2018 Annual Report by Muslims for Progressive Values

I follow the Way of Love, and where Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caravan takes its path, there is my religion, my faith.

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ibn Arabi (an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, 1165-1240)

Foreword Muslims for Progressive Values’ advocacy for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is predicated on the Qur’anic 2:252 precept “let there be no compulsion in religion.” Unfortunately, many communities (Muslim and non-Muslim) ignore this teaching, and appropriate religion to justify all sorts of human-rights violations. In effect, religion is being used to justify blasphemy laws, female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), gender-based violence, suppressing women’s right to self-determination and expression by limiting access to education, stifling economic mobility, and placing unfair social expectations in the name of “honor.” To justify this behavior in the name of Islam is itself “blasphemous” and, as the Moroccan religious authorities concluded in 2018, blasphemy is actually a political tool and has nothing to do with Islam. Hence, to end the plethora of human rights abuses in the name of religion especially in the Muslim world, it is necessary to promote freedom of religion and belief for all.

… to end the plethora of human rights abuses in the name of religion especially in the Muslim world, it is necessary to promote Freedom of Religion and Belief for all.

While we grapple with this issue internationally FGM/C and religious based discrimination is becoming rampant in the U.S. under the cover of “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA). RFRA was passed in 1993 to protect the rights of religious minorities, but has instead been used to prop up discriminatory practices in the name of religion of the faith majority — that is, of some Christians. Of course, some conservative Muslims are also learning to use the same trick. In a FGM/C, a case against a Shi’a/Bohra minority group in Detroit, the community hired attorney Alan Dershowitz to advice them in the use of RFRA in defense of FGM/C. RFRA was also utilized in defense of a baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay a couple; and companies use RFRA to exempt themselves from providing health insurance coverage of the pill to its female employees. The misuse of RFRA continues to grow. And back to the international stage, in a run-up to a new round of election in 2018, the Egyptian parliament drew up a legislation criminalizing atheism to appease the Muslim Brotherhood. Maybe, the best way to stem the flow of Muslims from leaving Islam is to unshackle them from oppressive and human rights abuses in the name of Islam? Alas, it is easier said than done.

Ani Zonneveld Founder, President

Muslim for Progressive Values

INDEX 01 Who Are We Mission, Vision and What We Do What We Believe Guiding Principles

5 6 7

02 The MPV Team

Meet the MPV Staff MPV Board of Trustees Advisory Council

8 9 12

03 What We Did In 2018 US Advocacy Ministerial Meeting Global Initiatives MPV at the United Nations

13 13 20 23 28

04 Publishing and Services

05 Financial Summary

05 Media

Who We Are Our Mission Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) is a non-profit international human rights organization founded in 2007 in the U.S. As Muslims for Progressive Values, we advocate for human rights, social justice and inclusion in the United States and around the world. Since its inception, MPV has acquired Department of Public Information affiliation with the U.N. in 2013, and consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2018. MPV is a founding member of Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM), a global coalition of progressive Muslim organizations spanning 13 countries and 17 cities.

Our Vision Muslims for Progressive Values envisions a world that reflects Islam as a source of dignity, justice, compassion, and love for all.

What We Do MPV establishes and nurtures vibrant progressive Muslim communities. We do this by creating opportunities for religious discourse, volunteer and community activities, and cultural events bringing together the arts, spirituality and social activism. MPV is a progressive Muslim voice on contemporary issues. We voice our perspectives with policy briefs, by participating in civil discourse, engaging with the media and government entities, and by partnering with both Muslim and non-Muslim progressive organizations. MPV promotes theologically-sound frameworks for Islamic liberalism. We seek to reinvigorate the Islamic tradition of ijtihad (critical engagement and interpretation of sacred texts) and intellectual discourse. We do this by collaborating with religious scholars and developing position papers on theological issues that are accessible to a wide audience.

Building a Progressive Muslim Community Too often Muslims in America are asked ‘where are the progressives amongst us? Aren’t there any Muslims who are for women’s reproductive rights, universal human rights, for the separation of Religion and State? Muslims for Progressive Values has been in existence since 2007. Quietly and diligently we have been building our progressive community, one city at a time, and now one country at a time. Since its inception, MPV has expanded to include communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Atlanta, Columbus (OH), New York, Chicago, Boston and The Netherlands. We also have affiliates and partner groups in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Tunisia, Burundi, France, Germany, Malaysia, Norway, South Africa, Sudan, The Gambia, and the United Kingdom. We assert that Islam is inherently progressive, inclusive and egalitarian; an understanding from which our community is built on and that informs the ten principles of MPV.

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What We Believe 1

Violent Extremism in the Name of Islam

Women’s Righs and Gender Equality

LGBTQI Rights

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.

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.

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.

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 selfrealization 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, Founder and President Ani advocates for women and LGBTQ rights, for freedom of expression, and of conscience. Ani has presided over MPV’s expansion to include chapters and affiliates in 8 cities in the U.S., and spearheaded the founding of an umbrella organization, Alliance of Inclusive Muslims, that spans five continents. At the United Nations, Ani helped secure MPV’s consultative status with ECOSOC, serves as a Faith Advisory Council member to the U.N., and was commissioned by the U.N. Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect to create a workshop on reforming anti-hate speech curriculum for 10 Muslim countries. She has organized numerous interfaith arts and music festivals; 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 and Opeds. She gave her TEDx talk titled, “Islam: As American As Apple Pie,” and is the subject of the award-winning documentary “al-imam” featuring her activism works to be screened at the American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival in 2019. As a Grammy-certified songwriter, Ani 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.

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 B.A. 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 recently completed the Human Rights M.A. program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) at Columbia University in New York. 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 is an Arab-American of Lebanese descent. Marwan joined MPV as U.N. Associate Coordinator in 2016, and supports MPV’s U.N. advocacy in several areas, including the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF), the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and the Human Rights Council. Marwan received his B.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana), where he is currently pursuing his Masters in Theological Studies (M.T.S.).

