslim Organization in America”

In The Horizon

As we enter the second half of 2020, Covid-19 has reared its head again in America, with countless people unemployed, poor children falling through the cracks in their education, graduating college students without any job prospects, millions of people already served eviction notices, and the number of deaths due to Covid increasing, it is hard to stay positive. Even for me. 

Despite the shackles that mentally weigh us down, we grasp for hope, for a cure, for a change in direction that BLM has forced us to as a society into different and new paths, a path that we didn’t see or didn’t want to see that was there before, and one we are only now taking the first few steps onto. With it comes unfamiliarity, with hurdles guaranteed along the way. 

As we learn to do better and to overcome the hurdles, members of the MPV community leadership team will be going through a workshop by Muslim ARC that will address “what is the impact of racism in your community” and “anti-racism competency framework.” It is interesting to note that, since the global social unrest of Black Lives Matter, an Arab organization wanted to partner with MPV on the issue of anti-Blackness in Iraq, and how we need to change that prejudice. 

More of where MPV is heading: our focus will be fine-tuned in the coming months as we sit down to assess the success and failures of the conclusion of our strategic goals which concludes at the end of this year, and re-imagine a new three-year strategic goal starting in 2021 with an eye for the next five and 10-year vision. In the meantime, I am very happy to announce the addition of three new members to our Board of Trustees, Zuraidah Hoffman, Tiffany Renee and Jamal Mahmood. I am looking forward to their contributions and to new ideas.

Onward and Upward,

Ani Zonneveld

President, Founder

Muslims for Progressive Values

Update from the U.N.

September 8th: the UN. Multi-Faith Advisory Council will be organizing Faith and the U.N. forum in celebration of its 75th Anniversary. 

September 9th: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, together with the Universal Rights Group and ARTICLE 19, will launch the report of the seventh meeting of the Istanbul Process during an online event. The report provides a brief overview of the discussions, case studies presented during the meeting, as well as key takeaways and recommendations for the further implementation of the action plan set out in Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 and GA resolution 66/167. The event will be chaired by MPV’s president Ani Zonneveld. 

National Updates

MPV partnered with El Tawhid Juma Circle: The Unity Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Hajj with an international prayer service followed by zikr, poetry readings and songs. Leading the prayer and giving the sermon was Dr. Amina Wadud, the Lady Imam with a fiery sermon on patriarchy and the framing of Eid al-Adha as celebrating “the patriarch” when it should be celebrating Hajjar. To view the sermon, and the full program, please visit our YouTube channel here. Transcript of the sermon in English and in different languages will be forthcoming. 

On July 21, 2020, Parliament of World Religions held a panel entitled Perspectives on Creating LGBTQPlus Inclusion in Faith Spaces. The webinar hosted exclusively for Parliament members discussed various "Faith Perspectives on Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Faith Spaces". In this webinar, we heard the perspectives from representatives of various religious traditions and invited members to join the dialogue.

MPV in the News

Read Ani Zonneveld’s latest op-ed on Hagia Sophia:

There is something peaceful about the Quran’s teaching of “there is no compulsion in faith” (verse: 2:256) and the practice of openness and acceptance as exemplified by Prophet Muhammad toward the Christians. If President Erdogan truly wants to represent Islam in its true light, he should convert Hagia Sophia back to a church at best, but at minimum, keep it as a museum, for all of us to enjoy its beauty unhindered.

Public Orthodoxy | Hagia Sophia’s Status as a Mosque Mocks Prophet Muhammad’s Covenant With Christianity | July 17, 2020

Chapter Updates

MPV-LA

On July 5, MPV-LA wrapped up a 3-part weekly online series exploring the meaning and purpose of Muslim ritual prayer where we discussed vital issues such as female-led mixed-gender prayer and had a hands-on(-the-floor) embodied experience of what each prayer posture means to us.

On July 10, Ani Zonneveld took part in a panel discussion on “Faith, Social Justice, and Allyship” on YJA Day 2020 with other agents of change from Sikh, Hindu, and Jain communities. 

On July 25, MPV-LA had an online book club discussing Lesley Hazleton’s book The First Muslim with a spirited discussion of the life of the Prophet.

On August 8, we will be having our regular online progressive Quran reading group where we will be discussing a passage from Sura Hud and its relevance for standing up for economic justice. Join us by RSVPing here.

And on August 29, we will be having another online book club discussing Kecia Ali’s groundbreaking book Sexual Ethics and Islam. Join us by RSVPing here.

MPV-SF Bay Area

On July 21, MPV-SF Bay Area had the monthly third Sunday meeting that included visitors from other groups. Prompted by a member’s question, there was a discussion of Shariah and Islamic Law which also included a presentation by Ani Zonneveld on international involvements.

On August 16  MPV-SF Bay Area will have its next monthly meeting which will include a discussion about the recent conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque in Turkey.

MPV-New York

On July 17, MPV-NY members gathered virtually for an evening of discussion and prayer. The group discussed how coloniality, colonialism, and white supremacy create a matrix of power that has permeated every system of being within our global society. Chapter leadership looks forward to continuing this conversation in the coming months.

MPV-DC

On July 28, MPV-DC members gathered virtually for an evening social. In August, MPV-DC members are looking forward to organizing some socially-distanced activities and more virtual gatherings.

MPV-Atlanta

On August 7, MPV-Atlanta will have an Eid al-Ghadeer celebration to recognize both Prophet Muhammad’s last khutbah and the Shi’a tradition of the appointment of Ali as his successor. We will meet between 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (ET). Friends and family are welcome. In addition to fellowship, we will play games and music. If you have any ideas or would like to RSVP, please email Trina Jackson at [email protected]

On Fridays at 1:30-3pm (ET), MPV-Atlanta hosts an online khutbah and fellowship. To join us, please visit our meetup page or email. 

MPV-Boston

On July 3rd, MPV-Boston held their virtual Pride event, Pride Mubarak. This educational event was conducted via having a family friendly Trivia night, which aimed to embellish the 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. This event reached over 200+ people. Performers are active leaders in a local LGBTQ* youth, North Shore Alliance of GLBTO Youth.

For the third year in a row, MPV-Boston virtually co-presented at LGBTQ* Films at Wicked Queer Film Festival. Co-director, Kandeel Javid, shared local LGBTQA* inclusive initiatives of MPV as a whole. It was a honor to co present four films including, Queer Muslim Shorts, Fireflies, Breaking Fast , and Welcome to the USA. 

On July 31, MPV-Boston conducted their third annual Eid al-Adha event. This event was led by a serom by Hayat Imam. Haya Imam is an American-Muslim of Bangladeshi origin, who is commited to building global social justice movements. Former executive Director of the Boston Women’s Fund, she has written and organized extensively on women’s economic opportunity. This virtual event was joined and by about 15 members and viewed by 44 local community members via facebook live. The theme of this event was to think of various things that we have had to sacrifice in our lives to be the person who we are spiritually. Attendees enjoyed this event and are looking forward to upcoming events. 

MPV-Boston worked with their partner Greater Boston Interfaith Organization to reach out to local state representatives to help pass H.2146, H.2292, H.1440, and H.5128 to challenge Anti-Black policies that has lead to police brutality against black people in the greater Boston area. Consequently, a local partnering organization, Ahmadiyya Muslim community, is holding virtual series on “Supreme Justice” , that is being shared with community members to educate and challenge Anti-Black racism among Muslims. 

Starting September 4, MPV-Boston, is going back to monthly events on every first friday of the month 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (ET). Please check out our Facebook Page for details.