Our Story

The Progressive Muslim Society was founded by four college students (three Americans, and one Canadian) from the Southern California area during their junior year of college. Originally a part of their university’s Muslim Student’s Association, they were concerned with the misogyny, homophobia and anti-semitism present in that group. Eventually, unable to abide the reactionary hatreds of the MSA, these four brave students decided to leave the group, and create their own group, based on equality and freedom, in which their bold vision for a progressive Islam could flourish. Eventually,with the help of many kind university officials, as well as the university’s financial support, the Progressive Muslim Society was born.

Today the PMS has expanded to several local campuses in the Southern California area and continues to be a safe haven for openminded, tolerant, moderate, Muslims seeking a haven from the hatred of mainstream Islam.

Recently in 2012, a branch of the P.M.S. was started in New York City.

Our Mission

The Progressive Muslim Society is an inclusive, LGBT-friendly group of Muslims and non-Muslims committed to developing a truly moderate, modern understanding of the Islamic faith. Through outcome-driven activism, we pledge to deliver robust contributions to society through our committment to justice-based diversity and by inspiring Muslims and non-Muslims to be positive players in the modern world.

Our Platform

1. A committment to non-violence in all situations: We affirm that peace, non-violence and compassion should be the guiding principles for all aspects of human conduct. On these grounds, we completely reject the idea of jihad, and also discourage the use of halal slaughter, which is arguably violent and causes a lot of suffering for the animals being killed. We do, however, encourage a vegetarian or vegan diet whenever possible.

2. Complete equality between genders: Women’s liberation is one of the greatest achievements of modern society. In fact, a society which does not guarantee equality for women can be said to be neither modern nor truly civilized. We strive to empower women at every level of society, to train them to be leaders in the community, and uphold the lofty ideals of reproductive justice. We reject any practice that is demeaning to women, such as wearing the burka, niquab or hijab.

We believe that women have every right to be leaders. In our prayer meetings, women frequently lead prayers, and women and men always pray together, instead of in segregated groups. On many occasions we have had men pray behind the women.

3. Rejecting all forms of bigotry based on race, class, sexuality, or religion: We affirm the equal worth of all human beings, regardless of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, or ability. We are committed to work toward societies that ensure social, political, educational, and economic opportunities for all.

We endorse the human and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) individuals. We support full equality and inclusion of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in society and in the Muslim community. We affirm our commitment to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

4. An emphasis on freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and freedom of thought: We support freedom of expression and freedom of dissent, whether political, artistic, social or religious, even when that expression may be considered blasphemous. We do, however, call for stricter laws against hate-speech, including Holocaust denial and gay-bashing.

We call for critical engagement and constructive structural analysis of “traditional” Islamic ideas. As such, we believe the following:

(a) There must be a re-interpretation of the Koran. We emphatically reject all verses of the Quran which can be considered intolerant, either of other religions or creeds, or of individuals based on their lack of belief, their gender, their sexual orientation, etc. We call for a revision of the Quran in which those verses are edited or removed entirely. (b) That rituals such as the Hajj or fasting during Ramadan are not strictly necessary to become a self-actualized individual, and as such do not comprise an essential part of Islam.

5. Reaffirming our support for the separation of church and state: We stand for secular governments, and support secular movements in the Islamic world, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Iran. We decry any attempts to incorporate Shariah, in part or whole, into the law of any country.

6. Creating a personal, spiritual experience, rather than a dogmatic one: We believe that each person can strive towards his/her individual spiritual path to God, rather than being told how to do it. We strongly encourage greater involvement by building a community which is inclusive, tolerant, and “fun”. In this vein, we have allowed people to pray in their native tongues. Our prayer gatherings, consist mainly of English speakers, so at the moment all prayers are performed in English. However, we believe that prayers should be performed in whatever language is best suited to the congregation.

7. Dialogue between Muslims and those of other faiths: We believe that dialogue is a lasting way to create peace among peoples. In addition, we call for an end to religious apartheid in Mecca, and believe it should be open to all people, including atheists and secularists. We have an “all-comers” policy in which anyone, including non-Muslims, ex-Muslims, agnostics, and atheists, are welcome to attend our events and take on leadership roles within the organization.

8. Embracing Diversity and the Uniqueness of the Individual: We believe that all individuals are unique and with that uniqueness comes diversity and beauty. We uphold the principle of egalitarianism, and believe in inclusion of people at all levels of faith: We realize that some people are going to be more religious than others, but we try to reach out to all those in the Muslim community in a non-judgemental manner, regardless of how religious they are.

9. Support for progressive movements and causes both domestically and around the world: We support all causes around the world, both religious and secular, which ultimately will yield a more progressive society. Through developing a sense of solidarity with other activists, we also hope to change the world for the better.

10. Complete and unconditional support for the State of Israel: A well-known saying surrounding the conflict in the Middle East is: “If the Arabs put down their weapons tomorrow, there would be peace; if the Israeli put down their weapons, there would be no more Israel”. We are completely committed to preserving Israel as a Jewish state, as revealed in the Quran:

Then We said to the Israelites: “Dwell in this land [the Land of Israel].”

Israel is a state to be admired. It is progressive, modern, and democratic. Moreover we reject the violence that the Palestinians use against the Jewish people as a means of violent jihad and intimidation. As Muslims, we should not only uphold the right of the Jewish people to Israel (including Judea and Samaria) and affirm the “Chosen-ness” of the Jewish people, but also lead the way in apologizing for the 2,000 years of occupation of the Jewish homeland.