MPV Board of Trustees Maliha Khan, MPV Co-Chair & MPV-DC Director Maliha Khan is the Director of MPV-Washington, D.C. and Co-Chair of the MPV Board of Trustees and has been involved with MPV since 2011. She was born in Pakistan and grew up in New York. 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 & MPV-Atlanta Director 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 a 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 & MPV-New York Director 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 judgmentfree 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.

Marilyn Wyatt, Trustee Marilyn Wyatt is a coach and mentor to nonprofit boards. She has worked with civil society organizations in more than thirty countries and is the author of the widely used Handbook of NGO Governance. Before launching her own practice she was director of international programs in Europe and Asia at BoardSource, a U.S.-based organization that supports nonprofit boards. Marilyn also works as a freelance editor for organizations such as the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law, which focuses on civil society development around the world. Previously Marilyn was a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, with postings to Warsaw, Prague, and Washington. She also worked as director of communications at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, and as communications officer at the U.S. Agency for International Cooperation in Islamabad. She began her career as senior editor for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Marilyn is the author of many articles and publications on nonprofit governance and other topics. She has a Ph.D. and M.A. in comparative literature from the Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. with a major in English from Cornell University. She has served on the boards of many organizations, including the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation, Czech Fulbright Commission, Off-The-Record lecture series, American School in Warsaw, International School of Prague, and Developments in Literacy (Pakistan)

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 first-generation 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.

Advisory Council

Reza Aslan New York Times best selling author, scholar of religions and TV producer

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Karima Bennoune

Amir Hussein

Ambassador Roderick Van Schreven (Retired)

The United Nationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Special Rapporteur on cultural rights and professor of international law at the University of Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Davis School of Law

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

Former Netherlands Permanent Representative to the United Nations and WTO in Geneva.

Daayiee Abdullah

Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur

Zainah Anwar

El-Farouk Khaki

Founder and Executive Director of MECCA Institute

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

Co-founder of MUSAWAH, a global movement for justice and equality in the Muslim family.

Founder of Salaam: Queer Muslim community in Toronto, Canada

Advocacy: U.S. Activities MPV’s local chapter network expanded in 2018, with the addition of MPV-Boston. As MPV continues to grow steadily, so does the volume of our chapters’ activities across the U.S. MPV prizes its chapter work as fundamental to its legitimacy as an organization. To claim representation of a community, one must have the constituency to show for it. Numerous organizations claim to represent the American progressive Muslim community and yet they lack a legitimate constituency. The reason is simple: community building is hard work; churning out policy papers and opinion pieces is much easier. The key to MPV’s legitimacy is in the way we leverage our local to global and global to local vision and expertise. Thus, MPV is truly representative of progressive Muslims in America and our chapter network is proof of our grassroots strength.

Investing in the development of our grassroots leaders, MPV held a Leadership Retreat in Massachusetts, where we participated in a leadership skills workshop, developed better communication strategies and tighter teamwork, and developed an annual plan of action in cohesion with each chapter.

L-R: Kevin Jennings, Maliha Khan, Aicha Belabbas, Sonali Sadequee, Carman Nareau, Milad Momeni, Yasmin Kadir, La Trina Jackson, Luska Nau, Kelly Wentworth, Barza Diaz, Marilyn Wyatt

Here are the highlights of our 2018 domestic programming:

Advocacy through the Arts

L-R: Kevin Jennings, Tamer Kattan, Emiliana Geureca, Ani Zonneveld, Zohreen Adamjee

Hasan Piker and winner of “a date with Hassan” auction, Brooke

MPV held its third annual Celebration of Life on February 25, 2018, a gala event celebrating the lives of human rights defenders in the Muslim world who are jailed, tortured or killed because of their advocacy. This year, we celebrated Nadia Anjuman, Xulhaz Mannan, Elham Arab, Sheikh Hamza Congera, and Numan Afifi in the form of dramatic monologues, poetry and music. We also honored Kevin Jennings with the second Badshah Khan Beacon of Truth Award, for his decades of advocacy and championing of human rights. To help us promote Celebration

of Life and bring visibility of human rights defenders in the Muslim world, Hasan Piker, host and producer of The Young Turks, agreed to raffle himself off as a date/guest at Celebration of Life. By blending art with advocacy, MPV continues to shed the spotlight on Muslim human rights defenders.

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PEOPLE + HUNDREDS ONLINE

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In the center is Asad J. Malik and his production team

MPV’s president Ani Zonneveld participated as an “immigrant” in the world premier of a project titled “Terminal 3,” at the Tribeca film festival between April 1921. The objective of this project, created by Asad J. Malik, was to create interactive holograms of Muslims posing as immigrants, and “interrogated” by guests acting as the immigration officer.

The documentary “al-imam,” (dir. Omar Al Dakheel) about Ani Zonneveld’s advocacy for an inclusive Islam continued to be screened to sold-old audiences at prestigious festivals and venues throughout 2018, including: •

• • •

Dances with Films Film Festival (June 2018; screened at the Hollywood landmark, The Chinese Theater.) Annapolis Film Festival (March 2018) Athena Film Festival (February 2018) 19th Annual Fine Cut Festival of Films (September 2018; Winner Best Documentary Film). As winner in the best documentary category, “alimam” will be screened at

On June 3, 2018, MPV’s Ani Zonneveld joined the Artes Vocales of Los Angeles in their concert entitled “Requiem Reflections: Singing our Deaths, Singing our Lives.” The concert, held at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, featured visual and verbal reflections on what it means to honor life, framed by Mozart’s famous Requiem Mass in D minor. Ani Zonneveld joined the choir to sing her original song “Prayer of Light,” as well as to recite the adhan, or Muslim call to prayer.

• •

the American Pavilion of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019. Some of the comments from the judges were: “Technically amazing with its story structure”; “A fantastic story overall”; “Fascinating and courageous main character”; and “The filmmaker makes a political moment highly personal” Vimeo (for a limited time) National Geographic picked “al-imam” for distribution on all its digital platforms. Despite threats received for providing “al-imam” such a platform, the company maintained its stance. We know it had an impact based on emails and comments we received worldwide.

With immigration being a hot topic in the U.S., “Terminal 3” uses cutting-edge technology to sensitize Americans to the human and humanitarian elements at stake with respect to immigration policy. REACH

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INFLUENCERS

The documentary continues to be screened on KCET on high rotation, and on-line through Vimeo and National Geographic globally.

