Annual Report 2017 by Muslims for Progressive Values

The truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rumi

Foreword The never-ending journey toward progress took an interesting detour this past year. In the United States, the policies of Trump’s administration have been an obstacle to progressive activism, to say the least. Abroad, the number of human rights violations only rises, and the specter of religious extremism looms ever-larger over the Muslim world. With all that has happened in 2017, it is not an exaggeration to say that it feels like we’ve gone backwards. And, yet, we know that this is emphatically not the case — progress is happening, slowly and surely. In the past year, Muslims for Progressive Values has conducted its advocacy — domestically, at the United Nations, and abroad — with growing strength. International programs such as our #ImamsForShe initiative have touched millions in Africa and South-East Asia; local MPV chapters in the U.S. continue to thrive and spread the word about progressive Islam. Overall, the past year has seen MPV grow in capacity, outreach, and efficacy — our Progressive Islam message is resonating even louder. It takes time and resources to counteract these narratives. It also requires sacrifice to bring about the change we want to see in society. This brings to mind a conversation I had, recently with one of my friends after a particularly onerous and sleepless international flight. “Why don’t you just fly business?” he suggested. I responded with shock and horror: “Are you insane? A business class ticket costs $3,600! That’s a fulltime staffer for one month in the U.S., or for 3 months in Malaysia!” That story conveys a pretty inconvenient truth: progress comes down to choice; choice is made by value of an outcome. Here are a few examples: $2 is the cost of lunch for a young woman attending a #ImamsForShe Camp in Burundi where they are taught to defend their human rights to school, work, selfdetermination, and stand up for themselves against a society that tries to keep the woman down. That’s approximately half the cost of a soy milk latte. One cup of empty calories could feed two girls at a camp where they are being emboldened to understand their value as individuals and agents of change in society. $35 dollars per day is the cost of de-radicalizing the mindset of one person. That’s the cost of one nice piece of steak in the U.S.

There is no simple way to spread the word. Sustainable and lasting change happens with one person at a time.

$3,400 covers the cost of fifty-two 30 minute episodes of a radio show in Burundi. The radio is still a powerful tool of communication. We have seen the power of radio and how it has been used to incite hate in Rwanda. Remember? 1 million killed in 3 days. Our radio show promotes feminism in Islam, reaching 5.6 million people. In Mauritania, radical Imams are offering $10,000 for the murder of Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, accused of apostasy. A poor society can afford $10,000 for such an ill will? Where is this money coming from? There is no simple way to spread the word. Sustainable and lasting change happens with one person at a time. It is a long hard slog that MPV is committed to. Given the privilege of working with many wonderful organizations, quitting is not an option. The choice is, therefore, partially yours: what is your part in bringing about change in the world? How will you help? May your 2018 be better than 2017!

Ani Zonneveld Founder, President

Muslim for Progressive Values

INDEX WHO WE ARE Mission, Vision and What We Do

WHAT WE BELIEVE Key Positions Guiding Principles

THE MPV TEAM Meet the MPV Staff MPV Board of Trustees Advisory Council – Scholar Advisory Council – Activists

WHAT WE DID IN 2017 US Advocacy Global Initiatives MPV at the United Nations

FINANCIAL SUMMARY TESTIMONY

Who We Are Our Mission Muslims for Progressive Values is an NPO founded in 2007 in the U.S. We are a grassroots, human rights organization that embodies and advocates for the traditional Qurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;anic values of social justice, an understanding that informs our positions on womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights, LGBTQI inclusion, freedom of expression and freedom of and from belief. Since our inception, MPV acquired Department of Public Information affiliation with the UN in 2013 and a founding member of Alliance of Inclusive Muslims, or AIM, an umbrella organization spanning 13 countries and 17 cities.

Our Vision MPV envisions a future where Islam is understood as a source of dignity, justice, compassion and love for all humanity and the world. We look forward to the day the Muslim community embodies the ten guiding principles of MPV.

What We Do MPV operationalizes its advocacy campaigns by creating inclusive spaces for critical analysis of religious discourses and scripture, engaging policy processes at the national and global levels, facilitating expression through the arts, and grassroots social activism.

5 5

What We Believe 1

Violent Extremism in the Name of Islam MPV is strongly opposed to acts of terror and violence carried out in the name of Islam. Yet, we believe that radicalization can be prevented when basic human rights, dialogue, tolerance and freedom of expression are promoted within Muslim communities and when youth has access to education that promotes progressive understandings of Islam. As such, MPV advocates for an inclusive Muslim community, accepting of freedom of expression and a diversity of philosophical and spiritual traditions, while promoting universal human rights. Moreover, MPV believes that it is imperative that progressive and innovative educational materials are accessible.

Women’s Righs and Gender Equality MPV is strongly against the oppression of women, particularly in the name of Sharia law. We believe that women should be in complete control of her thought, expression and sexuality rather than the current gradient from silencing a woman’s voice to complete control of thought, of expression, of sexuality. We condemn violations of women’s rights carried out in the name of Islam as baseless, such as female genital mutilation and cutting, forced marriages, acid attacks, honour killings, and others.

LGBTQI Rights MPV believes in an inclusive community and we endorse the human and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTQI) individuals. We affirm our commitment to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and we support full equality and inclusion of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in society and in the Muslim community. We stand firmly against laws in Muslim-majority countries that criminalize homosexuality.

Freedom of Expression MPV advocates for freedom of expression and freedom of dissent. No one should be legally prosecuted, imprisoned or detained for declaring or promoting unpopular opinions whether political, artistic, social or religious, even when said expression may be offensive or aforementioned dissent may be considered blasphemous.

Freedom of and from Religion and Belief MPV upholds the Qu’ ranic mandate “let there be no compulsion in religion” (Q:2:256), that freedom of conscience is not only essential to all human societies, but integral to the Qu’ ranic view of humanity.

MPV celebrated its 11th birthday this year with a new three-year strategic plan at its board meeting in New York, followed by a cocktail party at co-chair Kevin Jenning’s home.

Guiding Principle Please visit our website for the Swahili, Bangladeshi, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and Arabic translations of our principles.

COLLECTIVE IDENTITY While we accept as Muslim anyone who identifies as such, the veracity and integrity of that claim is between the individual and God, and is not a matter for the state nor an issue which other individuals can or should judge. We welcome all Muslim and Non-Muslims who share our belief in a world where each person has value and deserves respect.

