This week on The State of Belief, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush sits down with Ani Zonneveld, feminist Muslim activist, musician, and Grammy-winning songwriter. Ani’s journey from Malaysia to Germany, Egypt, India and eventually Los Angeles - and the lessons learned along the way - is nothing short of inspiring. And she lays it all out in her brand-new memoir, titled The Unlikely Social Justice Warrior: Making My Life Count as a Muslim Feminist.

As a diplomat’s daughter, Ani nurtured her social justice consciousness despite a privileged upbringing. From witnessing the aftermath of the Sinai War to playing soccer with a Dalit child in India, these moments shaped her anti-war and anti-racist beliefs.

It was after 9/11 that Ani delved deep into Islam, discovering its egalitarian and inclusive roots and founding Muslims for Progressive Values, championing LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender equality, and human rights from a faith-based perspective.

Music is a cornerstone of Ani’s spiritual journey. While pursuing a professional music career in LA, she faced sexism and racism, and experienced suppression of the diverse musical heritage of Muslim immigrants in the American context. Ani sees a conservative swing in Islam, which she describes as quite different from the religious tradition she grew up in.

Ani hopes to inspire young people to channel their anger constructively and build alliances across differences, based on being exposed as students to diverse cultures and traditions in public schools, countering conservative efforts to restrict such content.

There’s a lot of value in this conversation. I hope you’ll share it with someone you know who’ll enjoy hearing it!