“AL-IMAM” REACH

MILLIONS OF VIEWERS

Center: Director Omar Al Dakheel with his production team

MPV-DC hosted monthly film screenings throughout 2018. Some of the films screened were “The Sultan and the Saint,” a film about Muslim-Christian peace, “al Imam,” the award-winning documentary about Ani Zonneveld, “Playing the Taar,” a film about gender equality and social justice in Afghanistan, and “Paradise Found: The Wonder of Islamic Art.”

MPV-Atlanta partnered with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for Young Professionals Night, which included a screening of “The Boy Downstairs.”

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MPV’s Ani Zonneveld was invited to speak at the Women’s March in Los Angeles on January 20, 2018. The march was a major success with 600,000 marchers protesting the many policies of the U.S. Government. Ani gave a crowdfiring speech, listing the many issues the public are unaware of such as child and forced marriages, and FGM/C in California. You can listen to Ani’s speech on our website.

600,0000 PEOPLE

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: MPV-Atlanta partnered with Masjid Al-Rabia (Chicago) and HRC-Atlanta for the #WriteforJustice program, supporting incarcerated LGBTQ Muslims. MPV-Atlanta will be writing to incarcerated Muslims (both queer and nonqueer) as part of an ongoing initiative. During the month of January, MPV-Atlanta, through resources provided by Trinity Church Wall Street, had a video teach-in program. The program, Undocumented, focuses on what faith communities need to know about current issues related to immigration, DACA, temporary protected status, and sanctuary. On March 18, MPV-SF, coordinated and held a “Meet A Muslim” event at St. John’s Presbyterian Church located in San Francisco. This event will allow St. John’s congregation to meet and ask questions of progressive Muslims and learn more about Islam and it’s pluralistic and progressive origins. During the event, many attendees spoke about why they have faith and how it sustains them. Afterward, John Anderson, co-Pastor of St. John’s, encouraged his congregation to form a more intimate relationship with MPV-SF MPV-SF/Bay Area brought in three amazing people to join Naji Ali, the MPV-SF Director, on the local chapter board: Philip Tulley, Carman Nareau and Sabahat Ashraf.

On March 24, 2018, MPV-LA marched alongside the office of California Senator Kamala Harris in the March For Our Lives rally. This rally was one of many student-led demonstrations held in cities across the nation and around the world in response to the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States, with a call for stricter gun control regulation. On April 25, 2018, MPV-Chicago prepared meals for the homeless with Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church. MPV-Atlanta took part in a panel on faith and sexuality at Kennesaw State University. MPV Secretary and head of MPV-Atlanta, Kelly Wentworth, was appointed to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ LGBTQI Advisory Board! This board is founded to serve as a bridge between Atlanta’s city hall and the city’s LGBTQI community. The board’s current priorities are: Reducing the LGBTQ homeless youth population in Atlanta; working to combat the rising rate of new HIV infections in Atlanta; developing programming to support job-readiness among LGBTQ youth; working to attract and host more LGBTQ conferences and events in Atlanta. In September, MPV-NY, in partnership with Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, hosted a 9/11 Remembrance event. Members from both organizations gathered and prayed for an end to anti-Muslim and religious violence, and for peace and togetherness between the different faith communities. As part of the event, members participated in mediation and reflection.

Ramadan and Iftars On June 12, in co-sponsorship with Coalition of Progressive Hindus, Caribbean Equality Project (CEP), The South Asian Lesbian, and Gay Association of New York City (SALGA NYC), MPV-NY co-hosted an iftar at a ‘Sadhana Satsangh’ to build unity between Hindus and Muslims. There was excellent conversation following iftar, and Hindu prayer for an end to all discrimination and Islamophobia. On June 13, MPV-SF held a roundtable discussion entitled “Struggling in good faith: LGBTI inclusion in Religion.” The discussion was hosted by Rabbi Mychal Copland at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, located in San Francisco. This in-depth panel discussion explored current issues related to the intersection of LGBTQI people and religion. On June 17, MPV-SF chapter president Naji Ali, spoke at First Mennonite Church of San Francisco about Islam 101. The pastor of the church is Sheri Hostetler, Naji’s former minister. In October MPV-Boston organized a volunteer day with a local charity. Members gathered on a Saturday morning to serve over 150 homeless individuals. It was a great team-building activity and an opportunity for families with children to attend and help out with educating locals about our progressive advocacy in the area. Consequently, this activity allowed Muslims to communicate with people from all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic statuses.

Washington DC

Atlanta

Dearborn

LGBTQI+ Inclusion Inclusive Islam Series - Is LGBTQI Halal? The 2.5-hour workshop features Islamic scholar and theologian from France, Imam Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, was held in four cities: DC, Atlanta, Dearborn and Chicago. The reactions of some of the workshops’ attendees were very touching -- many admitted that they had never heard of LGBTQI’s compatibility with Islam. One person was even moved to tears upon hearing the Quranic passages affirming of her identity as a trans individual. MPV owes Imam Ludovic a big thank you for sharing his time and experience, and for running a truly therapeutic and healing series of workshops.

Los Angeles

New York

Atlanta

For Pride, most of MPV’s chapters celebrated in varying degress. MPV-SF/Bay Area held salat (prayer) at The Rainbow Chapel on Pride Saturday at the Civic Center. 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 and participated in their first Pride parade with a float!

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For the second year, MPV-LA held a booth and a high-profile panel at Politicon, the “Coachella of Politics.” The panel was titled “Misconceptions & Mini Skirts in Islam,” with guests Lauren Chen (aka Roaming Millenial), Nayyera Haq, and MPV Staff member, Yasmin Kadir. As usual, placing the words “progressive” and “Muslim” in the same sentence attracted a lot of attention and conversation.

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The Wahhabi Code On December 20, 2018, the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and The Markaz, presented a major public forum on “Ending Saudi Extremism,” with author Terence Ward, speaking on his new book, The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally (Arcade 2018), and moderated by Ani Zonneveld.

MPV-DC hosted a brunch and members participated in a Christmas day volunteering event with the Holiday Project and MPV-Atlanta hosted its first annual Big Fat Muslim Christmas Party.