EQUALITY We affirm the equal worth of all human beings, regardless of race, sex, gender, gender identification, ethnicity, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, or ability. We are committed to work toward societies that ensure social, political, educational, and economic opportunities for all.

SEPARATION OF RELIGIOUS AND STATE AUTHORITIES We believe that freedom of conscience is not only essential to all human societies but integral to the Qur’anic view of humanity. We believe that secular government is the only way to achieve the Islamic ideal of freedom from compulsion in matters of faith.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH We support freedom of expression and freedom of dissent. No one should be prosecuted, imprisoned, detained, or persecuted in any way for declaring or promoting unpopular opinion.

UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS We are committed to social, economic and environmental justice. We believe that the full self-realization of all people, in a safe and sustainable world, is a prerequisite for freedom, civility, and peace. We support efforts for universal health care, universal public education, the protection of our environment, and the eradication of poverty.

GENDER EQUALITY We support women’s agency and self-determination in every aspect of their lives. We believe in women’s full participation in society at every level. We are committed to reproductive justice and empowering women to make healthy decisions regarding their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction.

LGBTQI INCLUSION We support full equality and inclusion of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in society and in the Muslim community. We are committed to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We endorse the human and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION We believe that critical thinking is essential to spiritual and social development. We promote interpretations that reflect traditional Qur’anic principles of inclusiveness, mercy, compassion, and fairness. We call for critical engagement with Islamic scripture, traditional jurisprudence in current Muslim discourses.

COMPASSION We affirm that justice and compassion should be the guiding principles for all aspects of human conduct. We repudiate the use of violence whether on an individual, organizational, and/or national level.

DIVERSITY We embrace pluralism and the diversity of inspirations that motivate people to embrace justice. We affirm that one’s belief system is not the exclusive source of truth. We engage with a diversity of philosophical, spiritual and non-spiritual traditions to pursue a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.

Meet MPV Staff ANI ZONNEVELD Ani Zonneveld is founder and President of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), has presided over MPV’s expansion to include chapters and affiliates in 12 countries and 19 cities. She has organized numerous interfaith arts and music festivals, and is a strong supporter of women and LGBTQ rights, of freedom of expression, and of conscience. She is the co-editor of MPV’s first book, an anthology titled Progressive Muslim Identities – Personal Stories from the U.S. and Canada; executive producer of a video series “LGBTQI Rights in Islam”; has contributed to many forewords and numerous anthologies too many to list and is a contributor for HuffingtonPost, OpenDemocracy and al-Jazeera. She recently gave her TEDx talk titled – Islam: As American As Apple Pie, and is the subject of a documentary title “al-imam” featuring Ani’s activism works. As an award winning songwriter, she utilizes the power of music and the arts in countering radicalism as she speaks-sings her message of social justice and peace from a progressive Muslim woman’s perspective, and is the first woman to release an English Islamic pop album in the U.S. in 2004.

YASMIN KADIR, Executive Assistant / Los Angeles Coordinator Yasmin Kadir prides herself on being a citizen of the world. After having been born to progressive Bangladeshi immigrants in upstate New York, she spent her childhood travelling around the world and across the states before ultimately finding home on the Central Coast of California. Yasmin is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and Human Resources, as well as an overdue embracement of all cultural and social aspects of her identity.

OMAIR PAUL, U.N. Representative (New York) Omair Paul is a Pakistani American born and raised in New York City. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo, having majored in Social and Cultural Anthropology with a minor in South Asian studies. His focus was on history, culture, theology, philosophy, linguistics, and gender/queer theories. He is currently a Human Rights M.A. candidate in the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) at Columbia University in New York. He assumed the positions of United Nations Representative for Muslims for Progressive Values and United States Representative for the Youth Advocacy Network of Pakistan in 2014. His focal areas of work and research pertain to gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia, LGBTQ rights and non-discrimination on the basis of SOGI, diffusing radical and fundamentalist cultural and/or theological ideologies, and youth empowerment and engagement. He is currently engaged in affirming the human rights approach to policy-level advocacy for the aforementioned subjects.

MARWAN BISHTAWI, U.N. Associate Coordinator (New York) Marwan Bishtawi joined MPV as U.N. Associate Coordinator in New York, covering human rights issues in the 3rd Committee specifically in the Arab and French speaking Muslim world. Marwan holds a Bachelor in Arts from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, where he majored in the Program of Liberal Studies.

MPV Board of Trustees MALIHA KHAN, MPV Co-Chair & President, MPV-DC tor

Maliha Khan is the head of MPV-Washington, D.C. and Co-Chair of the MPV Board of Trustees ad has been involved with MPV since 2011. She was born in Pakistan and grew up in New York and her desire to promote progressive values and cultivate an environment of acceptance and mutual respect within the Muslim community as well as between Muslims and non-Muslims led her to join MPV. In college, she established the Pace University chapter of Project Nur – a student-led initiative promoting principles of human and civil rights in the U.S. and around the world. She recently worked on civil rights issues as a law clerk for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Maliha received her JD and Masters in international affairs at American University. She works at the U.S. Department of Commerce, focusing on international trade law and policy and plans to develop a career in public service.

KEVIN JENNINGS, MPV Co-Chair Kevin Jennings taught high school in New England after graduating from Harvard and is best known for his work creating safe schools for LGBT students. In 1988, Jennings helped establish the nation’s first Gay-Straight Alliance for students, and in 1990 he founded GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, to end anti-LGBT bias in schools. Mr. Jennings led GLSEN to success in making Massachusetts the first state in the nation to outlaw discrimination against public school students on the basis of sexual orientation. The author of One Teacher in Ten and Always My Child: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning Son or Daughter, Jennings also wrote and produced the historical documentary Out of the Past, which won the 1998 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. He currently serves as President of Tenement Museum in Manhattan, New York.

KELLY WENTWORTH, MPV Secretary & President, MPV-Atlanda Kelly Wentworth was inspired by her strong belief in an open and inclusive worship space to create the American Islamic Fellowship (AIF) in Atlanta, GA in 2007. In 2011, AIF became a part of Muslims for Progressive Values and Kelly joined its board. In Atlanta, she has helped create a mosque space with continuous activities, educational programs, and chaplaincy and officiant services. Kelly received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language from Tennessee Technological University. She spent two years in Yemen and worked as an EFL Instructor where she received a diplomacy citation from the U.S. Department of State. She currently works as an Implementation Consultant for Cvent. Kelly actively participates in human rights, women’s rights and LGBT rights efforts everywhere she can. She is a part of various projects that promote music and arts in the community. Kelly is a fellow at the Muslim Institute, which exists to promote and support the growth of thought, knowledge, research, creativity, and open debate.

