Founding conference attracts diverse gathering resolved to create physical spaces for progressive Muslims

Bronxville, NY/Los Angeles, CA: The progressive Muslim movement in the United States took a significant step forward as a diverse collection of activists, organizers, and academics gathered at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, May 15-17, for the first conference of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV, website: www.mpvusa.org). Coming together in fellowship, they joined in communal devotion, shared the various personal, intellectual, and spiritual journeys that brought them there, discussed how to formulate their positions on political, social, and cultural issues and how to interact with other progressives and other Muslims. They also elected an Executive Board to lead them for the next two years.

The question keeps coming up. "Why say ‘Progressive Islam’?" "What is a ‘Progressive Muslim’?" "What is a ‘Moderate Muslim’?" Someone asked again, late last week—in an email. I have replied to questions like this before. And I keep replying, because I think it is very, very important to keep talking to each other—as Muslims, and as human beings. Here’s what I wrote in reply:

A big problem with the Progressive Islam discourse is that many of you North Americans seem to think you are the world. You arent! The term "Progressive Islam" didnt start in North America, the term "Progressive Muslim" did not start in North America. "Progressive Islam" was a movement long before the founders of PMU discovered the term (and I use the word "discovered" in the same way that colonialists used it to talk of parts of the world they'd never seen and suddenly landed on).

And since the term didnt start in North America, i doubt it will be killed in North America. Eteraz, while the PMU started, formed its board and stuctures, then died a death that was sometimes slow and somtimes fast, the term "Progressive Muslim" was still being used and continually debated in other parts of the world. In South Africa, for example. With the debaters mostly being blissfully unaware of the shenanigans of the PMU. And why should they care? After all, they were using the term before the PMU was conceived, before Omid Safi even conceived his book. And it always meant to them something different to what it meant to the "big-tenters" of the PMU.

Ali Eteraz has declared Progressive Islam "dead."

I guess we should board up the windows and close up shop. I'll call Kecia Ali, Omid Safi and Ebrahim Moosa and let them know. Someone call Naeem Jeenah over in South Africa and Abdennur Prado in Spain, the world needs to know! An American blogger has decided it is all over! Sheesh, we all thought we were in this for the long haul. We really should have asked Ali Eteraz about it first.

Forgive the sarcasm, but I feel a bit like the Geico cavemen: "Sorry we couldn't get those changes to you sooner!" I recall when PMU first got together one member said that everything we do will be for 3 generations from now, maybe longer.

"Celebrate! The month of fasting has come. Pleasant journey to the one Who is the company of the fasting."-Jalaluddin Rumi

This page should help explain a few things about this year's Eid al-Fitr Prayer hosted by Laury Silvers and me, Nakia Jackson.

First, the invite. It's on the front page, but I'll repost here.