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Advocacy by Legal and Legislative Means As the oldest progressive Muslim organization in America, we are often the go-to on many progressive social justice issues. We do what we can to support causes that benefit all Americans as exemplified in the cases filed below.

Amici Curiae Brief Vidal v. Nielson and The State of New York v. Trump (April 11, 2018)

MPV joined 121 other faith-based organizations to support the plaintiffs in Vidal v. Nielson and the State of New York v. Trump. These briefs were a pivotal pushback against President Trump’s attempts to thwart justice for children of immigrants.

Letter Opposing Discriminatory Child Welfare Bill (May 3, 2018)

MPV joined numerous other faith-based organizations to oppose an amendment in the Kansas Adoption Act (SB 284) that allows child-placement agencies to refuse to place children with families or agencies if doing so would conflict with the placement agency’s religious beliefs. MPV opposes this bill because it enables agencies to discriminate against LGBTQI individuals and same-sex couples looking to adopt.

Letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Charles Grassley regarding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court (August 31, 2018)

MPV joined Catholics for Choice and numerous other faith-based organizations and communities to express concern over the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. This coalition of organizations, collectively representing millions of people committed to protecting women’s reproductive rights and ensuring equitable and affordable access to healthcare for women, voiced opposition to this nomination.

Letter of support for AB-2314 to Governor Brown of California (September 13, 2018)

As a member of Caring Across Generations in Los Angeles, California, MPV endorsed AB2314: The Domestic Worker Rights Implementation Act, which aimed to ensure that domestic workers have the same labor protections as everyone else.

Ministerial Meeting at the State Department: Representing MPV and AIM Freedom of Religion and Belief

From July 24 - 26, the U.S. State Department invited 80 governments, over 175 civil society representatives, and more than 100 religious leaders to participate in the first ever Ministerial to Advance International Religious Freedom. MPV’s president Ani Zonneveld and U.N. representative Omair Paul were among the civil society representatives invited and, over the course of three days, contributed to the Ministerial plenary and breakout sessions and engaged civil society and government representatives from across the world and political spectrum. During the Ministerial, MPV organized a side event in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the United States Institute of Peace entitled “Engaging Transformative Religious Narratives for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” and contributed to a

panel organized by allies at Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Watch entitled “Religious Freedom in the Human Rights Framework.” While we at MPV deeply appreciated the State Department’s efforts to ensure that a diversity of voices and opinions were heard, we found it extremely unfortunate that certain actors utilized this space to promulgate subtle biases against Muslims and Islam, and to promote potentially destabilizing theo-political agendas that ultimately reflect the domestic and foreign policy imperatives of problematic lobbyist groups. We also cannot ignore the fact that recognized hate groups were invited to the Ministerial and used the space to invoke twisted interpretations of religious freedom in order to justify their bigotry and explicit anti-LGBTQI

animus. We unequivocally rebuke this behavior and are disturbed by how welcomed this hate was by other invitees. Furthermore, we affirm these narratives and understandings of religious freedom undermine the authenticity, integrity, and inclusiveness of the administration’s objectives to respect and protect freedom of religion or belief. MPV took every opportunity to challenge these rights-diminishing narratives and understandings by vocalizing our concerns at both the Ministerial plenary meetings and during thematic breakout sessions. During the breakout discussion on “religious freedom and women’s rights,” Ani represented MPV and delivered a statement — to a panelist showing palpable bias against Muslims and Islam — regarding how the

“MPV called on the government officials in attendance, including Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, to include Muslim women in policylevel consultations with Muslim communities.”

Religious Freedom Restoration Act, as advised by attorney Alan Dershowitz, may shield U.S. doctors here from accountability when they conscientiously perform female genital mutilation and cutting on young girls in certain religious communities, including the Dawoodi Bohra community in Detroit, Michigan. During the “religious freedom and countering violent extremism” breakout session, Ani also challenged the administration to hold itself accountable to the same standards it holds violators of religious freedom abroad: “As a human rights organization, when we challenge Muslim-majority countries on human rights abuses carried out on their soil in the name of Islam, including violations of the rights of religious minorities, we are told by state and non-state actors to take care of our own backyard first.” MPV continued to push back against the blatant antiIslam sentiment espoused during the session, as Ani responded to an individual who painted Islam as a monolithic and supremacist religion: “Supremacist ideologies are part of the problem that we Muslims need to undo, but what of American Christian legislators who institutionalize their interpretation of Christianity into law? How is this any different than the institutionalization of Sharia law?” Omair Paul delivered a statement at the “religious freedom and economic prosperity” breakout session addressing the nexus

between the abuse of religious freedom rhetoric to justify discrimination against LGBTQI people. In addition to framing rights-diminishing religious and cultural fundamentalisms—which often seep into legislative and policy spaces under the guise of respecting and protecting “religious freedom” or “traditional family values”—as a threat to sustainable and equitable human and economic development, the statement served as a pointed response to the anti-LGBTQI hatred espoused during the plenary session just prior. During that session, a representative of an organization recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group took the floor to condemn the U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s imperatives to address and elevate the human rights situation of LGBTQI people internationally, framing these imperatives as incompatible with broader State Department initiatives to protect religious freedom and other human rights. MPV also called on government officials, including Ambassador-atLarge for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, to include Muslim women in policylevel consultations with Muslim communities. This directive was couched in the critique of U.S. government agencies’ and officials’ tendency to “default to the lowest hanging fruit,” i.e.

mainstream and well-funded Muslim organizations that are often male dominated and that subscribe to patriarchal interpretations of Islam. During the Ministerial, MPV organized a side event in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the United States Institute of Peace entitled “Engaging Transformative Religious Narratives for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.” Thank you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and Franz-Michael S. Mellbin, Danish Ambassador, Special Representative for Religious Freedom or Belief, and Reverend Susan Hayward of the United States Institute of Peace for their support in co-organizing the event. We would also like to thank the international Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development, or PaRD, (of which the government of Denmark is a member and MPV a partner) for their support as well.