BARZA DIAZ, MPV Treasurer & President, MPV-New York Barza Diaz is one the founding steering committee members of MPV-NY. She was born in Pakistan and raised in New Jersey. As an eldest child of first generation immigrants in the US, Barza was encouraged to continue to appreciate her religious and cultural background. After graduating from Saint Peter’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Barza actively sought a progressive Muslim community that would accept people judgment-free and found MPV. Barza previously worked as an auditor for CohnReznick to review financial integrity of her clients’ financials. Today she works as a Senior Accountant at Ralph Lauren.

ALI PARSA, Trustee Born in Tehran, Iran, Ali Parsa came to the US to study biochemistry, architecture, and philosophy. After receiving two B.A. degrees in philosophy and in architecture from University of Kansas, he then received a double masters at UCLA in history and Islamic/ religious studies, followed by a Ph.D. in history. He has been teaching world history, comparative religion, humanities, architecture, philosophy of religion, and gender and religion at universities and colleges in California since 1998. As a young man Parsa returned to Iran in 1979 to join the revolution against the Shah, and though he had to escape back to the US after Khomeini came to power, he continued his political activities against the Iranian regime to promote religious freedom, equality, and women’s rights. Dr. Parsa is is also an author of several books that aim to shape a reinterpretation of human history.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER, Trustee Following a 22-year career in arts management, Michael Alexander became the Director of Grand Performances free public concert series where his skills in curating, producing and marketing were responsible for the growth of that organization into a nationally recognized leader in the free performing arts field. He has a career-long history of involvement in developing programs that bring the performing arts into people’s lives in new and interesting ways; leading statewide and regional advocacy and networking efforts; and supporting the work of outstanding performing artists. He was a member of the California Arts Council from 2004 to 2016 – appointed by three Assembly Speakers and was twice elected Chair of the Council. His other professional involvements include serving as Executive Director of the Aman Folk Ensemble, Company Manager of the San Francisco Ballet, Director of Performing Arts for the City of Los Angeles’ Cultural Affairs Department and the owner of his own artist management company.

ADEEL MANGI, Trustee Adeel Mangi is a litigator, concentrating his practice in complex commercial disputes. He has particular expertise in false advertising and pharmaceutical industry litigation. In 2017, based upon work pioneered and led by Mr. Mangi, Patterson Belknap was awarded the “Champions of Justice” award by the Muslim Bar Association of New York. Other awards include the “Landmark” litigation award by the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association; and the Trailblazer Award by the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey. Mr. Mangi was also declared Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the South Asian Bar Association of New York and has been rewarded with a multitude of echolades from numerous industries. Mr. Mangi was at Harvard as a Kennedy Memorial Scholar and joined Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in 2000 upon his graduation from Harvard Law School with an LL.M. Mr. Mangii also serves on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the National LGBT Bar Association, and on the Advisory Board of the Alliance of Families for Justice.

SARAH ANSARI HAQUE, Trustee Sarah Ansari Haque is an attorney for Morton Salt. Before joining Morton Saltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Legal Department, she was a white collar associate at Jenner & Block and then moved to the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General as an Assistant Inspector General. Mrs. Haque is a firstgeneration American Muslim, born in South Bend, Indiana and currently living in Chicago. She holds a B.A. in History from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

NAHIL SHARKASI, Trustee Nahil Sharkasi is a Libyan-American technologist focused on digital identities and the intersections of technology and empowerment. As a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, Nahil has developed devices like Kinect and Hololens that seek to bridge the gap between humans and the digital world. As a mentor and facilitator with Young Women Empowered, Nahil runs coding workshops that introduce young Muslim women, and other women of color from across the Puget Sound area to computer science fundamentals and career opportunities in the tech industry. Nahil holds an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Journalism from University of Maryland.

MISBAH TAHIR, Trustee Misbah Tahir is a biotechnology finance executive who has spent most of his career advancing important new therapies for patients. He has worked at some of the leading companies in the industry in diseases ranging from cancer to medical dermatology. Mr. Tahir began his career as a management consultant, where he developed growth strategies for clients in the U.S., China, Indonesia, and South Korea. Mr. Tahir is a first-generation American Muslim, born in Boston and raised in New England. He is an avid runner and life-long Red Sox fan, and lives with his wife and family in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a B.A. degree in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Community Board

FRANK PARMIR MPV-Columbus

AHMED KARRAR MPV-Chicago

NAJI ALI MPV-San Francisco

Advisory Council – Experts

KARIMA BENNOUNE

REZA ASLAN New York Times best selling author, scholar of religions and TV producer

The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on cultural rights and professor of international law at the University of California–Davis School of Law

AMIR HUSSEIN Author & Professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles

AMBASSADOR RODERICK VAN SCHREVEN (Retired) Former Netherlands Permanent Representative to the United Nations and WTO in Geneva.

Advisory Council – Activists

DAAYIEE ABDULLAH Founder and Executive Director of MECCA Institute

12 12

SALEEMAH ABDUL-GHAFUR

ZAINAH ANWAR

Editor, LIVING ISLAM OUT LOUD: American Muslim Women Speak, the first anthology collecting the voices of American Muslim women.

Project Director for the Sisters in Islam (SIS), and co-founder of MUSAWAH, a global movement for justice and equality in the Muslim family.

EL-FAROUK KHAKI Founder of Salaam: Queer Muslim community in Toronto, Canada

Our Work 13 13

ADVOCACY: Activities - U.S. MPV is the go-to Muslim organization on progressive issues. MPV often leverages its platform and capacity, in collaboration with other progressive organizations, in taking action against injustice and hate both in this country and around the world. This year, MPV was able to exploit a number of avenues to do so, in several forms.

Advocacy through the Arts MPV held its second annual Celebration of Life on January 15, 2017, a gala event celebrating the lives of human rights defenders in the Muslim world who are jailed, tortured or killed in their advocacy. The event featured celebrity guests Bassem Youssef (the “Egyptian Jon Stewart”) and academy award nominee and Emmy winner Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jay Abdo, and Mona Sheikh, among others. A colorful program of personal tributes, poetry readings, and live music made the event a night to remember; but, the real heart of the evening was the reading of dramatic monologues from the perspective of this year’s featured human rights heroes: Amjad Sabri, Ashraf Fayadh, Paradise Sarouri, Hila Sedighi, REACH and Qandeel Baloch. By blending art with advocacy, MPV shed the spotlight on Muslim human rights defenders.

