We Are All In This Together

President’s Note

We Are All In This Together

If you are eligible to vote in the United States and have not yet done so, please make sure to do so by November 5th! Regardless of who wins the election, we will have a lot of work to do to move our country forward and bring those who promised progress along with us. Through both the Trump presidency and the Biden presidency, that has been the core of what MPV does and that is what we will continue to do in the face of the next presidency, regardless of who we may be demanding accountability from. For some folks, their vote will be cast against Biden’s illegal (i.e. American Leahy and humanitarian laws) and unwavering support of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians.

As an organization our mission is anchored by democratic values that are affirming of social justice and human rights for all. We are therefore against:

The removal of the right to choose whether or not to have a child
The Muslim Ban
The deportation of immigrants, documented or undocumented
Presidential immunity for illegal acts
Abolishment of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
The use of federal troops on the American people
The vetting of civil servants for their allegiance to a President.
Theocracy within any governmental body, executive, legislative, or judicial.

MPV’s work has always been to advance the collective wellbeing of our communities, which we do in allyship with other human rights affirming organizations. With this in mind, I myself am casting a vote with the following in mind: the rights of my Black brothers and sisters, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, the rights of immigrants, including Muslims and non-Muslims, the poor, the elderly's social security benefits, and the environment.

We must protect everyone's rights while simultaneously pushing our government harder for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and an arms embargo against Israel. TOGETHER. It is not an either/or.

In the same spirit of this allyship, I’m happy to have met up with an old friend Doug Paggit of Vote Common Good, who took his message of Faith, Hope and Love across the country.

Along these same lines of allyship, in an op-ed “Who Is the Best Candidate to Support Our Democracy and Constitutional Right to Protest?” Dr. Bernice King reminded us of the words of her mother, Mrs. Coretta Scott King - “Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.”

May we always have the freedom to struggle for the freedom of ourselves and those in our hearts, both near and far.

In allyship… Onward and upward…

Ani Zonneveld

President and Founder of Muslims for Progressive Values

A Fundraising Update!

Beginning this month, Muslims for Progressive Values will transition from the donation platform, Network for Good, to the donation platform, GiveButter.

If you have set up a recurring donation to Muslims for Progressive Values, we ask that you take a few minutes to switch your donation to our GiveButter page. If you would like to make a donation to MPV at anytime, you can now do so on our GiveButter page!

DONATE HERE!

Chaplain Endorsement

A few years ago MPV established a Chaplaincy Endorsement service where chaplains, after going through our vetting process, can apply for endorsement from MPV, an endorsement that is necessary for employment at most institutions. We are happy to share our latest vetting team - Syazana Durrani and Narjess Kardan.

National Updates

Check out our store for MPV merchandise and educational resources about interfaith marriage and Progressive Islam. For upcoming national and chapter events, check our calendar and events page here.

National Updates

A BOOK TALK WITH DAISY KHAN

On October 5, MPV’s President and Founder, Ani Zonneveld, hosted a Book Talk with Daisy Khan, a prominent women’s rights defender and activist, to discuss the launch of Daisy’s new book, 30 Rights of Muslim Women: A Trusted Guide. If you weren’t able to make the book talk, you can watch the full recording on MPV’s Youtube Channel below

WATCH HERE

Chapter Events - MPV Boston

November 16 | MPV-Boston will be cohosting the film “A House Is Not A Disco” at the Wicked Queer Film festival at 4pm at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. Tickets can be purchase here.

Chapter Events - MPV Chicago

November 24 | MPV Chicago will be getting together for a Virtual Community Gathering this month on November 24th at 7:00 PM CST to share and connect. Hope you can make it! More details can be found at on MPV Chicago’s Facebook page.

Chapter Events - MPV Los Angeles

November 16 | Please join MPV LA for our first ever Queer Muslim and Allies Brunch on Saturday, November 16 at 11:30 AM. All are welcome to attend our inclusive space but we ask that you please RSVP here to confirm your attendance.

November 24 | On Sunday, November 24, MPV LA and IQRA will be hosting our Monthly Qur’an Chat at 9:30 AM PST / 12:30 PM PST. As a reminder, bring your whole selves into the conversation. Be respectful. Share air time so everyone has an opportunity to speak. There are no silly questions. Each of us are at different places of our spiritual journey and we look forward to supporting each other wherever we may be. No level of familiarity or knowledge of Arabic is required. RSVP here to receive the link to the Zoom call.

Chapter Updates - New York

MPV-NY joined forces with Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) and the Dalit Solidarity Forum (DSF) to host a unique Diwali X Halloween event. Members engaged in meaningful dialogue around topics of race, religion, Diwali, and more. With food catered from a family-owned Palestinian restaurant, we aimed to support small businesses and stand in solidarity with Palestinians, both locally and globally.

You can learn more about MPV New York, including how to get involved, here.

Support MPV!

Over the past year, Muslims for Progressive Values has worked to published the Progressive Islam Curriculum, an 8 part curriculum that makes scholarly academic writings more accessible, so that generations of Muslims to come can be oriented towards and knowledgeable about an Islam that is rooted in human rights, in traditional and independent interpretations. If you would like to support MPV’s education efforts to increase the accessibility of progressive interpretations of Islamic teachings, we encourage you to make a donation to MPV today!

DONATE HERE!