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Happy Monday!
For you, today might seem like an ordinary Monday, but what you may not know is that today marks 15 years to the day that I founded Muslims for Progressive Values back in 2007.
At the time, I was processing a mixture of emotions about my faith, my values, and my responsibility to be true to myself, a collision of emotions you might be familiar with.
I was struggling to come to terms with what I know to be true about what Islam teaches - radical compassion, inclusivity, pluralism, and an unwavering commitment to justice - and how these values failed to play out in the global Muslim community.
Refusing to let my dismay isolate me from my faith, I founded Muslims for Progressive Values in hopes of bringing Progressive Islam to the forefront of American Islam Culture.
Since then, the community has grown in ways very few saw coming. #ImamsForShe now operates in three countries across Sub-Saharan Africa with plans to expand to more in the coming year. We have married thousands of Muslim Interfaith couples through our Interfaith Marriage Service, validating their love and commitment when traditional mosques turned them away. Two Inclusive Islam Curriculums have been produced for children in the West and in Burundi to learn about Islam from a human rights perspective. And since 2013 when MPV secured Consultative Status at the UN, we have worked to organize and sponsor countless international events to educate the wider human rights community about progressive Islam.
We are also in the midst of planning our September 14 forum "Addressing Apostasy and Blasphemy in Muslim Societies", which will address the historical and religious origins of takfir and introduce strategies to counter these human rights violations. Whether you are interested in attending in person in Washington DC or virtually, we encourage you to RSVP and join likeminded individuals for a morning of learning and strategizing.
We know that none of this success would have been possible without our MPV community, the volunteers, the Board of Trustees and of course, your financial support. To help us keep up this life changing work for the next 15 years, we’re asking for $15 dollar donations to celebrate 15 years. If you can afford it, a higher donation is much appreciate appreciated.
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I hope you enjoy the photos in the banner as much as I've enjoyed the memories. Many thanks for your support, for helping us help others find a meaningful and purposeful life.
Ani Zonneveld
Founder, president
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