120 PEOPLE

Documentary “al-imam” — The documentary about Ani Zonneveld’s advocacy for an inclusive Islam continued to be screened at film festivals to sold-old audiences throughout 2017, including: • • • • •

Big Sky Doc Film Festival – Oscar Qualifying Cleveland Intl. Film Festival – Oscar Qualifying American Cinematheque Annual Shorts First Look Film Festival Carmel Intl. Film Festival

• • • • •

United Nations Association Film Festival Berkeley Video and Film Festival Calgary Underground Film Festival Egyptian Theater (Hollywood) Sirdab Lab, Kuwait City

Gay Men’s Chorus LA — In July, MPV members proudly sang as community partners with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles at its annual summer concert “I Rise” at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In addition, Ani Zonneveld opened Act II of the concert by reciting the adhan, the call for prayer.

REACH

4000 PEOPLE

100,000 ONLINE

MPV-DC came out in support of the book talk/signing with Omar Saif Ghobash’s Letters to a Young Muslim; visited the Art of the Quran Exhibit and Islam in Washington: Then and Now at the Freer Sackler Galleries in Washington, D.C., followed by a group lunch; attended the Iranian Film Festival in Maryland; and joined the local Jewish community for a Jewish-Muslim Shabbat/Jummah dinner, an informal event designed to bring together young Jewish and Muslim professionals and is part of MPV-DC’s broader interfaith initiatives.

MPV-Atlanta was featured as a speaker at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, introducing the film “In-Between” as well as being a co-sponsor at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Young REACH Professionals Night, which includes a screening of “Family Commitments”, a film about a same-sex Arab-Israeli couple living in Germany.

600 PEOPLE

Advocacy by Legal and Legislative Means In January 2017, MPV submitted two letters to congress — one to the Senate Judiciary Committee and one to the U.S. House of Representatives — voicing strong opposition to the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General and urging denunciation of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy proposals, respectively. • MPV-LA has joined forces with Caring Across Generations, an interfaith alliance committed to improving elderly access to care and expanding the rights of caretakers. • In May, in solidarity with its friends at Feminist Majority and Tahirih Justice Center, MPV supported a bill going to review under the California Senate Appropriations Committee that contained provisions to limit child marriage in the state of California. The outcome of this bill is still pending. With the advent of the Trump administration, with one signature, women’s reproductive justice and LGBTQI rights became undone. This meant MPV had to fight harder for whatever rights we did have. In July MPV joined several progressive faith organizations to file an Amici Curiae brief in support of plaintiffsappellees for women’s reproductive rights CASE NO. 1:16-CV-1300-SS; in October MPV joined countless other progressive organizations to file two Amici Curiae briefs to oppose policies that discriminate against LGBT people - Rims Barber vs Governor Phil Bryant; and Masterpiece Cakeshop vs Colorado Civil Rights Commission. In December, MPV joined 87 other religious organizations to support a suit against Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security for rescinding DACA. Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights to women. MPV-DC joined several other groups in a strategy luncheon session followed by an ERA lobby day on Capitol Hill with women and men divided into teams that went door to door, speaking to various Congressional staff members about the ERA.

REACH

INFLUENCERS

Advocacy by Public Engagement As a result of the political climate in America we found ourselves immersed in activities, with ample opportunities to have our progressive stance on social justice heard. Here are a selected: January 25: MPV gathered with numerous other Muslims and non-Muslims in downtown DC to rally against Trump’s recent executive order related to the ban on Muslims. After the nomination of Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, MPV joined Feminist Majority at a joint press conference against the nomination as detrimental to women’s reproductive rights.

REACH

100

INDIVIDUALS & LOCAL MEDIA

REACH 100,000

LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET

MPV-LA participated in and organized numerous interfaith events: an IftarShabbath with Temple Beth Hillel; solidarity interfaith service in the aftermath of the destruction of Jewish tombstones; participated in the first #WomensMarch.

REACH 100,000

LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET

MPV-LA held a booth and hosted a high-profile panel at Politicon the “Coachella of Politics,” titled “Refugees, Religion and Republicans” to a packed room of 300 and thousands streaming through the booth with questions and interviews particularly from the alt-Right.

Over the summer, MPV joined forces with numerous other faith-based and humanitarian organizations to release joint-statements urging the government of Bangladesh to take immediate steps to protect vigorously the rights to freedom of religion, belief, and expression, both in word and in deed.

In June, Ani Zonneveld participated in a panel entitled “Is Sharia Law Still Relevant” on the WATERtalks Feminist Conversations in Religion Series podcast. Frank Parmir of MPV-Columbus represented us with a booth at the conference Islamic Societies of North America, REACH promoting our inclusive Islam, for gender equality and for LGBTQI rights only to be expelled from the venue. 2000 PEOPLE

Ani Zonneveld spoke at the Glastonbury Abbey lecture series in November, giving a talk entitled “The Pursuit of Justice in Islam and understanding how it got Away” on the distortion of Qur’anic concepts of justice and mercy among followers of Islam, concluding her talk with a spiritual song “In My Soul”. Following the talk, Ani spoke at the Community Church of Boston, giving a talk called “What is Progressive Islam,” in which she defined the alternative and traditional interpretations of Islam in contrast to the current belief system. During the talk, Ani touched on all the hot topics du jour — shari’a law, women’s rights, LGBTI rights, apostasy, REACH hijab, and the like — as well as MPV’s approach to those problems around the U.S., U.N., and the world. PEOPLE

500

MPV-DC was active with interfaith outreach by organizing an interfaith Passover Seder with members of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities, sharing readings on the themes of liberation and freedom; attending and offering a presentation on the issues of interfaith harmony and REACH what is expected in the next four years under the Trump administration at the LGBTQ Inauguration Shabbat Service at the Edlavich Jewish Community Center.

500 PEOPLE

MPV-Atlanta participated in the Connect 2017 conference at the University of Georgia, sponsored by its LGBT Resource Center. The conference was a one-day event centered on the LGBTQIA community, creating solidarity and community building. Amina Abdul-Jalil of MPV-Atlanta was a featured REACH speaker in a session entitled “The Rainbow Hijabi A Queer Muslim Woman in Post-Pulse America.”

