June 2021: A Palestinian Heart

In the last month we were again jolted by the injustice unfolding in Israel and Palestine

The Oldest Progressive Muslim Organization in America

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A Palestinian Heartbeat

In the last month we were again jolted by the injustice unfolding in Israel and Palestine, the continuing takeover of the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli settlers, the attack of Muslim worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan by the IDF are just examples of the continues flagrant disregard of human rights norms and international law.

As an organization, MPV has faced ridicule when we challenge human rights abuses in Muslim societies, however, it is us Muslims who need to fix the problems. Likewise, it is important for Jewish voices to speak up against the injustice faced by Palestinians. In support of our fellow human rights defenders, I encourage you to read a statement made by T’ruah, representing over 2,000 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America. You can read it here.

Lest we forget our humanity, here’s a brief reflection from a member of our community Muna AlSheikh from Sheikh Jarrah, who now resides in the U.S. and is married to a man of Christian Jewish and Sufi heritage:

While I was floating last night in a hot bath tub, my ears were under the water surface, I could feel them vibrating while I listened to my heart beats, one after another, silence and space between them, it was a surreal realization of how real yet unguaranteed my life is. Waiting for the next beat to come, it dawned on me that many were losing their heart beats at the moment my heart was beating, death and loss everywhere, either in my country of origin Palestine, or people dying to viruses as in India and around the globe, natural and catastrophic ways into death were happening while I was patiently waiting to hear another beat from my precious heart.

Then I wondered: I am privileged to have my heart still beating, this beautiful soft sound that is alive within me: without even getting my permission to be, it just happens! What to do with this heart of mine? How can I use it into action for something good, greater than myself? I had to cry a bit while immersing myself under the water, then I decided to share this note, my contribution from the heart for this day, my activism. Still, What to do with my broken heart? I will never lose hope and I will not allow my spirit to be broken.

I am Muna AlSheikh from Sheikh Jarrah My father was born and raised in Sheikh Jarrah, I grew up in Jordan, digesting in my body and heart the impact of my parents' stories about Jerusalem and the ancestral stories about Palestine. Pain accompanied me for long time and still does, as it accompanies many Palestinians. I witnessed my father dying slowly with physical illness while suffocating into depression because he thought he could go back to Jerusalem or at least be buried there. We buried my father in 2010, on a hill in Amman Jordan, facing the direction of Jerusalem. That was his one and only request.

I remain, with hope and resilience, and most of all I remain standing strong with my heart, fully open to sorrow and joy.

Wishing everyone and Mother Earth peace. Muna

Listen to your heartbeat. If Black Lives Matter, then why wouldn’t a Palestinian or Israeli matter? Calling out Muslim majority countries of its human rights abuses does not make us “Islamophobic”; likewise, calling out Israeli policies is not anti-Semitic.

I encourage you to watch this short conversation between Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté and Russel Brand. "It's what you could know if you wanted to find out." So will you?

Onward and upward…

Ani Zonneveld

Founder, president

U.N. Updates

June 30 - July 2, Generation Equality Forum (GEF), Paris: It is official, MPV is now an Action Coalition Commitment Maker. This is a network of organizations, foundations, corporations and member States working toward accelerating the global commitment to gender equality. As a member of this network, MPV has a five-year commitment in advancing Bodily Autonomy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Find out more about the Action Plan here.

MPV and our partners on the Multi-Faith Advisory Council (MFAC) will be co-organizing a virtual panel discussion at the next Generation Equality Forum in Paris: The F Words: Faith, Feminism and Freedom, which was selected from 600 applicants! As co-chair of its Gender Working Group, Ani Zonneveld will be speaking on the panel. Check back with our calendar for details.

The MFAC groups 40 faith-based organizations as advisors to the United Nations, promoting multi-faith collaboration around the 2030 Agenda. The MFAC has established a Working Group on Gender to help ensure that MFAC’s work includes a gender lens.