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MPV participated in another side event entitled Religious Freedom in the Human Rights Framework, coorganized by colleagues and allies at the Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Watch. The event addressed â&#x20AC;&#x153;how religious liberty coexists with other human rights guarantees, particularly those protecting the liberty and equality of marginalized groups.â&#x20AC;? Omair contributed as a panelist and spoke to the inroads that right-wing fundamentalist groups have made in certain UN spaces and detailed how these groups co-opt and corrupt human rights language to promote potentially rights violating interpretations of normative human rights standards. He also highlighted examples of violations to the right of freedom of religion or belief experienced by LGBTQI people and other sexual and gender minorities in specific Muslim societies. He affirmed that these violations are based on a prohibited grounds of discrimination and posited that states selectively respect and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief. Both events created spaces to affirm international standards regarding freedom of religion or belief, and both exemplified inclusive and rightsaffirming faith-based human rights work. These events were crucial in that they broadcasted a cross-sectoral, normative understanding of freedom of religion or belief, and in effect produced messaging that countered warped interpretations of religious freedom espoused elsewhere. We once again unequivocally rebuke this interpretation of religious freedom as it is used to shield from accountability fundamentalist groups who seek institutional support to exercise their freedom to persecute, hate, violate human rights, and finance the exportation of rights-diminishing religious narratives abroad.

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L-R: Dr. Kathleen Kuehnast, Palwasha Kakar, Ani Zonneveld, Amb. Franz-Michael Mellbin, Rev. Susan Hayward.

MPV’s partner Imam Khalfan of Burundi shared our #ImamsForShe initiative at #MenEngage Mozambique.

Advocacy: Global Activities #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 — to whom we refer 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 advocate for human rights, social justice and inclusion around the world.. Our objectives follow a threepronged approach to ensure longevity and sustainability of our efforts, empowering change

agents to carry on the movementbuilding, dialogue, and education of #ImamsForShe through a multiplier 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. We carry out these objectives with two parallel approaches: 1) Societal Top- Down Approach, and 2) Societal Bottom-Up Approach. With generous funding from the Wallace Global Fund, MPV fulfills these objectives in Burundi and Tunisia.

MPV-LA hosted a special dinner with Imam Khalfan, President of the Alliance des Imams du Corridors Nord Pour Le Developpment, and a key player in MPV’s implementation of #ImamsForShe in Burundi. On March 22, 2018, Imam Khalfan, MPV Partner and #ImamsForShe Champion, held a discussion at Silver Lake Library regarding his women’s rights work in Burundi. Khalfan explained the #ImamsForShe girls’ sports camps and the challenges he faces as a religious leader advocating for equality in a conservative society. Q&A followed the presentation and new MPV friends were made!

Burundi In 2018, MPV continued with Phase III of its initiative #ImamsForShe with partner Alliance des Imams

du Corridors Nords pour le Developpement Humanitaire (AICNDH), a coalition of 26

Burundian Imams, expanding existing programming and adding initiatives. First, the popular radio show La Femme en Islam, continued to air on national radio. Featuring Imam Khalfan Bukuru, AICNDH president and an #ImamsForShe Champion,

the weekly show addresses issues pertaining to women’s rights to education, work, and sexual and reproductive health, and features a guest women human rights defender in each episode. The show has expanded beyond its original reach of 5.5 million and now reaches 9.6 million people!

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#ImamsForShe also continued its #ClubsForShe program. Since its inception, #ClubsForShe has now transformed the lives of 90 girls. The goal of the camps is to sensitize girls to their rights as encoded in international law so that they can defend them against religious teachings and communal practices that seek to undermine women’s dignity and rights. This program has been so successful, that two #ClubsForShe alumnae have received full college scholarships from the U.S. Embassy in Burundi!

Goreth (left) will study English, while scholarship holder Hawa (bottom) will study Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

In addition to this existing programming, #ImamsForShe in Burundi also hosted a four-day workshop to continue empowering leaders and change-makers in Burundi’s Muslim community to oppose misogynistic teachings and practices. This particular workshop trained 30 change-

makers. In September 2018, AICNDH conducted a survey on education completion rates in the Muslim communities of Bujumbura Capital city, Muyinga (especially in Muyinga Commune and Butihinda) and Rumonge center. The purpose of this inquiry was: 1. To know the number of children of basic school age who attend school; 2. To specify the school drop-out rate of Muslim girls and boys in families surveyed; 3. To know the reasons that push Muslim girls and boys to drop out of their studies in these families; 4. Estimate the number of school reintegration of Muslim girls and boys; 5. To be informed of the Muslim community’s understanding of the consequences of school dropouts. 300 questionnaires were distributed in total, and were completed between September 18-21, 2018. The survey found that a disproportionate number of school dropouts were due to early marriage, which indicates a cultural paradigm — informed by problematic interpretations of religious text — which restricts the education and empowerment of girls. The survey results are reflected in a report which AICNDH released in November 2018. To access the full report, please contact info@mpvusa.org.

Tunisia Under Phase III of #ImamsForShe in Tunisia, MPV completed a draft of “Common Values,” a toolkit designed to show the commonalities between the human-rights language of the U.N., and the rights-affirming language in the Qur’an and Muslim tradition. This workshop received a test run in the form of a workshop attended by twenty-five religious, lay leaders, and influencers.

Malaysia The #ImamsForShe initiative also expanded to Malaysia this year, with the work of MPV’s sister organization Komuniti Muslim Universal (KMU), taking on the name #UlamaBersamaWanita. In its first year, #UlamaBersamaWanita convened Indonesian and Malaysian scholars and lay leaders. The outcome of this convening was a position paper condemning marital rape. To see this position paper, please visit MPV’s website. To learn more about KMU’s work on anti-radicalism, interfaith, and other issues, please visit www.kmumalaysia.org