200 PEOPLE

MPV-Atlanta participated in a solidarity march at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for those affected by the U.S. executive order on immigrants. MPV-Atlanta has also provided network support to those affected by the order through our partnerships with immigration and refugee support organizations. MPV-LA was a proud Community Partner for Los Angeles’ Pride Parade, which was rebranded as #ResistMarch as many American rights are under threat, and will therefore be marching in solidarity. MPV’s president Ani Zonneveld message of solidarity was featured on digital screens along the march’s path. Frank Parmir represented MPV-Columbus at the One Mile Prayer March, organized by the People’s Justice Project, City of Hope Church, and others. The demonstration was a call to demand that the Columbus Police Department establish a gentler model of peacekeeping.

REACH 300,000

LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET

REACH

400 PEOPLE

To meet the spiritual needs of its community MPV chapters in Chicago, Columbus, DC, San Francisco and Atlanta continues to hold Friday prayers, and Quran study. MPV- NY successfully co-sponsored the first sold-out LGBTQ Eid al-Adha Dinner at the The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. MPV-NY also launched the first of series of Interfaith Couples Dinner in NJ. In 2017 MPV welcome MPV-San Francisco on board making our presence felt in the seventh city in the U.S.

Activities - Global #ImamsForShe Inspired by the United Nations’ (UN) #HeForShe movement, #ImamsForShe is a global initiative of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV). Launched in March 2015, #ImamsForShe seeks to support and empower imams, religious leaders, and Islamic scholars—henceforth collectively referred to as “#ImamsForShe”—who debunk misogynistic interpretations of Islamic scripture that have led to human rights violations in the name of Islam against women and girls in Muslim communities. #ImamsForShe directly supports MPV’s mission to embody and to be an effective voice for the traditional Qur’anic ideals of human dignity, egalitarianism, compassion, and social justice. Our objectives follow a three-pronged approach to ensure longevity and sustainability of our efforts, empowering change agents to carry on the movement-building, dialogue, and education of #ImamsForShe through a multiplier domino effect: from religious leader to the constituency, from the constituency to parliament, from parliament to laws that reflect egalitarian values. These objectives are: 1) Build a movement 2) Encourage dialogue 3) Educate with two parallel approaches: 1) Societal TopDown Approach, and 2) Societal Bottom-Up Approach. With generous funding from the Wallace Global Fund, MPV fulfills these objectives in Burundi and Tunisia.

Burundi In 2017, MPV continued with Phase II of its initiative #ImamsForShe with partner Alliance des Imams du Corridors Nords pour le Developpement Humanitaire (AICNDH), a coalition of 26 Burundian Imams, in a two-pronged approach:

A weekly radio broadcast entitled La Femme en Islam, hosted by Imam Khalfan Bukuru, AICNDH president, and a #ImamsForShe Champion, addressing issues pertaining to women’s rights to education, work, and sexual and reproductive health, and featuring a guest women human rights defender.

REACH

5.5

MILLION PEOPLE

Two girls’ sports camp called #ClubsForShe. These camps coach young women ages 16-25 with Islamic human rights language of their right to education, to work, to choose whom and when to marry. Teaching young women creates a multiplier effect for when they have families of their own. REACH

YOUNG WOMEN

Tunisia Under Phase II of #ImamsForShe in Tunisia, MPV developed a training guide for youth titled Values, Principles and Leadership Toolkit, one that incorporates human rights affirming religious language, correlates to Tunisian law, and is intended for use by trainers, religious leaders, and human rights advocates. The toolkit, which is developed with Tunisian and Egyptian human rights and religious experts, is infused with Leadership Development Program based on the understanding that the level of learning necessary to develop transformational leaders goes beyond sharing theories, learning techniques, or information gathering. Transformational leadership development is a process that actually works at a level deep enough to shift who people are, not just what they know.

Malaysia The #ImamsForShe initiative also expanded to Malaysia this year, with the work of MPVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister organization Komuniti Muslim Universal (KMU), taking on the name #UlamaBersamaWanita. In its first year, #UlamaBersamaWanita focused on two workshops for youth and NGOs and dissemination of infographics in English and Malay.

REACH

50,000 PEOPLE

Alliance of Inclusive Muslims MPV’s biggest move of the year came on October 1, 2017 when, after months of hard work and meticulous planning, it convened in Hammamet, Tunisia, the inaugural meeting of the Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM), a global umbrella organization which will galvanize progressive Muslim organizations from around the world into action against the structural violences that are imposed in the name of Islam. With a start-up of 15 organizations and three scholars of Islam, AIM is now registered in Geneva as a human rights organization. This convening was made possible with the support of UN Women. For more information about AIM, please visit www.aim.ngo.

AIM is founded on three principles: Human Rights and Dignity for All: Advocating for the recognition of each individual’s equal worth in society and equal protection under the law.

Freedom of Expression: Advocating for freedom of expression, thought, and conscience, and freedom of dissent. No one should be prosecuted, imprisoned, or detained for political, journalistic, artistic, social, or religious expression.

Freedom of and from Religion and Belief: Advocating to uphold the Qur’anic mandate “let there be no compulsion in religion” (Q2:256), and that freedom of conscience is not only essential to all human societies but integral to the Qur’anic worldview of humanity.

Participants attending AIM founding conference in Tunisia.

Malaysia Komuniti Muslim Universal (KMU), MPV’s sister organization in Malaysia, continues to work toward an inclusive Islamic worldview, which includes protecting religious minorities, and challenging misogynistic and hate-filled interpretations of Islam. Due to the sheer volume of activities that KMU organizes, only a few are highlighted for this annual report. For the full scope of KMU’s work, please visit its website: kmumalaysia.org KMU organized the Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue for Youth. One of the most important session was training youth to innovatively promote freedom of religion and belief through the localization of the Marrakesh Declaration. Five groups presented their projects with role-playing as different stakeholders such as politicians, universities, religious leaders, media and non governmental organizations. Post convening, KMU produced inspirational posters with messages informing the world of the hopes and aspirations of young people. This program was made possible thanks to funding from the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

REACH

50,000

PEOPLE IN WORSHOP

PEOPLE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Aizat Shamsuddin, KMU’S country director, moderated a forum titled “Institutionalized Religion: The Impact on Human Rights” in conjunction with the Asian Law Students’ Association (ALSA)’s UM Symposium 2017, “The People’s Advocate” on March 15, 2017 at University of Malaya. Joining him on the stage were Aston Paiva, a human rights lawyer, and Norhayati Kaprawi, a REACH women’s rights advocate and a documentarian.

