Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) is a grassroots human rights organization founded and incorporated by Zuriana (Ani) Zonneveld[1] and Pamela K. Taylor in 2007.
[2][3] Headquartered in Los Angeles California, MPV has chapters around the United States as well as regional offices in Malaysia, the Netherlands as well as various other countries under different names such as Universal Muslim Community.
[4] It also has separate networks in Bangladesh, Canada, France, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia & throughout the U.S. MPV provides educational and theological resources for Muslims with a liberal and progressive Islamic worldview.
In December 2013, United Nations recognized Muslims for Progressive Values as an official non-government organization (NGO) association member.
[7] MPV has a board of advisors including scholars and activists such as: Reza Aslan, Amir Hussein, Karima Bennoune, Daayiee Abdullah, Zainah Anwar, Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, and El-Farouk Khaki.
[9] The mission of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) is to embody and be an effective voice of the traditional Qur'anic ideals of human dignity, egalitarianism, compassion and social justice.
[11][12] MPV carries out grassroots activities through its local chapters in the US, namely in Atlanta, Columbus, Washington DC, Chicago, New York, San Francisco[13] and Los Angeles, and in Australia, Canada, Chile, France, and Malaysia.
[14] MPV launched a global initiative in March 2015 to address misogynist interpretations of Islamic scripture and traditions that have led to human rights violations carried out in the name of Islam against women and girls and the sub-human status of women and girls across Muslim-majority countries and within Muslim communities in the West.
Their content is distributed via social media, forums, lectures, YouTube, podcasts, music, arts festivals and other communication vehicles utilized by youth.
This content is distributed via social media, forums, lectures, YouTube, music, arts festivals and other communication vehicles utilized by youth, thus by-passing established religious and political institutions.
MPV sponsors and host lecture series, faith/interfaith-based services, arts, music and theater events that promote inclusive expressions of Islam.
[8] MPV produces, translates, and circulates educational materials addressing key areas of concern, such as infographics, social media content, short videos.
MPV participates in debates, interactive dialogues, panel discussions and informal meetings with relevant Member States of the UN, civil society leaders and like-minded religious and non-religious non-governmental organizations.
To them, the category Muslim cannot be reduced to a minority identity because Islam is believed to be a universal religion which includes, in the United States, adherents from an exhaustive cross section of society (including white and other Americans from privileged backgrounds that do not fit into the minority or other popular social justice and identity politics rubrics in use today).