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Alliance of Inclusive Muslims The Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM) is an international umbrella organization that was founded in October 2017 in Tunisia to amplify the voices of progressive Muslim organizations throughout the world. Currently, AIM has 28 member organizations and spans five continents. AIM is founded on three principles: 1. Human Rights and Dignity for All: Advocating for the recognition of each individual’s equal worth in society and equal protection under the law. 2. 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. 3. 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. Convening of the Dutch and German member organizations: Work visit Liberal-Islamischer Bund and Ibn Goethe mosque. As a member organization of the Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM), Fenna ten Berge of MPV Nederland and Aizat Shamsuddin, Chair of AIM, visited Liberal Muslims Germany (LIB) in Berlin to build on the relationship and to plan initiatives under the AIM umbrella that will address issues of religious minorities in Europe, such as xenophobia and escalating anti-Muslim hatred. As a global organization, we threw our support behind Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s proposal for equal inheritance for women and men in the Muslim world. We believe inheritance is the Achilles Heel of the Muslim world, that can potentially undo much of the injustice toward women and girls, and the extreme squalid and impoverished conditions they live in. Our letter to the President was co-signed by 48 Muslim organizations worldwide and six experts which we presented to Madame Saida Ben Garrach, the Senior Advisor and Spokeswoman to the President of the Republic. To read the letter of support, please visit AIM’s website. In January we wrote a letter to Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appealing for his intervention in the case of Mr. Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed M’khaitir, sentenced to death by the Sharia Court for blasphemy. To read the letter of support, please visit AIM’s website.

As board members of AIM, Fenna Ten Berge, Frej Fenniche and Ani Zonneveld attended the “Religion and Rights: Strengthening Common Ground” forum organized by Musawah, OHCHR and the U.N. Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development.

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Ani Zonneveld represented AIM at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Forum. Ani spoke on a panel entitled “The Power of Art in Promoting Belonging”, which took place on 27 September. If you value our work as an umbrella Muslim organization, please support us. For more information about AIM, please visit www.aim.ngo.

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MPV-Nederland Conference: Grassroots engagement in fighting jihadist radicalisation On Tuesday 20 February 2018, the European Policy Centre, in partnership with the European Foundation for Democracy, hosted a Policy Dialogue on “grassroots engagement in fighting jihadist radicalisation.” The event focussed on the experience, views, and advice of experts working on the grassroots level. The speakers were Cherif El Farri of CEAPIRE and Fenna ten Berge of MPV Nederland, highlighting her work: “We fight against misogynistic and patriarchal ideas within #Islamist communities, but also against marginalisation and discrimination of Muslims by institutions”. Manifesto against anti-Muslim hatred and Muslim Discrimination MPV NL is a member of the Dutch Collective against Islamophobia and Discrimination (CTID), who presented a manifesto against Muslim Discrimination and anti-Muslim hatred during the event “city of tolerance” on June 19, 2018, in Amsterdam. The manifesto calls for the Dutch government to take effective action against Islamophobia both in policy and practice, and will be accompanied by a larger targeted advocacy and campaigns push. General Assembly of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) MPV Nederland participated in ENAR’s annual general assembly, held from June 22-24, 2018, in Lisbon, Portugal. Together with other activists and civil society organisations fighting against racism and discrimination against Muslims, MPV NL discussed strategizing a collective approach to strengthen and amplify our activities against Islamophobia on national as well as European levels. On September 21, 2018, the International Day Against Islamophobia, the Dutch Collective Against Islamophobia and Discrimination organized a conference on the detrimental effect that current anti-terrorism and anti-radicalization measures have on Muslim communities in the Netherlands. The Collective’s manifesto against Islamophobia was officially presented during the event.

Also on this occasion, a wake up call on the European Day Against Islamophobia was published on the European Observer. The article includes specific recommendations against Islamophobia and warned against the increase in xenophobia and intolerance throughout the EU. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) took the lead on the letter for the European Network Against Islamophobia, and was signed and endorsed by many organisations/activist.

MPV NL participated in the ground-breaking and innovative European Symposium on Intersectionality as a tool for Equality and Justice in Europe on October 3, 2018, organized by the ENAR and CIJ. Further to this, MPV NL participated in the seminar on Women’s Rights, Gender and Religion on October 4, organized by the European Network On Religion and Belief.

To learn more about MPV-Nederland’s work, please visit www.mpvnederland.org

Miscellaneous Activities: Money and Movement Conference brought together 100 activists and funderst to strategize about the future of resourcing feminist movements and social change globally. Ani and To Tjoelker of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ARCUS Fellow: Ani Zonneveld was selected to be a fellow in the 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2018 Arcus Leadership Fellowship, an 18-month-long program established to support early-stage executive directors of LGBT and allied nonprofit organizations based in the United States.

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD RELIGIONS Islam in the 21st century: A Movement for Inclusive Transformation. We explored contemporary Muslim movements toward theological, religious and social inclusion focusing on human rights and dignity, gender justice, and LGBTIQA+ affirmation. Premised on Tawhid (unity) as the vehicle for transformation, it is a simple yet radical idea: every human life, regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, Muslim, non-Muslim, rich or poor, has exactly the same intrinsic worth. Inclusive Islam is critical in an increasingly interdependent and inter-connected world in the way Muslims treat and interact with: women; Muslims who may be different in belief, and interpretation, non-Muslims; LGBTIQA+ peoples; the environment, etc.

L-R: Azeezah Kanji, Imam Daayiee, Abdullah, Nuzhat Jafri, Ani, El-Farouk Khaki, Shaheen Ali, Renee Mercuri

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MPV at the United Nations Freedom of Religion or Belief MPV has been engaged with the United Nations both at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and its subsidiary bodies and in New York to ensure that a progressive and inclusive Muslim voice is represented at this crucial international fora. In 2018 MPV remained active at the U.N. through: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Events and Collaborations with Special Rapporteurs; Universal Periodic Review Stakeholder Submissions; Human-rights advocacy at the High-Level Political Forum; Engaging with UN Women at the Commision on the Status of Women (CSW).

