July Newsletter

President's Note

To our American readers, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July celebration.

One of the well known phrases in The Declaration of Independence states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Advocating for a woman’s bodily autonomy, a woman’s basic right to self-determination, and her own agency is a woman’s
pursuit of happiness. And in the last few weeks, American women were deeply betrayed with the undoing of abortion rights by
none other than the very institution that is supposed to protect and uphold our constitutional right, the Supreme Court of
the United States.

Often when we are critical of human rights abuses by Muslims we receive comments of admiration for standing up to injustice
and radicalism and the religious leaders who promote these abuses. But God forbid we highlight the voice of a Palestinian
whose family is being evicted in Sheikh Jarrah, or condemn the Supreme Court’s recent decision that overturned Roe vs Wade
and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. That is when you truly discover the hypocrisy of peoples’ so-called
human rights stance.

If you cannot stand up to your own community, then you are an enabler of injustice, a hypocrite, and the problem.

On abortion rights, a man accused us of “co-opting secular language”, utterly ignorant of the liberal Islamic jurisprudence
on reproductive rights and of the mother’s absolute right to her body. Of course, when a woman speaks from a voice of faith,
it is dismissed.

Well, here ( [link removed] ) is the
American Muslim Bar Association’s thorough religious justification for the right to abortion. It is led by a bearded man.
Maybe, that is more believable for the misogynists reading this. ​​​​​​​

Lastly, this Saturday is Eid al-Adha, and we invite you to attend our virtual international service with world renowned
scholar of Islam and Lady Imam Dr. amina wadud. For details visit our calendar here ( [link removed] ) and to
register visit the registration page ( [link removed] ) to receive the Zoom link.

Onward and upward…

Ani Zonneveld​​​​​​​

Founder, President

U.N. Updates

In partnership with several U.N. agencies, we are pleased to invite you to attend our High Level Political Forum Side Event,
Dispelling Misconceptions & Myths: Faith Actors Advancing Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls on July 7
from 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM EST.

Through expert speakers and a moderated panel discussion, faith based organizations will show how commitment can lead to
transformative change, with the goal to inspire increased governmental, UN and, civil society partnerships with faith based
actors and to motivate other faith based actors to join forces and raise the level of ambition for gender equality.

The event will include governmental, UN, and faith perspectives on multi-stakeholder partnerships inclusive of faith actors
working to achieve gender equality, eliciting the particular value, strengths, and opportunities as well as experience in
overcoming challenges and barriers to progress for gender equality. It will also include a moderated panel discussion that
will provide a more specific focus on faith based approaches, within the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to promote
and ensure the interlinkage of work for women’s economic rights and empowerment, gender responsive climate and environmental
policies, overcoming sexual and gender based violence and embracing positive masculinities, and education.

To register to attend this virtual event, please fill out this brief form ( [link removed] ) detailing your
information.

National Updates

We are also pleased to invite you to attend Muslims for Progressive Values' upcoming workshop "Addressing Apostasy and
Blasphemy Laws in Muslim Societies", on September 14, 2022 from 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM EST at Rayburn HOB Room 2060 at the US
Capitol. The event is open to the public, and we welcome all those interested in advancing freedom of religion and belief.
For those who cannot join us in person, you can join us virtually via Zoom.

The first hour of the forum will offer a presentation led by experts on the intersectionality of religion, politics, and
human rights.

The second hour is a workshop that will be conducted specifically from the prism of progressive and feminist Muslims in their
work to counter apostasy and blasphemy laws. The workshop will also address strategies to partner with faith leaders and how
to effectively collaborate with the youth in inculcating a culture of human rights.

Please fill out this brief form ( [link removed] ) detailing your
information to confirm attendance. For those who will be joining us virtually, a link to join the workshop will be shared via
email prior to the event.

Don't forget! Check out our store ( [link removed] ) for some great progressive reads and for other national
and chapter events, check our calendar here ( [link removed] ).

MPV in the Media

North Jersey | LGBTQ Muslims are becoming more visible in America despite a history of being shunned ( [link removed] )| June 29,
2022

Progressive Islam in Practice

At MPV we recognize that the Progressive Muslim movement will never sustain significant growth unless information about
Progressive Islam is made more accessible to the greater Muslim community. The Progressive Islam in Practice Series is a
manifestation of this campaign and as a result, we’ve helped to educate the community on topics from feminist readings of the
Qur’an, abortion rights in Islam, issues of child and forced marriages, to the acceptance of sexual diversity in Islam.

In addition to sharing the series on social media, we have built up an entire page on the website dedicated to the
Progressive Islam in Practice Series entitled Quick Learns ( [link removed] ).

This month, in honor of our upcoming event, Addressing Apostasy and Blasphemy in Muslim Societies ( [link removed] ), we are highlighting Part
Six of our Takfir Series, which details the gross impact that apostasy and blasphemy have on the sanctity of life and an
individual’s essential right to freedom of belief and religion. To learn more about the impact that the normalization of
takfir has within the greater Muslim community, visit our Freedom of Religion and Belief webpage ( [link removed] ) or register ( [link removed] )for the September Forum
for a more in depth analysis of this human rights violation.

Support MPV

If you appreciate the work that we do, please consider making a monthly donation ( [link removed] ) to support
MPV.

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