FoRB & Gender Strategy for Muslim Societies
Dear Friends,
At the heart of MPV's work has been Freedom of Religion and Belief and all of its intersectionalities. The individual right is paramount over culture or religion and how that individual practices his/her faith is their right, as long as it does no harm or discriminate against others. That right is even mandated in the Quran, in verse 2:256 “let there be no compulsion in faith”, and coupled with multiple verses on critical thinking, behaving responsibly and most importantly kindly and peacefully. Despite all that, women’s rights are often curtailed in the name of religion.
Over the span of 15 years of work, more and more Muslim faith-based organizations, women-led organizations, religious leaders, scholars of Islam, as well as secularists, have wanted to partner with MPV. Muslims are tired of the oppression in the name of Islam. To make a long story short, I founded Alliance of Inclusive Muslims or AIM as a way to coalesce our collective voice against the many human rights abuses in the name of Islam, to collaborate, to share resources, and to speak in a unified voice at international fora such as the United Nations, and in opposition to the Organization of Islamic Conference or OIC. The OIC is notorious for its human rights abuses in the name of Islam, and for years, the U.N. system itself has allowed for these flagrant “religious” excuses.
AIM’s founding conference was in 2017 in Tunisia, and our second conference, entitled "Charting a Plan of Action towards Realizing Freedom of Religion or Belief and Women’s Rights in Muslim Societies” , will be held November 17-19 in Mombasa, Kenya. . Day 1 of the conference is open to the public virtually. For the concept note, programming and pre-registration details please check out the website.
Even though an international forum strategizing how to normalize Freedom of Religion and Belief and women’s rights is needed, basic human rights also need to be taught to children. Toward that end, with my co-creator Shaleena Tareen, an early child development expert, we are launching the Inclusive Islam Curricululm: Rooted in Human Rights for Children, this November 1st. Please visit the website for details.
As 2021 comes to an end, we would like to know what you think of MPV and our works. Could you, in 15 to 20 seconds, answer one of the questions of your choice below?:
-What do you like about MPV’s work best?
-Why do you read our newsletters?
-How has Muslims for Progressive Values changed the way you understand Islam?
And if you’re also a Muslim:
-What are your favorite things that MPV has taught you about your faith?
-Why do you love being a Progressive Muslim and what does it mean to you?
-How do you practice Progressive Islam in your every day life?
-What does being a part of the MPV family bring into your life?
-Which of the ten Muslims for Progressive Values principles have you practiced the most over the past year and how have you practiced it?
Please upload your response to our drive and thank you!
Until next month, onward and upward…
Ani Zonneveld
Founder, President
Muslims for Progressive Values