From the ERA in the U.S.A. to the Kadhi Court in Kenya, it is the same problem...

The Oldest Progressive Muslim Organization in America

Don't take our work for granted! Donate!
( [link removed] )

Share your Robly campaign on Facebook ( [link removed] ) Share your Robly campaign on Twitter ( [link removed] )

Why is basic women's rights so difficult?

The Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is a basic human rights reform ensuring that, “rights will not be denied
or abridged… on account of sex.” It represents 150 years of struggle to afford women equal citizenship stature in our
nation’s founding charter.

Yes folks, here in America, women are constitutionally not protected.

The 14th amendment which is supposed to provide all citizens with "equal protection of the laws," does not protect its
citizens from violence. The late Supreme court Justice Scalia on an occasion reminded us that the 14th Amendment was not
originally intended to extend rights to women, and he also said it should not protect against sex discrimination.

The movement for the ERA has gained renewed momentum in recent years, after ratification by Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia
met the 38-state (or 3/4 of states) requirement for a constitutional amendment. Most recently, the House of Representatives
passed HJ Res. 17 to remove the deadline for ratification. Our goal is to see its companion bill passed in the Senate in
2021, and for the ERA to become the 28th Amendment this year.

At the end of July, we plan on meeting with key Senators to advocate for their vote for HJ Res.1 17.

I urge religious leaders and organizations to join us in the coalition with Justice Revival ( [link removed] )
and other faith allies alongside the ERA Coalition ( [link removed] ) to rally more visible faith support for
the ERA. I hope you’ll consider adding your name to this rapidly growing Interfaith Statement of Support ( [link removed] ) and joining the #Faith4ERA campaign.

In addition to the advocacy in the U.S. on women, LGBTQ+ rights, and against child/forced marriages, we continue to work
internationally pushing for women Kadhis on the Kadhi Courts in Kenya, rolling out a women’s rights affirming children’s
curriculum in Burundi and our commitment to UN Women’s Generation Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the last 1.5 years I've been working in Mombasa with our partner organization AMWAN as well as in solidarity with the
Chief Kadhi of Kenya, toward formulating a more women's rights compliant sharia law. Our first workshop was implemented 2
weeks ago which also included a module on the need for women Kadhi (judges in the religious court). The Supreme Council of
Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) have declared the position is fit for women. Others however do not have a problem with a Muslim woman
as a judge in the secular court; but listen to this push back should a qualified female judge sit on the sharia court. Please
watch the Kenya TV news report ( [link removed] )!

But, what I am particularly excited about is our San Francisco leaders Sabahat Ashraf and Kevin Mogg, who will start
reviewing Muslim scholars writings and the milieu of preachers and talking heads, rating them according to their compliance
to MPV’s principles. We hope this will serve the Muslim public well in their search for progressive teachings, by-passing
wasted valuable time on dogma and falsehoods.

Onward and upward…
Ani Zonneveld

Founder, president

MPV in the News

Ani Zonneveld in an in-depth interview on faith, human rights and

policy for Ring for Peace!

Ring for Peace | 11: Interview with Ani Zonneveld ( [link removed] ) | Jun
30, 2021

“What is “true” Islam? I don’t believe the majority of the Muslim population understand what “true” Islam means. For
centuries, religious institutions, leaders, and educators have taught us falsehoods.”

Video | A Fireside Chat with Reverend Dr. Sherri Pallas, Steve Slocum, Safi Kaskas and Ani Zonneveld ( [link removed] )

Yahoo Noticias | Los Tiempos en que el Islam era una Religion Abierta a la Diversidad Sexual ( [link removed] ) | Jun 20, 2021

WeHo Times | Sharon Stone Joins Prominent Activists at Groundbreaking of WeHo AIDS Monument ( [link removed] ) | June 6, 2021
​​​​​​​

U.N. Updates

Stay tuned for our next newsletter!

Chapter Updates

For events don’t forget to check our calendar regularly here ( [link removed] ).

MPV-LA

July 11: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (PST): Monthly Progressive Quran Reading Group: 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. Let's get
together to struggle with, connect to, and grow from the Quran while exploring contextualist/progressive approaches to the
text. Everyone's welcome -- no level of familiarity or knowledge of Arabic required.

Online event: [link removed]

MPV-San Francisco Bay
July 18: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (PST): Brunch outing in person with optional Zoom attendance at Manny’s in San Francisco, a
progressive community space. We will discuss Juneteenth as a national holiday, our plans for Eid al-Adha and an analytical
tool and survey being developed by a couple of our local directors to help members and others understand and evaluate the
world of public intellectuals (scholars and evangelists; ‘aalims/’ulema and da’ees) in the Muslim/Islamic space. Welcome all.
For more details you can Sign-up here ( [link removed] ).

In This Issue:
* President's Greeting
* U.N. Updates
* National Updates
* Chapter Updates

Quick links:
MPV Website ( [link removed] )
About MPV ( [link removed] )
Our Communities ( [link removed] )
#ImamsForShe ( [link removed] )
Donate to MPV ( [link removed] )

​​​​​​​

Do you know what happens when you Google "Muslims" in America? Watch! ( [link removed] )

BACK TO TOP ( #top )

( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] )
( [link removed] )

click here ( --UNSUBSCRIBE_ALT-- )-->

MPV · 1626 N. Wilcox Ave., Suite 702 · Los Angeles · California · 90028

Preferences ( [link removed] )
|
Unsubscribe ( [link removed] )

This email was sent to [email protected].

Click here to view the online version. ( [link removed] )