Progressive
Muslims Network was born on January 1st
of 1999 as an e-mail discussion group. Its
creation was the result of months, even years
of discussion and debate among some of the
activists of different Muslim communities in
Toronto (Canada) regarding the issues of
their communities and the need for a forum to
discuss, decide and eventually act upon such
obstacles.
The group knew from the start what some of
these issues were. It was also agreed that
there are hundreds of other topic that would
require their attention. Furthermore, it
seemed clear that to get a clear and more
accurate view of the issues, the input of a
much larger group was needed. A larger group
that would include people of different ideas,
races, backgrounds, economical status and
geographical locations.
Most of the issues identified were also
issues of other Muslims, and others around
the globe. Poverty, racism, social injustice,
political oppression and discriminations
based on gender, age, colour, physical
ability or other parameters are not issues
that can be dealt with without addressing the
larger questions and their true causes.
With that in mind, the logical solution was
to use the global reach of the Internet to
spread our concerns and attempt to find
others with similar ideas.
Within a few short weeks, Progressive Muslims
Network enjoyed a tremendous growth and
caused a collection of scholars, students,
professionals, activists, organizations and
communities to come together that was beyond
any of the original group's wildest dreams.
Members from as far places as Singapore,
Australia and South Africa joined others in
the Middle East, Europe and North America to
discuss their ideas in a friendly,
non-judgmental forum.
The only rules requested by list
administrators were common courtesy, no foul
language and no commercial announcements.
However the comment that received most
positive attention from the original
invitation letter was its promise to
"provide a place where you can express
your thoughts without the fear of being
labeled a Kaafar, Moshrek or Monafegh."
This rapid growth also necessitated the need
to expand the activities of "the
network" beyond a mere discussion forum.
Our cyber home is the first step beyond the
original list. It will serve as a place to
post articles, events, announcements and
future plans.
We hope that you enjoy your stay with us and
recommend it to others.