200

PEOPLE

KMU participated in a Training of Trainers (ToT) course 11-15 of December 2017 at The Commonwealth Headquarter, London, United Kingdom, addressing hate speech and violent extremism through human rights education, and with positive counter narratives. The training was jointly organized by Counter Violent Extreme (CVE) Unit of The Commonwealth, Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador Network (CYPAN) and the Council of Europe’s Youth Department. KMU was one out of 38 passionate young leader organizations elected from 22 commonwealth countries from around the world. Participants shared their peace building projects and best practices to counter hate speech and extremism through their creative counter messaging content and programs.

REACH

YOUTH

ORGANISATIONs

KMU joined a workshop titled “Violent Extremism and Religious Education in Southeast Asia,” which took place between 1113 December 2017 in Jakarta. The workshop was organized by the project management unit of Enhancing the Role of Religious Education in Countering/Preventing Violent Extremism (CONVEY), in collaboration with Center for the Study of Islam and Society, at the State Islamic University of Jakarta (Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office Indonesia. This is the first of its kind in the region, emphasizing the role of religious education and bringing together government representatives, practitioners of civil society organizations and activists of community based organisations, academics and researchers and UNDP as well as other UN REACH agencies’ representatives.

PEOPLE

Netherlands MPV Nederland’s advocacy takes shape in different forms, from marches to forums, to filing a shadow report for the Universal Periodic Review of The Netherlands. For the full scope of its work please visit their website: www.mpvnederland.org. But here are some highlights:

MPV Nederland engages local and global Human Right processes, contributing to the Dutch Civil Society recommendations for the sixty-first meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which, unfortunately, did not initially give heed to religious minorities and other marginalized groups. Furthermore, MPV Nederland have made the vital contribution that “while adamantly affirming cultural rights are rightfully recognized as an integral part of human rights, culture, religion and tradition should never be an excuse to deny any individual their fundamental human rights.” In this way, MPV Nederlands was able to raise the importance of faith-based feminism and progressive religious stances within the context of Civil Society and UN-bodies.

MPV Nederland participated in the Women’s March in Amsterdam on March 11, 2017.

MPV Nederland presented perspectives on perceived issues with migration in Europe and its intersection with religion and ethnicity during the conference “(I)migrant: perspectives of minority integration in Europe”, Kildare, Ireland

MPV Nederland participated in a Conference on Islamophobia organised by the University of Amsterdam, the Collective against Islamophobia and Discrimination, and Emcemo, and highlighted the difficulties of faith-based activism in secular societies. For the record, MPV’s official term on the climate toward Muslims is miso-Islamia, hate for all things Islam.

MPV Nederland was prominently featured in Trouw, a major Dutch newspaper, in an article titled “Progressieve moslims gaan hun eigen weg,” highlighting our work as women taking the lead in faith-based activism, our views on interreligious marriage, women-led prayer, and the future of progressive Islam. MPV Nederland hosted Celebration of Life. Duplicating the program from MPV-USA of honoring human rights defenders of the Muslim world, MPV Nederland’s first major event was a great success thanks to the contributions of moderator Naeeda Aurangzeb, and keynote speakers Ambassador Roderick van Schreven (retired) and MPV’s Ani Zonneveld. Max Wieselmann (Another Jewish Sound), Elisabeth van der Steenhoven (Karama Europe), Isjed Hussain (Prisma Group, Queer Welfare), and Stella Ismail (African Sky, Fem4All) gave an inspiring glimpse into the lives of Ashraf Fayedh, Amjad Sabri, Hilal Sedighi and Qandeel Baloch, respectively. There were wonderful performances by spoken word Artist Amna Durrani, singer Sumayya Sheeba, Oud player Mohammed Al Issa, and rapper and human rights activist Yëro Gaynääki, who ended the evening with a stirring performance.

MPV Nederland held its first Inclusive Jum’a, together with Prisma group, a charity dedicated to the support of bicultural LGBTQIpersons. The khutba (sermon) was delivered by Nafisah GrahamBrown from Inclusive Mosque Initiative (IMI).

In partnership with MPV USA, MPV Nederland authored a Universal Periodic Review Stakeholder Submission on The Netherlands. MPV’s report delineates human rights issues with discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, race, women’s rights, and gender equality, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer demographics, referencing legal frameworks for the provision of fundamental rights as prescribed by the state’s constitution and the relevant international human rights instruments it has ratified. The report also presented recommendations to eliminate anti-Muslim discrimination and discrimination of minorities within Muslim communities, which were advanced by several other Member States in their recommendations to the Netherlands.

Australia This will be the last inclusion of MPV Australia in our annual report as they have now gone on to be a registered entity of their own under the name The Muslim Collective. MPV congratulates Reem and the rest of the Australian team. For the purpose of this annual report, just a few key activities are highlighted. For more information please visit their website: www.muslimcollective.com

Following Hizb ut-Tahrir’s appalling video condoning forms of domestic violence, MPVAustralia reiterates the need for Muslim faith leadership to actively address gender inequality. “In Australia, mosques continue to be maledominated, hierarchical spaces that are resistant and often hostile to the voices of women,” said Communications Director Dr Mariam Tokhi.

MPV Australia’s #WaysToBeMuslim campaign continues to gain traction! The campaign aims to associate human faces with an often-political narrative and demonstrate that no one can be too Muslim or not Muslim enough, because there are 1.6 billion ways to be Muslim.

Phillipines MPV-Philippines is a new start-up with Pete Sengson, one of the country’s Co-Directors. To put things in context, The Philippines is in dire need of a progressive Muslim movement. Dominated by radicals in the South and Salafism in Manila, a brief history of Muslims in the Philippines and the existing conditions which demand a progressive Muslim organization in the Philippines, especially because of the special circumstance they face as minorities.

For his part, our Malaysian sister organization KMU, led by Aizat Shamsuddin shared the situation of progressive Muslim groups in Malaysia and how such groups are “minoritized”, in a country where Islam is the state religion. The valuable contribution that the MPV Philippines and KMU Malaysia can offer to progressive Muslims is to articulate MPV’s mission with their respective local contexts in mind. As a sister organization in Asia, KMU Malaysia plans to share their activities, lessons and best practices of their organization to help nurture the MPV in the Philippines.

Miscellaneous Activities: In April, Ani Zonneveld attended the first Women Ulama’s Congress, held in a small village at a Pondok Pesantren (religious boarding school) Kebon Jambu, in Babakan Ciwaringing Cirebon, Indonesia.

