Why Do We Need A Progressive Islam Curriculum?
By Arub Syed
“Islam, when understood in its true spirit, is a religion of justice, equality, and intellectual inquiry. It is a religion that was ahead of its time when it was revealed, advocating for the rights of the oppressed and promoting social progress in ways that were revolutionary in the context of 7th-century Arabia.” - Khaled Abou El Fadl
Many Muslims wince when hearing the words ‘progressive’ and ‘Islam’ in the same sentence, maintaining the notion that any such interpretation of Islam is a form of blasphemy.
Despite Islam’s early teachings of promoting justice, equality and a forward-thinking vision of society, several Muslims have strayed from this outlook, reducing Islam to a series of indisputable laws, and a severe punishment for those who choose not to comply. It is crucial to note that many of the mainstream Islamic laws Muslims now adhere to were based on the closure of ijtihad in the 10th century – the process of using independent reasoning and an understanding of the Quran to make judicial decisions - and the exclusive nature of Quranic interpretation.
This confined perception of Islam is prevalent within several Muslim communities, with many deeply entrenched misbeliefs corrupting minds and obstructing the progress initiated by Islam on its inception.
These self-limiting and damaging views of our religion are the reason we took it upon ourselves to devise The Progressive Islam curriculum.
Our curriculum is not created by omitting or altering Islamic beliefs - we research and apply the material that Islam already provided for us 1400 years ago - and show the world how this coincides with values of compassion, equality and coexistence.
Our core values at MPVUSA are inclusivity, human rights and social justice, the same values which are enshrined in the Qur’an and Hadith. We’ve made it our mission to convey this in our curriculum, ensuring that we can unlearn the religious misconceptions that many of us were raised with.
Courtesy of the generous funding granted to us by the A&A Foundation, MPVUSA has curated a structured and carefully thought-out curriculum on the fundamentals of our faith. We work tirelessly to ensure that we are honoring the true traditions of Islamic law and teachings by ensuring each unit covers varying aspects of Islam from an inclusive lens:
Unit 1 - What is Islam?
Unit 2 - Foundations & Practices of Progressive Islam
Unit 3 - Hermeneutics of Progressive Islam
Unit 4 - Reading the Qur’an as a Progressive Muslim
Unit 5 - Gender Equality in Islam
Unit 6 - Freedom of Religion and Belief in Islam
Unit 7 - Sexual and Gender Diversity in Islam
Unit 8 - Anti-Racism in Islam - to be released on December 19, 2024.
Each unit is split into concise lessons, allowing you to easily digest new information. Our syllabus documents include reading and viewing materials to assist your studies, as well as references to everything covered in our resources to maximise your learning experience.
We are abundantly aware of how important accessibility is for our supporters, so our entire curriculum is free and can be accessed here.
If you support our mission of promoting a just Islam rooted in human rights, please donate here. Your donations will allow us to create more educational resources, as well as supporting several of MPVUSA’s initiatives, including our grassroots advocacy and community building movement.