MPV’s 2018 work at the UN started off with a bang, with the approval of our ECOSOC status, and ended with our membership on the U.N.’s inter-agency Task Force Faith Advisory Council and commissioning to produce a workshop toward reforming educational curriculums in the Muslim world by the U.N. Office of Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect. The workshop design was completed and approved and ready to be rolled out in five Muslim countries. MPV Secures ECOSOC status: In January, 2018, MPV was recommended by the United Nations’ Committee on Non-governmental Organizations to be accredited to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the U.N.! It was a long and strenuous process, and this is a victory that MPV has been working towards since 2015. Globally, only 4,862 NGOs have been privileged with accreditation to the ECOSOC. Accreditation to the ECOSOC allows NGOs to access important and high-level UN meetings and processes — including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, and the Human Rights Council — with more autonomy and recognition This aspect is crucial for the sustainability of MPV’s long-term goal to “normalize” progressive and inclusive Islamic advocacy within UN spaces. Since 2014, MPV has been raising these issues at the forefront of the United Nations, and accreditation to the ECOSOC further bolsters MPV’s authority and legitimacy as the only progressive and inclusive Muslim organization doing so. Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW62 On March 19, MPV hosted a panel titled: “#ImamsForShe: Engaging Imams for Sustainable Gender Equity and the Empowerment of Women and Girls” with panelists:

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Lopa Banerjee, Chief of UN Women’s Civil Society Division Karima Bennoune, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Naureen Shameem, Human Rights Program Coordinator for the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) Bilquis Tahira, National Director of Sharika — Partnerships for Development and National Director for MenEngage, Pakistan; Imam Bukuru Elie Khalfan, MPV Partner, #ImamsForShe Champion, and President of the Alliance des Imams du Coridor Nord pour le Développement Humanitaire; a video presentation from Anesie Ngirimana, a youth participant in our #ImamsForShe workshop in Burundi and moderated by Ani Zonneveld.

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After an illuminating discussion on the role of faith-based actors in promoting human rights, Imam Khalfan gave a strong presentation about the ways in which Islam’s portrayal of women has been incorrectly conveyed and is being redeemed through progressive Islam. The highlight of the evening, however, was a pre-recorded testimonial from Anesie Ngirimana, a participant in one of our #ImamsForShe camps, about the way our educational programming helped her understand her rights and value as a person. On October 23, 2018, MPV co-sponsored a side-event during the U.N. Third Committee. The panel event was entitled The Universality of Human Rights: A Cultural Rights Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and featured U.N. Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Karima Bennoune among other star panelists. The panel discussion explored the relationship between universal rights and cultural diversity, using a cultural-rights approach. During the event, Ms. Bennoune also presented on her report to the General Assembly and discuss threats to human and cultural rights. Universal Periodic Review - Saudi Arabia On March 29, MPV’s UN team submitted a stakeholder report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The UPR, for those unfamiliar with UNese, is a process in which UN member-states undergo quatriennual reviews of their human rights performance. MPV’s report, which was co-authored by the Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM), focused on Saudi Arabian suppression of the freedom of expression, highlighting the cases of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair, and called for legal reform in which the Saudi Kingdom adopted international human rights frameworks. You may read the report on our website.

Symposium on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Cultural Rights and Women: Promoting a Gendered Perspective on Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion As an annual tradition with the Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, MPV organized our Symposium on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Cultural Rights, and Women, held on May 23, 2018 at the United Nations in Geneva, in partnership with Alliance of Inclusive Muslims (AIM), and the offices of the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Cultural Rights. This was the largest and most ambitious event weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve held at the U.N. this year, both in scope and content. The goal of this symposium was to ask critical questions as to what religious, cultural, or nationalist narratives inhibit women and girls from exercising their freedom of religion or belief, their rights to cultural life, and their right to free expression. A Symposium Summary is available on our website. We were very fortunate to have an A-list panel, who were able to elucidate the synergies between religious and nationalistic entities as regards the symposiumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme. Our panelists were: Ahmed Shaheed (UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief), Karima Bennoune, (UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights), Walid Doudech (Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the UN), Monique T.G. van Daalen (Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN), Carl Hallergard (Deputy Head of the E.U. Delegation to the UN), Dr. Liviu Olteanu (IADRLEU), Professor Amel Grami (Tunisia), Liliana Religa (Federation for Women and Family Planning - Poland), Fernanda San Martin, MP (Bolivia), Fawzia al Ashmawi (President of the European Forum for Muslim Woman), and Ani Zonneveld. It is very rare for such a meeting of minds to gather to discuss these issues. We are very grateful to our sponsors, the Missions of the Netherlands, EU, Canada, Sweden, and the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Special Rapporteurs Ahmed Shaheed and Karima Bennoune.

Symposium held on 23 May 2018, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

L-R: Liliana Religa, Amel Grami, Ani, Fernanda San Martin.

L-R: Ani, Ambassador Monique T.G. van Daalen, Carl Hallergard, Ambassador Walid Doudech.

The High level Political Forum In addition to conducting advocacy at the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) and Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), MPV also engages the U.N. in Sustainable Development advocacy. The reason for this is that human rights and development are inseparable — individuals cannot enjoy their rights unless economic, social and environmental obstacles are removed! The U.N.’s program for development is called Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and revolves around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda is very ambitious. To ensure that it is on track, the U.N. created a body called the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which meets every year in July. The HLPF consists of two parts: a thematic review, and a ministerial segment, which features the voluntary national review (VNR). The thematic review concentrates on a specific group of SDGs, which constitute the HLPF’s annual theme. The VNR is an opportunity for countries to volunteer to share their own best practices and challenges in implementing the development agenda. The VNR segment of the HLPF is where member states volunteer to present governmentprepared reports on their progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals as part of international commitments to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The process mandates the engagement of a wide variety of stakeholders, who have the opportunity to deliver a brief statement and ask the presenting member state three questions in response to certain issues or gaps that are prevalent in the VNR. In 2018, 47 countries volunteered to give presentations during the VNR. Among those countries were several states of interest, including Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. MPV’s U.N. team worked with other stakeholders to develop questions for the Saudi ministers. Drafting these questions for Saudi Ministers, however, proved more challenging than anticipated. Leveraging its accreditation with ECOSOC the U.N. Economic and Social Council, MPV participated in drafting a stakeholder’s response to Saudi Arabia’s VNR that was both fair and firm in its critique of Saudi Arabia’s misuse of Islam to justify arbitrary imprisonment, execution, and the demolition of a political opponent’s town. However, since all stakeholders have to achieve consensus on a single statement, MPV found itself working with a Saudi NGO that was actively obstructing the U.N. team’s efforts to include human rights in the statement. It later emerged that this NGO is chaired by a Saudi Prince, recategorizing it as a royal NGO, or “RoNGO,” and which sheds light on its imperatives to shield the Saudi government from accountability. Ultimately, members of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders Coordination Mechanism decided to cancel the delivery of the statement in fear that the Saudi government would weaponize the lack of consensus to reduce stakeholders’ access to these VNR sessions. The statement is available on MPV’s website. MPV will continue to raise and frame religiously-justified human rights violations as a threat to the achievement of the 2030, and will not yield to the RoNGOs who seek to coopt and undermine the legitimate U.N. processes by which we do so.