REACH

1300 PEOPLE

In June, Ani Zonneveld travelled to Berlin to recite the adhan (Islamic call to prayer) and sing a few of her Islamic hymns at the inaugural Friday prayer service of the newly-opened, inclusive and women-led, Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque.

REACH GLOBAL AUDIENCE

In solidarity of the right to believe or not, Ani Zonneveld spoke at the Secular Conference in London, U.K., on a panel entitled “The Veil and Religious Morality.”

REACH

200

PEOPLE

Ani Zonneveld’s work in promoting and reasserting women’s religious authority in Islam has been well documented in Luciana Capretti’s book, entitled “La Jihad Delle Donne” which details her activism in a chapter titled “Ani the Rebel” further details Ani’s activism. The book was featured during the Torino Spiritual Book Festival in Turin, Italy.

REACH

100

PEOPLE

The Rabat+5 conference was organized by the Moroccan government on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that incites discrimination, hostility or violence. As a Board member of AIM, and founder of MPV, Ani Zonneveld highlighted works implemented by AIM’s member organizations and allies in advancing freedom of religion and belief from a progressive Islam perspective.

REACH

100

INFLUENCERS

Women Ulama’s Congress

26 26

Rabat+5 Conference

MPV at the United Nations 27 27

MPV at the United Nations MPV has been engaged with the United Nations both at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, its subsidiary bodies and in New York to ensure that a progressive and inclusive Muslim voice is represented at this crucial international fora. In 2017 MPV engaged through 1) Events and Collaborations with Special Rapporteurs; and 2) Universal Periodic Review Stakeholder Submissions. MPV takes advantage of the UN’s capacity to bring many people together by organizing, sponsoring, and participating in events, such as panel discussions, meetings with UN Member States, debates, and interactive dialogues. Through these events, MPV showcases its best practices, and engages with policy makers, influencers, experts, scholars, delegates, and with progressive religious and civil society leaders in informative discussions pertaining to our work in human rights and sustainable development. These events are part of “MPV’s UN Lecture Series”.

Events and Collaboration with Special Rapporteurs On March 3, 2017, during the Human Rights Council March session, MPV co-sponsored a side event hosted by UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights, Karima Bennoune, along with the Center for the Study of Human rights of the London School of Economics, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), the Fonds pour les femmes en Méditerranée, and Freemuse. During the event, entitled “Facing up to the Global Avalanche of Hate: The Impact of Fundamentalism and Extremism on Cultural Rights,” the Special Rapporteur discussed her recent report on a human rights approach to preserving cultural rights from extremism. The discussion featured several panelists, including Mr Magnus Ag (Freemuse), Ms Samia Allalou (Fond pour les femmes en Méditerranée), Professor Cheran Bhatt (LSE), Ms Alejandra Sarda-Chandiramani (AWID), and MPV Founder and President Ani Zonneveld, who served as moderator.

Facing Up to the Global Avalanche of Hate: The Impact of Fundamentalism And Extremism on Cultural Rights A discussion of the report by the UN

Special Rapporteur in the ﬁeld of cultural rights

Speakers: Ms Karima Bennoune (Special Rapporteu r in the ﬁeld of cultural rights)

Mr Magnus Ag (Senior Programme Oﬃcer, Freemuse) Ms Samia Allalou (Journalist, Media & DocumentaHon Director, Fonds p our les femmes en Méditerranée) Professor Chetan BhaF (Centre for the Study of Human Rights, London School of Economics)

Ms Alejandra Sarda-‐Chandiramani (Director of Programs, AssociaHon f or Women’s Rights in Development) Moderator: Ms Ani Zonneveld (Muslims for Progressiv e Values) Date: Friday, 3rd March 2017 Time: 10am – 1130am Venue: Room XVIII, UN Geneva RSVP: if not in possession of a UN b adge please email: name, organisaH on & contact details to jbouchard@ohchr. org by 27th Feb

REACH

PEOPLE

A discussion on the report of report by the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights, Karima Bennoune.

On October 26, 2017, MPV in collaboration with the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), International Humanist and Ethical Union, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, and as a member of the UN Faith and Feminism Working Group, co-sponsored a compelling side event featuring Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Dr. Karima Bennoune presenting main themes and key messages from her report delivered to the UN General Assembly earlier in REACH October. The panel featured cultural rights activists and women’s human rights defenders from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Poland, and the United States.

PEOPLE

On 26 October 2017, MPV, in collaboration with several LGBTI and faith-based organizations, including International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), Global Interfaith Network for People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (GIN-SSOGIE), SoulForce, and Political Research Associates, co-organized a powerful multi-faith event at UNHQ in New York entitled the “Ethics of Reciprocity”. The event featured numerous LGBTI faith leaders and activists from Samoa to Tajikistan to Brazil, who each testified to the violence and exclusion they have experienced because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, and how they have reclaimed religious narratives that are often weaponized against LGBTI REACH people to justify such violence and exclusion. MPV’s Omair Paul UN Representative delivered a speech at the event.

300

PEOPLE

On March 16, 2017, the Faith and Feminism working group, of which MPV is a member, hosted a strategy and advocacy roundtable to facilitate sharing of effective advocacy strategies from participants at local and national levels, and discussion of the potential for the group to serve as a vehicle to bridge the gap between local activism and international advocacy. This roundtable discussion featured MPV REACH advisory board member and UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Dr. Karima Bennoune, and was led by MPV UN Representative Omair Paul.

PEOPLE

On March 20, 2017, during CSW61, MPV partnered with UN Women to host a side-event entitled “Breaking Stereotypes to Transform Social Norms on ‘Woman and Work’: Role of Men and Boys and Faith Actors in Achieving Sustainable Change for Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment,” along with Musawah, MenEngage Alliance, Church of Sweden, the Baha’i International Community, the World Council of Churches, the Tearfund, and the World YWCA. After opening remarks from Lopa Banerjee, executive director of UN Women, the event featured organizations’ respective work and best practices in engaging men, boys, and faith actors in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. These presentations were made by Marwa Sharafeldin (Musawah), Rev. Bafana Khumalo (Sonke Gender Justice), Rabia Waqar (Norwegian Church Aid Pakistan), Anthony Keedi (ABAAD MENA), Marchu Girma (Women for Refugee Women), Rósa Guðrún Erlingsdóttir (Velferðarráðuneytið), REACH Lakshmi Puri (UN Women), and MPV President and Founder Ani Zonneveld.

