Action = Progress

Progressing Islam to Help It

Social Issues – Despite the sustained efforts of those who benefit the most from steps forward, normally we only hear the occasional bit of news about the efforts and accomplishments of progressive Muslims seeking to reform and modernize the faith’s image and its treatment of women and homosexuals. One group is seeking to make these kinds of changes across the country; Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) has launched gay-friendly and women led mosques, in an attempt to reform American Islam.

Ani Zonneveld, the president of MPV, explained how his group’s progressiveness was for the betterment of the religion itself: “We can’t move forward as a society, as a faith system, if we subscribe to these old draconian ways of practicing Islam.” The same, certainly, could be said for most any religion that more often chooses to control rather than to free.

According to Jaweed Kaleem at the Huffington Post, MPV sets itself apart from the mainstream of the faith in a number of ways, but two are especially clear: female and gay imams, in addition to co-sex prayer. The stance many progressive Muslims take is that there is no clear argument against gay or female imams.

“We are gender equal, queer-friendly and religiously nondiscriminatory,” Zonneveld declared. “In other words, all are welcome.”

To read much more about how this group challenges trends, visit the Huffington Post.