How the Congregation Inadvertently Killed Its Leader

In 2007, when MPV first started out, it was incredibly challenging for us to raise funds. In the Islamophobia-fueled post 9-11 period, Muslims were fearful of donating to an organization or writing a check with the word “Muslim” on it, regardless of whether or not that organization based its positions on promoting love and compassion, like MPV did and has continued to do for nearly two decades. For the first seven years, I worked unpaid and overtime to build this organization and the progressive Muslim movement in the United States. And I know that I was not the first nor would I be the last to push myself to the brink for a cause I believed in.

For many young Muslim women leaders, fundraising always presents a challenge as it’s impossible to rely on the rich, who are often older patriarchs who are threatened by the very existence of a Muslim woman in a leadership role. Meanwhile, mainstream Muslim foundations are more concerned with using their funding to protect the image of Islam rather than tackling homophobic,misogynistic, and inauthentic versions of Islam that contribute to the systemic misunderstanding of Islam across the world.

In the West, it is the women imams who have always challenged the patriarchy and continue to do so. There is a book titled  “La Jihad delle Donne: il femminismo islamico nel mondo occidantale”, Italian for “The Jihad of Women: Islamic feminism in the Western world”. I am featured in one of the chapters. Upon receiving a copy, the late Pope Francis said, “Yes, we need this change as well”.

The title of this newsletter “How the Congregation Inadvertently Killed Its Leader” was inspired by a recent conversation I had with my friend, Rabbi Jim Kaufman. Women tend to commit themselves to the identity of a giver, caring more for their communities or a movement, than their own health and wellbeing. With the much needed funding that is so inaccessible to these women, they can hire staff, freeing themselves a bit and giving them time to care for their own wellbeing. Unfortunately though, this is so often not the case

In the past 15 months, three women imams have died due to illness. This newsletter is my tribute to them and to the women imams of the world, struggling to balance a commitment to a cause, caring for, and being present in their community, and their purpose in life.  

Imam Rabeya Muller-Haque (1957-February 19, 2024): Lead imam at Liberal-Islamic Federation, a liberal Muslim organization in Germany.

Imam Mahdia Lynn (passed away September 2024): Co-founder and director of Masjid al-Rabia in Chicago, a woman-centered and Queer affirming mosque.

Hasna Maznavi (October 2, 1985 – April 2, 2025): The founder of The Women’s Mosque, Los Angeles. 

So, while this is a tribute to these women and the legacies they have left behind, this is also a reminder for Muslims and our allies to please overcome your fears. Be like the Jewish, Black and LGBTQ+ communities in how they support their causes fearlessly, generously and unapologetically. 

On another sober note. If I could afford it, I would have hopped on a plane to be amongst the hundreds of thousands who paid tribute to Pope Francis over the weekend. In a world awash with cruel leaders, he stood out as one with an unwavering moral compass, that lone candle flickering in the dark. I will miss him dearly.  

“We belong to God and to God we shall return.” Quran 2:156.

Onward and upward…

Ani Zonneveld

President and Founder, Muslims for Progressive Values