The following was included with the application. Assalamu Alaikum! Throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have witnessed the profound impact of healthy diversity within the Muslim community and its positive contribution to broader society. Unfortunately, I’ve also observed the consequences when diversity is not embraced. I am thrilled to share that the Dawah committee at the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield, IL, has been actively promoting Islamic education, dawah training, leadership development, and program initiatives over the past few months. We are fortunate to engage with an active interfaith community, receive regular requests for information about Islam, and collaborate
Read MoreThe Impact of Latino Dawah on Strengthening the Muslim Community Dawah, the Islamic tradition of spreading the message of Islam, takes various forms across the globe. In recent years, there has been a significant and positive development within the Muslim community – the rise of Latino Dawah. This refers to the efforts made by Latino Muslims to share their faith with fellow Latinos and the wider community. This phenomenon has brought about numerous benefits, contributing to the diversity, unity, and growth of the Muslim community. In this article, we will explore the various ways in which Latino Dawah has positively
Read MoreLaunchGood.com/UstadhKenny About The Fundraiser The LADO Group is currently seeking to raise the necessary funds to provide Ustadh Kenny Solis with a scholarship in the amount of $7,000 to enable him to complete the last three courses required to earn his Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. A Message from Ustadh Kenny Solis Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, I was born and raised in Santa Ana, CA, Orange County. I am a Mexican-American. I now live on the East Coast but teach the Muslim community in English and Spanish in the United States and abroad. How You Can Make a Difference With your help, I will
Read MoreI stay in touch with my brothers and sisters through WhatsApp, and we are all part of the NFB Blind Muslims group as well as the newly formed Global Advocacy of Blind and Low Vision Muslims group. Recently, a brother from our group needed specific items for a student, commonly referred to as guide canes. I believe this term hails from the old British terminology for canes designed for the blind. This brother is actively working to enhance accessibility in his community, and he has successfully brought together blind individuals to join our group—mashaAllah. He expressed the need for guide
Read MoreBy Heather Albright As-salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah, Alhamdulillah and Mashallah! I recently managed to acquire tools for my blind friends abroad who require assistance. It surprised me to learn that some of them lacked access to basic aids like a white cane, which the National Federation of the Blind provides for free in the USA. I’ve always taken for granted the ease of replacing my cane if it breaks. Similarly, the NFB also offers free slates, styluses, and a program providing talking medical devices like scales and blood pressure machines, but unfortunately, these aren’t accessible overseas. However, I stumbled upon
Read MoreBy Heather Albright As-salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah, Access to the Islamic community poses a double challenge, but Alhamdulillah, we persevere. Unfortunately, most masjid boards lack experience in working with brothers and sisters with disabilities. Consequently, individuals with disabilities often face an additional burden in gaining access to their local masjids. There are a lot of questions that a mosque board can ask itself. Have you assessed whether your masjid is truly Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible? Have you tested it? Have you considered the accessibility of the Wudu area? Does paratransit service both sides of the masjid? Is there
Read MoreIn an upcoming cinematic venture, The Blue Beetle, a character of Latino heritage, and Ms. Marvel, a character representing the Muslim community, are set to unite in matrimony. This groundbreaking film aims to showcase the formation of a pioneering onscreen family, one that embodies both Latino and Muslim identities. Anticipated to be a trailblazing production, this movie will mark a significant step forward in portraying diverse and inclusive narratives. The couple’s offspring is slated to bear the name “Marvel Beetle,” signifying the fusion of their remarkable legacies. #BlueBeetle #MsMarvel #LatinoMuslims #HispanicMuslims #LatinoDawah
Read MoreBy Aaron Siebert-Llera As a light-skinned (Chicago winters will do that to anyone) Mexican-American, I have often had to deal with the frequent ‘you don’t look Mexican’ comments. Now that I am also Muslim (13 years & counting), I am more often mistaken for being Arab or Bosnian, so I actually blend in at the mosque. But when people find out I’m Mexican, they then ask the question ‘wait, how can you be Mexican and Muslim?’ Part of the issue for people not being aware of our presence has always been that the greater Latino/a community does not do a
Read MoreDear fellow Muslim – peace be upon you, Do you remember how you felt alone during this holiday season? Well, that’s how new Muslims feel during Islamic holidays. Perhaps, you haven’t given much thought to it because you have supportive Muslim friends, a loving Muslim family, and an active local Muslim community all year around? What does your local community do for the new convert during Islamic holidays? What do you do for them? Please consider giving to The LADO Group by the end of this tax year. You may know of us better as the Latino American Dawah Organization