PEOPLE

Ethics of Reciprocity MPV’s Omair Paul delivering a speech at the event.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a transformative plan for development that seeks to serve planet, people, prosperity, and partnerships between different sectors of society by implementing 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MPV has engaged Member States and sustainable development processes since 2015 to emphasize that the implementation of the SDGs should not be threatened by religious or cultural fundamentalisms, and to ensure that States respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of all peoples’ as core to realizing the 2030 Agenda. This year, MPV’s advocacy in Sustainable Development focused on the High-Level Political Forum, a UN-mandated body that meets every year to oversee, follow up, and review member states’ progress in implementing Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MPV’s UN Representative Omair Paul and UN Associate Coordinator Marwan Bishtawi followed this process for two months, beginning in June 2017 during intergovernmental negotiations for the HLPF Ministerial Declaration, a document that sets the tone for each HLPF. On Thursday, June 16, Marwan Bishtawi delivered an intervention, addressing delegations and the co-chairs of the negotiations, on behalf of the UN Major Group for Children and Youth. Furthermore, through skillful advocacy, MPV successfully pushed important language on inter-religious dialogue into the Ministerial Declaration. During the HLPF, MPV UN Representative Omair Paul and UN Coordinator Marwan Bishtawi worked tirelessly at following the two different segments of the HLPF: thematic review, in which the UN discusses their progress concerning the HLPF’s theme, and Voluntary National Review, in which countries that have volunteered to report on their progress share their best practices in development and accept feedback from other member states. During this year’s thematic review, which focused on the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world,” Marwan and Omair were actively working to insert language on gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s rights, and the importance of including faith-based organizations. Furthermore, on July 11, during a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the HLPF theme, Omair made a rousing statement on behalf of the NGO Major Group, challenging member states to combat the surging tides of fundamentalism and extremism. During the Voluntary National Review, MPV collaborated with representatives from the TEBTEBBA Foundation, REACH Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, and RIPESS Global to formulate 500 three questions for Malaysia. POLICY MAKERS

Universal Periodic Review Stakeholder Submissions As an international human rights organization, MPV actively engages the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process in which member states quadrennially submit a report updating the UN committee on their progress in implementing the UN human rights agenda. In addition to national reports, stakeholders such as NGOs are invited to submit their own reports on the status of human rights in a country. In its stakeholder reports, MPV focuses on human rights abuses that are perpetrated or justified in the name of Islam. MPV seeks to challenge, change the narrative and reshape the perception of Islam as a faith that promotes love, inclusivity, and human rights. In 2017, MPV submitted two reports to the UPR for Pakistan and Burundi. All reports are available on our website.

Pakistan MPV’s UPR Stakeholder Report on the Islamic Republic of Pakistan focused on the issues of blasphemy and apostasy, and recommended that that the Pakistani government should overhaul its Islamic school curriculum to promote a culture of peace and plurality, encourage religious institutions and actors that receive state funding to promote inclusive and egalitarian narratives of Islam, and debunk any religious justification for blasphemy and apostasy, after the example of Morocco’s High Religious Committee.

Burundi MPV partnered with the Alliance des Imams du Corridors Nords pour le Developpement Humanitaire (AICNDH), a coalition of 36 Imams in Burundi, to submit a stakeholder report ahead of Burundi’s Review in January 2018. This report detailed the intricate relationship between religious narratives and women’s rights in Burundi.

MPV Financial Summary MPV thanks its many donors for their reliability and generosity, especially Veronica Norton, Christopher Stephan, Khurram Nizami, Hasan Hasan, our Board of Trustees Kevin Jennings, Maliha Khan, Kelly Wentworth, Barza Diaz, Misbah Tahir, Nahil Sharkasi, Ali Parsa, Michael Alexander, Sarah Ansari-Haque and Adeel A. Mangi. Thank you to funders who have been equally committed and supportive of our work: ARCUS Foundation, Wallace Global Fund, Human Rights Campaign, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, The A&A Fund, and UN Women.

2.04%

Revenue

0.01%

11.04% 8.6%

Foundation Grants

$298,705.00

78.31

Direct Contributions

$32,802.00

8.6

Corporate Contributions

$42,121.00

11.04

$7,799.00

2.04

$31.00

0.01

$381,458.00

100%

Other income

78.31%

Interest Income

Expenditure 9.54% 9.12%

Global Advocacy and Programming

$221,694.00

81.34

Management and General

$24,851.00

9.12

Fundraising

$26,018.00

9.54

$272,563.00

100%

81.34% BALANCE FROM 2016 NET BALANCE

34 34

$52,437.00 $161,322.00

TESTIMONIALS I actually searched for progressive imams in our area and MPV came up in my search results. And then I saw Ani Zonneveld’s picture and info and recognized her from something I had seen on TV--I think it was Bill Maher. I just remember listening to her and thinking this is exactly what I believe and how I feel. I’ve always also felt that more liberal Muslims should stand up and speak out but instead we just go on living double lives or are too caught up fighting our own personal battles (as in my case to marry the person I love). I meant to look up Ani’s organization right when I saw her on TV and get more information but then life happened and it slipped my mind. And then the unthinkable happened which is my family willing to accept Matthew. We have been together for 8 years, ready to be married have a family but our life was just on hold waiting for my parents to come around. I love my family and am very close to them but we do not see eye to eye on many points about religion. But I still did not want to hurt them, disrespect them or lose them so we waited patiently. Now we are so thrilled that everything is working out. I come to this group when I need restoration. I come when my days are filled with words of hate from people whose minds are closed. I come to read the words of my fellow beloveds, they heartening me, even in their struggles, for I see the deepness of their hearts. I come to this group when I am joyous. I come to this group when I am distraught. I come to this group to hear the voices of truth. I come to this group to be taught. I come to this group to share. I come to this group to renew my strength. I come to this group to laugh. I come to this group to cry. I come to this group to love. May the Beloved bless all your days.

– Philip J Tuley‎: Hi I’m XXX From Peshawar Pakistan, just wanted to know , do you have any community in Pakistan. We desperately need such a counter narrative to radicalism & intolerance. So please note my name if your organisation is interested in establishing progressive Muslim community in Pakistan...and especially in my province (KPK)

– Pakistan

For more information, visit www.mpvusa.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@mpvusa) Muslims For Progressive Values 1626 N. Wilcox Ave, Suite 702, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States. Phone: (323) 696-2678

Email: info@mpvusa.org