MPV Logo
October 2015 - In This Issue:

October 2015 Newsletter

Congressman John Lewis with Muslims for Progressive Values Atlanta Chapter participating in the Pride Parade in Atlanta.
This Month in Pictures
This month, MPV launched a campaign called #FatwaOnFEAR, uniting all Muslims to support freedom of expression and religion. Click here and sign it today!
MPV Atlanta member Trina Jackson was this year's Grand Marshall in Atlanta's Pride Parade.
MPV sponsored the Soup for Syria fundraiser, Los Angeles October 2015. Proceeds were donated to the UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) to help support Syrian refugees. Photo by: Roula Alaama
This infographic is one of four that will be released in the next couple of months to raise awareness of human rights issues in Sudan.
Check out what young feminist advocates from around the world have to say about the Post-2015 Framework by listening to MPV's third Youth Podcast episode.
See here one of the visual statements of Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief compiled by MPV Bangladesh.
MPV Malaysia or Komuniti Muslim Universal's Aizat Shamsuddin (second from right) represented the youth organization at The High Level Regional Meeting for Habitat III in Asia-Pacific on October 21, 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the theme of "Sustainable Urbanization in Asia-Pacific Region: Towards a New Urban Agenda".
Religious radicalism in Malaysia is on the rise. MPV Malaysia will host an event called "SarasehanKMU" on November 14 and 15, 2015, engaging with Civil Society Organizations on this issue. The forum and dinner is open to the public. Please visit our website at kmumalaysia.org and our Facebook for more information.
Shattering of stereotypes! Our MPV member Tom Earl is featured in this "I'm Muslim, But I'm Not..." video.
More and more Imams are joining our #ImamsForShe initiative. Here are 26 Burundian Imams who have signed on. 
October Recap
"What is Sharia Law?" Event at the Hammer Museum
Moderated by Ian Masters, Sheikh Maytham al-Salman and Ani Zonneveld spoke on what Sharia Law entails on October 1 at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
MPV's Annual Retreat
MPV Atlanta hosted MPV's Annual Retreat in Atlanta this year on October 9 - 11. The Annual Retreat offered a unique opportunity for MPV members to reconnect with each other and to learn more about MPV's activities at community and global level. The highlight of the Annual Retreat was MPV's participation in Atlanta's Pride Parade, with MPV member Trina Jackson as Grand Marshall.
Politicon 2015 Convention
MPV's Ani Zonneveld with Mona Eltahawy on a panel titled "Feminists, Islamists and Islamophobia" moderated by Nina Burleigh of Newsweek, at Politicon 2015 Convention in Los Angeles. View the colorful discussion here.
MPV's Peace Forum Event
On October 30th, MPV hosted an event during the Peace Forum in New York titled "#ImamsForShe: Engaging Religious Men and Women Leaders in Empowering Women". Keynote speech and moderated by UNFPA's Dr. Azza Karam, the panel featured Dr. Hind Jalal of UNFPA Morocco, Rosa Rogers, director of the documentary Casablanca Calling and MPV's Ani Zonneveld.
MPV UPR Infographics in Somali
As part of MPV's UN Outreach Campaign for its UPR Stakeholder Report on Somalia, Ani Zonneveld will present a statement to the missions of UN Member States in Geneva at 9 am on December 16th. The session is open to the public. More info will be forthcoming. 

This month, we released infographics in Somali on female genital mutilation and cutting and freedom of religion in Somalia.

Click here to read MPV's Stakeholder Report on Somalia in Somali.
MPV in the News
Update from MPV Chapters and MPV Offices
MPV Bangladesh
  • MPV Bangladesh has compiled, in a visual format, the press statement of United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief - Mr. Heiner Bielefeldt. This statement highlighted the Special Rapporteur's preliminary findings of his country visit to Bangladesh during August 31 and September 9, 2015. Our aim was to make these preliminary findings available, in a visual snapshot, to as many stakeholders as possible, including the online communities, both in Bangladesh and elsewhere, thereby increasing people's accessibility to crucial information on the freedom of religion or belief in Bangladesh. The infographics can be accessed here. The Special Rapporteur's full statement on Bangladesh can be read here.
MPV Malaysia (KMU)
  • MPV Malaysia representative, Aizat Shamsuddin, attended a two-day conference held in Bangkok, and first of its kind committed to working to enhance the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Southeast Asia. Approximately 70 human rights defenders, members of religious groups, rights groups, UN agencies and representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Rights of Women and Children, National Human Rights Institutions and other government agencies from across the region gathered together to discuss key pressing concerns regarding the right to freedom of religion or belief in Southeast Asia with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom on Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt. 
Looking Ahead in November
  • We will be releasing our fourth MPV Youth Podcast Episode. This episode will focus on Animal Rights in Islam.
  • MPV-Malaysia will be hosting a meeting on November 14-15th and MPV's Regional Asia Conference on November 16th in Kuala Lumpur.
Feature
Oriented
Oriented is a film that follows the lives of three gay Palestinian friends living in Tel Aviv, confronting their national and sexual identity. Determined to make a change, the three best friends form a group called "Qambuta", a non-violent, cultural resistance movement fighting for gender and national equality. Oriented is a film by Jake Witzenfeld. 

Learn more about the film here.

Check out the trailer here.
Please support MPV's human rights work! We need your help!

Muslims for Progressive Values
1626 N. Wilcox Ave., Suite 702,
Los Angeles, CA 90028 USA
+1-323-696-2678
+1-323-842-2869 [media inquiries]

Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) is the only American movement that advocates for egalitarian expressions of Islam, for women, for LGBTQI rights, for freedom of expression, and for freedom of and from religion and belief. MPV does this by creating inclusive spaces for religious discourse, the arts and social activism.