Institutionalizing Progressive Islam
Despite the comeback of COVID-19, MPV’s activities have intensified, with some major outcomes to share.
First, our legal activism seems to be bearing fruit.
In advance of the decision made by the US Supreme Court in Bostock v. Clayton County, MPV’s Board member Adeel Mangi spearheaded the filing of an amicus brief. He had the following to say about the Supreme Court’s decision on on Title VII : “We are delighted that the Court heard the voice of MPV and other Muslim groups that filed an amicus brief in support of construing Title VII to defend the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In this environment, all communities under attack must stand up for each other—only then can we make progress together.” Coincidentally, MPV’s co-Chair Kevin Jenning’s organization LAMBDA Legal led the charge in the suit. A huge win for them and for human rights for all.
MPV also contributed an amicus brief related to Louisiana’s abortion restrictions, which the Supreme Court struck down this month, protecting the rights of women to reproductive justice.
Meanwhile, I am overseeing the development of the toolkit toward reforming the Kadhi Court in Kenya, and an Inclusive Islam Curriculum in Burundi for children ages 5-12. Both projects are progressing really well, so well that the Foreign Ministry of The Netherlands was kind enough to promote the curriculum project on their social media page.
An update on a few benchmark: I am officially a member of the prestigious think-tank Council on Foriegn Relations, which was over a year in the making.
In the last few years, MPV’s work has been documented in various academic publications. A new one I discovered by chance is Rumee Ahmad’s book Sharia Compliant: A User’s Guide to Hacking Sharia Law. And, I co-authored a chapter with Professor Adis Duderija titled “Transnational Progressive Islam: Theory, Networks”, and Lived Experience, in Ronald Lukens-Bull and Mark Woodward (Eds): Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives, Springer. In this chapter I covered MPV’s work, the globalization of our values and the launching of Alliance of Inclusive Muslims. You can read the full chapter here.
Here is the abstract for the chapter:
This chapter provides a snapshot outline of the theory, networks, and lived experiences of transnational progressive Islam and the major milestones and developments associated with it over the last decade and a half. In the first part of the article, a broad overview of the major themes underpinning progressive Muslim thought is presented. In the subsequent parts, the discussion centers on recounting and analyzing the lived experiences of what it means to be a progressive Muslim. More specifically, the historical context in which progressive Muslim organizations have emerged noting their increasing transnational character is described. The chapter also emphasizes the kinds of issues progressive Muslim organizations have been engaged in and significant challenges they have faced in embodying the kinds of values and practices they consider to be the ideals and normative teachings of the Islamic faith which often are at odds with the mainstream approaches to these teachings. The authors conclude that transnational progressive Islam has found a firm place in the rich medley of contemporary Islamic movements and intellectual streams.
No longer can any government, institution or individual deny the embodiment and lived realities of Progressive Islam.
Onward and upward . . .
Ani Zonneveld
Founder, President | Muslims For Progressive Values
Editor’s Note: This Message was originally published in the July 2020 issue of the MPV Monthly Newsletter. You may subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on the tab at the bottom-right corner of this page!