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The Oldest Progressive Muslim Organization in America |
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Don't take our work for granted! Donate! |
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The Fog is Clearing!
The year 2021 started on a good note with H.R. 1600, an amendment to the anti-FGM law in America, being signed into law.
As a member of The US End FGM/C Network, Muslims for Progressive Values has been advocating against FGM/C for many years, both here in the U.S., and abroad in partnership with religious leaders #ImamsForShe Champions. In 2018 in Detroit, a Muslim doctor was charged for cutting 9 young girls from Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois, and the doctor tried to use the Religious Freedom Reformation Act (RFRA) to justify FGM. MPV wrote to the prosecutors to vehemently disagree with allowing RFRA as a justification because FGM has no basis in Islam. So, today we feel vindicated for the grief we get for speaking up against FGM practices within the Muslim community. Children are now protected from this abominable cultural practice of torture. Celebrate with us and share. Having the law strengthened is one thing, but like all laws, people always find a way to break them. Whether here in the US or elsewhere, the hard work is to change the culture such that FGM and other harmful practices are undesirable and done away with voluntarily.  More good news to share: thanks to the support of donors, friends and allies, I was able to get support for our partner, Imam Khalfan of Burundi, to safety to receive comprehensive medical care outside his country. He is back in Burundi and back at work bettering women and girls’ rights.
In America, February is Black History Month, so I urge you to make an extra effort in learning more about the contributions of African Americans to society and check out this  #BlackIslamSyllabus curated by Dr. Kayla Renee Wheeler!
Lastly, we are proud to announce social media influencer and erstwhile MPV Ambassador Blair Imani has joined our Board of Trustees!
Onward and upward…
Ani Zonneveld
Founder, president
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U.N. Updates
Highlighting CSW Events for which MPV will be involved in and all events are virtual and free (note: all time zones EST):
March 16: Women in Faith Based Organizations organized by World Jewish Congress. On the panel will be Ani Zonneveld.
Date: 16 March 2020 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
March 20: MPV’s CSW Event Details: A Women's Rights Compliant Sharia Court
Date: 20 March 2020 Time: 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
About the Project:
In Kenya, MPV have partnered with AMWAN, a sharia law expert and the Kadhi Court in developing a women's rights compliant form of interpreting religious laws that give women their rights in marriage, divorce, and inheritance. This panel will share our form of work toward this end which includes advocating for women kadhi (judges), and training within the judicial system and most importantly the womenfolk. This initiative is funded with the support of the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands.
To register, please RSVP on the Eventbrite page and an event link will be forwarded to you in advance of the event.
March 23: Equality in Family Law: Committing to Reform organized by Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law an umbrella organization made up of Act Church of Sweden, CLADEM, Equality Now, Musawah, Muslims for Progressive Values, SOAWR represented by FEMNET, Women’s Learning Partnership, and UN Women.
This side event is co-organized by the U.N. Missions of Sweden and Maldives in New York.
Date: 23 March 2020 Time: 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
To learn more about CSW65 Parallel Events, visit NGO CSW65 Parallel Event Schedule.
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National Updates
February 24, 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. PST: SB Events Co and MPV are coming together to bring interfaith couples an informational session to help you while you plan for your wedding now or in the future. We want to make this a safe space for all.
MPV provides nikah/officiant services and their specialty is that of interfaith wedding services that is Islamicly compliant and inclusive of non-Muslim traditions. Over the years they have conducted hundreds of wedding services particularly between Muslim woman and non-Muslim men. Their services include consultation, a custom marriage ceremony, a personalized contract (nikah), and a beautifully designed marriage certificate.
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MPV-LA
February 20, 10 am to 12 pm PST: Every month, MPV-LA organizes a progressive discussion of the Quran where grammar, historical and social contexts are included as part of the critical readings. As a result of the virtual nature of these sessions, our audience have grown to include attendees beyond our LA community to those in the U.K., Jordan, Bosnia, and Turkey.
The Quran is the central text of Muslim religious tradition and deeply poetic and beautiful. Yet it has been and continues to be used to justify oppression like misogyny and violence. Approaching the text can be difficult, but it's crucial for us to reclaim our heritage by exploring contextualist/progressive approaches to the text. Everyone's welcome -- no level of familiarity or knowledge of Arabic required. This time, we'll be reading from Surah Talaq (65, Divorce). To RSVP please visit our Meetup site.
MPV-Boston
February 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. (EST) MPV-Boston will host their first event of the year: MPV Art Night. This is a virtual event to learn how to make different shapes of Mandalas by a progressive Muslim women artist, Nadia Khan. This event is to embrace the Islamic art in a modern way by showing our appreciation for art which is often neglected in traditional Muslim communities. Please register using this link.
MPV-Boston wrapped up the year 2020 with 15 incredible programs. In January 2021, MPV-Boston will restructure the chapter board. If you are interested in joining our chapter board, email us for more details.
MPV-San Francisco Bay
MPV-San Francisco Bay had its recent January meeting with an overview and discussion of Islam in Pakistan and South Asia which attracted a new mix of participants.
February 21, 2020, 11:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. PST: MPV-San Francisco Bay will hold its next 3rd Sunday meeting. We will discuss secularism in its different forms and historical and social contexts. Announcements and links will be made soon on our Facebook page and Meetup group.
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- President's Greeting
- U.N. Updates
- National Updates
- Chapter Updates
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