National Updates

June 8, 4 pm PST/7 pm EST: Join Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas in a discussion with Progressive Muslim Leaders, Ani Zonneveld and Safi Kakas, and Steve Slocum, former Evangelical Missionary to the Muslims in Kazakhstan, now a peace Activist and founder of SalaamUSA.org. The conversation will be broadcasting 'live' on YouTube.

Equal Rights Amendment: Please find out about why women in America are still second class citizens, the constitutional amendment that would protect violence against women stuck in the Senate, and why we need progressive faith-based organizations to join the coalition. Religions for Peace - USA partnered with Justice Revival and Muslims for Progressive Values to offer this educational webinar on the Equal Rights Amendment on May 20, 2021. You can watch the discussion here.

Human Rights Campaign and MPV held its annual iftar in celebration of Ramadan and reflections on Islam and the movement for LGBTQ liberation. You can watch the discussion here. You may ask why is this conversation needed? The answer is, because more Muslims voted for Trump in 2020 (35%) than they did in 2016 (17%) because they supported his position against the “LGBTQ agenda” and Black Lives Matter. Here’s the report on the numbers.

Chapter Updates

MPV-LA

June 5, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.: STORIES: The AIDS Monument, the ground breaking ceremony will be held at the West Hollywood Park in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the CDC’s first report related to HIV/AIDS. Representing MPV, Ani Zonneveld will be giving the benediction along with Rabbi Dennis Eger and Rev. Russel Thornhill.

The Monument will be a permanent 7,000 square foot installation in West Hollywood Park with a virtual tour and virtual stories. The Monument will: remember those we lost, those who survived, the protests and vigils, the caregivers; celebrate those who stepped up when others stepped away; and educate future generations from lessons learned. The Monument is designed by Daniel Tobin of UAP Company, whose design was selected following a design competition. The Monument is scheduled to open to the public in late 2022.

Other speakers include Dr. Michael Gottlieb who is credited with the research that led to the first CDC report, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Sharon Stone, George Takei, Patricia Arquette, West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath, and Jake Glaser (son of Elizabeth Glaser, who died of AIDS along with her 7-year-old daughter Ariel, and who founded the Pediatric AIDS Institute). We will also have representatives of some of the L.A. area’s early AIDS services organizations, telling the story of how they rose to the challenge at the start of the epidemic.

Looking ahead, MPV will assist The Monument in collecting stories from the Muslim community.

June 13, 10:00 a.m. PST: Our monthly Progressive Quran Reading resumes. This time we'll discuss Surah Hajj 22:38-41 which may touch on warfare and religious diversity. To join us please visit our Meetup page.

June 26: Eid social, private for members only at Ani’s home.

MPV-San Francisco Bay

June 20, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: MPV-SFBay will have our first hybrid in-person meeting with optional Zoom participation. We will be discussing how we move forward as citizens, as MPV-SFBay, and as a planet. This will range from current affairs to our members' needs and aspirations. We expect to be talking about Palestine, a post-Covid world, and how we are all coping; and try to distill from all that what MPV-SFBay should be doing as a community. Welcome all. Sign-up here.

MPV-Boston

May 7: MPV-Boston held a virtual community Iftar with a khutbah and discussion reflecting on Ramadan, consumerism, and how personal and societal choices impact our world and environment.

May 15: MPV-Boston members organized with Community Church of Boston, Jewish Voices for Peace, and Mass Peace Action to attend Copley Square protests of the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem and supporting Palestinian rights to self-determination.

May 30: MPV-Boston cosponsored the Community Church of Boston's online discussion “Live From Palestine: Update From an Activist Academic Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh.” Professor Qumsiyeh explained the situation on the ground in historic Palestine and how the latest local resistance caused a geopolitical shift that will have ramifications for the region. He also discussed what can be done by grassroots activists locally and globally to make a better and more sustainable future.

June 12: Attending March and Vigil for Black Trans Lives, picnic at Franklin Park before (picnic is TBD). Keep an eye on our MPV calendar here.

June 26: Pride Potluck for members only at Nour’s home.