Read MoreBy Wendy Diaz Muslim Link June 14, 2012 http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/index.php/community-news/community-news/3067-whyislam-goes-south-of-the-border.html When Nahela Morales, an Administrative Assistant and National Coordinator for Spanish Dawah at WhyIslam, decided to plan her family vacation a year ago, she never thought she would be taking her work with her. Now, she is spearheading a joint effort between WhyIslam and seven other organizations, most of them Spanish-dawah oriented, to deliver necessary Islamic material to the growing Muslim community in Mexico. Morales, who was born in Mexico City, grew up in California and moved to New York in 2000, five years later she accepted Islam and now lives
Read MoreNovember 19, 2009 http://hispanic-muslimah.blogspot.com/2009/11/fighting-stereotypes-about-latina.html 1. I didn’t convert for a man. Don’t insult my intelligence. 2. I didn’t convert in order to wear longer clothes and hijab to protect myself from men. * Some men will be pervs and harass you even if you wear full face niqaab. I’m working on wearing more modest clothes for Allah * swt * & out of respect for myself. 3. Oh yeaaa the majority of Latinas don’t go around in revealing clothes like mini skirts, tube tops, etc all the freaking time. We are dayum sexy in whatever we choose to wear: freakum dress or abaya! Respect for
Read MoreLatino Conversion to Islam: From African-American/Latino Neighbors to Muslim/Latino Global Neighbors
By Danny “Khalil” Salgado Al-Puerto Rikani I. INTRODUCTION In recent times, there has been a sudden increase of Latinos converting to Islam, both in the United States and within Latin America. This phenomenon has even reached the attention of some within the media. Despite an increase of Latino Muslims, there has not been (for the most part) a great effect to call the Latino population to Islam. Indeed, Muslims have a long way to go in when it come to calling Latinos to Islam. For those Muslims in the U.S. who are concerned with da`wah (calling to Allah), there are
Read MoreBy Ali Melena My name is Ali. I’m a 27 year old Mexican American or as some would say a Chicano. I thought I would write my story to tell how I became a Muslim. I think it will Insha’Allah, God-willing, help people understand Islam and why it attracted me. People have a wrong perception about Islam and Muslims, what little they know is usually from movies and television, which is almost all the time false. I think that Islam is the answer for the problems of the youth and society in general. I hope my story Insha’Allah will attract
Read MoreBy Zeina Mena How unpredictable is life! I never thought that I would be sitting here writing about a conversion story. Nevertheless, I never knew how much meaning it would pose on my life. I come from a broken family, which is almost normal in America. I was born and raised in New York City, and I am of Dominican descent. I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school, and went to Catholic Church along with completing all of my rituals except for marriage. I always saw myself as a person that was close to God, especially after my parents’
Read MoreBy Mariely Torres I was born Mariely but now I am Maryam. I am very happy that I found Islam. It was very hard at first to find a person who could help me with this. There are not that many Muslims in Puerto Rico. I came upon Islam in New York when I saw a documentary. I heard the adhaan or call to prayer and I was very curious to know what that was. It brought an inner peace to me and I just had to know about Islam. I saw people conducting their prayers and it seemed so
Read MoreBy Juan Alvarado Evolution of the Latino American Dawah Organization Since childhood I always noticed that I was spiritual to say the least. I was baptized, did my communion and confirmation. I was even an altar boy. By the time I was 19, I renounced Christianity once and for all due to my lack of belief in the basic teachings of Christianity. However, I continued my search for truth. This search led me to read on a non-stop basis, something that I still do. After studying Islam for a couple of years, I was sufficiently comfortable that I decided to
Read MoreA Recent Convert’s First Step Inside a MosqueBy Shinoa Matos November 20, 2002 Bismillah Irahman, IrahimEn el nombre de Alá, el Compasivo, el MisericordiosoIn the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful For my own benefit, I’ve been chronicling my progress in Islam and I recently wrote my conversion story, all thanks be to Allah. The next step I’ve taken was visiting the Masjid for the first time. Here’s my take on it… As a recent convert (thanks be to Allah), I was overwhelmed by my feelings of closeness to Allah and my sudden desire to please the one who
Read MoreBy Suha Siam Do idol worshippers realize what they are praying to? Do Christians know they are not supposed to worship anyone other than God? It’s clearly stated in the Bible, but many Christians do not read the book they claim to follow. Very few of those who read the Bible question their priests about why the church rituals and lectures do not match what God says in their holy book. A formal Catholic by the name of Diana Maria Santos always questioned her religion. Diana was not spiritually fulfilled until she learned about Islam. Diana Santos grew up in
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan Written June 26, 2001 About two weeks ago after Jumaah prayer, Golam encouraged me to say shahada, the Islam declaration of faith. I told him that I wanted to wait until I knew the Muslim prayer. I had already been learning the prayer. I had already memorized a couple of chapters. I told him that Catholics usually have to study before receiving a sacrament. I had been attending Jumaah prayer for about a month already. He said to me, “If you feel it in your heart already, you should just take shahada. No pressure. Allah says no
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