Faith Advisory Council The first U.N. Faith Advisory Council of the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion was convened September 21, 2018. This was the first time in the history of the UN system that a diverse group of UN system entities, nominate their faith-based development, humanitarian and policy advocacy partners, and then convene them in an Advisory Capacity, to the whole of the UN system. Representing Muslims for Progressive Values on the Council is Ani Zonneveld.

United Nations’ Strategic Learning Exchange: Religion-Development-Diplomacy As a member of the Faith Advisory Council, MPV’s president Ani Zonneveld shared our #ImamsForShe initiative in Burundi as a case study during a strategic learning exchange on religion, development, and diplomacy. Ani also shared MPV’s work in lobbying and spotlighting Tunisian President Essebsi’s initiative for the equal inheritance for Muslim women and men as one we all have to pay attention to for its positive global implication toward attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Examples of questions addressed were: What do you see as key drivers of development and diplomacy today – and what has religion got to do with it? With your visions/understandings in mind, what are your own thoughts on the do’s? Participants of about 120 attendees were reminded that this was a “hard talk” under Chatham House Rules, resulting in some good honest discussions.

MPV’s President Ani Zonneveld was commissioned by the UN Office of Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect to produce a workshop program in empowering stakeholders toward reforming educational curriculum in Muslim societies. The workshop design was completed and approved and ready to be rolled out in five Muslim countries.

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Publishing For 12 years at the heart of MPV’s advocacy has been to promote critical thinking and the right to express that thought. Thus, members of our community tend to be just that, critical thinkers and readers. As there are plenty of progressive writings by those in academia, we find most of them to be inaccessible to the masses. We decided to fill a niche unfulfilled, progressive writings by Muslims who challenge the status quo. Here are excerpts of the two books we published in 2018:

Toward a Quranic Understanding of the Divine: Perspectives from three thinkers by Abdur Rab (Author),‎Farouk A. Peru (Author),‎Siraj Islam (Author) Toward a Quranic Understanding of the Divine seeks the answers to these queries in the wisdom of the Quran. Only the words in the holy book are considered, free from the often-distorting lens of cultural expectations or dogma. They candidly discuss how scientific findings, including evolution, have their place in God’s natural laws and interpret scripture as spiritual lessons rather than literal accounts.

Light Upon Light: In Search of a Beautiful God by Mickey Weems In Light Upon Light: In Search of a Beautiful God, Mickey Weems shares with all of us a deep and personal account of his spiritual journey. He explores Islamic theology, self-reflects on his own experiences, and searches for a greater purpose. Weems philosophically, yet simply, describes how he came to the light after years of struggling on the cusp of seemingly contradictory identities: Muslim, progressive, ex-Marine, and gay.

Wedding/Nikah Services For American Muslims, MPV has been offering non-traditional wedding services for 12 years. We specialize in interfaith and same-sex Islamic marriages aligned with Islamic traditions, but are also flexible and respectful of other traditions the couple may wish to incorporate.

Palestinian Muslim woman marries Filipino Catholic Man.

MPV Financial Summary MPV thanks to our donors for their reliability and generosity, especially our Board of Trustees Kevin Jennings, Maliha Khan, Kelly Wentworth, Barza Diaz, Misbah Tahir, Nahil Sharkasi-Wang, Ali Parsa, Michael Alexander, Sarah Ansari-Haque, Adeel A. Mangi and Marilyn Wyatt. Thank you to our 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 the Government of the Netherlands.

1.7%

Revenue

0.3%

3.3% 9.5%

85.1%

Foundation Grants

$287,086

85.1

Direct Contributions

$32,183

9.5

Special events

$11,158

3.3

Government Grants

$5,646

1.7

Other incomes

$1,106

0.3

$337,179

100%

Expenditure 8.0%

Global Advocacy and Programming Management and General

14.0%

Fundraising

79.0%

BALANCE FROM 2017 NET BALANCE

$283,928

79.0

$49,925

14.0

$27,807

8.0

$361,660

100%

$66,925 $375,643

Media Here’s just a snippet of news coverage for 2018: News2Share.com: A close-up look at the Los Angeles Women’s March “To many Americans, there are stereotypes about Muslims. One of the most common is the belief that Muslims share a single united set of ideological or political beliefs. Those who believe this, most often believe that single set of beliefs is rooted in Sharia law.” — Ani Zonneveld

USA TODAY: Egyptian Parliament considers outlawing atheism The proposed Egyptian law came in for harsh criticism from Ani Zonneveld, founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values, an international group based in Los Angeles. “This criminalization of atheism contradicts the very essence of the Quran, verse 2:256, ‘There is no compulsion in faith,’” she said. “This legislation is anti-Islam.”

An interview at Anthena Film Festival with the director of “al-imam” Omar Al Dakheel: Q: What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have? A: It’s great if it starts conversations and an open a dialogue about reform in Islam and how that’s compared to other regions. I think once people are openly allowed to talk about these issues that were silenced for a long time in the Muslim world, it will eventually create change in the mind-sets.

Pew Research Center interviews American Muslims including MPV’s Yasmin Kadir. Along with the documentary film, Pew Research also published a multimedia data essay titled “Muslims in America”. It looks at how Muslim immigrants and those born in the U.S. see life differently.

The Indian Express: November 12, 2018: The Holiness of the Heart “Muslims put too much emphasis on outer coverings and zero on character and substance, which completely contradicts the Quran. Do you think Allah cannot hear me and see my heart without a head covering? Maybe men can’t but that is not my problem,” she says.

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, U.S.A. Phone: +1-323-696-2678 Email: info@mpvusa.org