The sick husband was laying on his death bed. He had only hours to live, when he suddenly smelled tamales. He loved tamales more than anything else in the world (shirk-alert), especially his wife Chepa’s tamales which were known through out the land of Mexico as “Lo mejor de lo mejor.” The best of the best. With his last bit of energy and breath, the sick, weak husband pulled himself out of bed, across the floor, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Here, his wife was spreading the masa for a new batch of tamales. As the sick, weak
Read MoreAssalaam alaiykum,Last December, Latina Muslim sisters began an online petition against an anti-Muslim Christina episode. Many Latino Muslims were deeply offended by the Christina episode. Learn more about the Christina episode in LADO’s January 2002 online LADO newsletter:http://www.latinodawah.org/newsletter/jan2k2newletter.html#6 The online petition currently shows 652 signatures. You are strongly encouraged to sign the petition. Below, you will find the original petition followed by some comments written by people who signed the petition. You can sign the online petition by visiting:http://www.petitiononline.com/Muslimah/petition.html. ~~~The Letter by Latina Muslimahs: To: Spanish MediaPETITION ON LINE Petition to protest the defamation by the Spanish Communication media against
Read MoreBy Mudar AbdulghaniIOL Mexico Correspondent http://www.islam-online.net/english/news/2002-11/24/article51.shtml MEXICO CITY, November 23 (IslamOnline) – Muslims in Mexico started observing the holy month of Ramadan on November 6. Some Muslims determined the date based on information received from Islamic countries, while others used information received from adjacent countries, mainly the USA. The moon sighting information from abroad concurred with information received from the Observatory of the UNAM (the Autonomous University of Mexico.) As normal, the Taraweeh prayer started immediately on the night before Ramadan, and was well-attended by members of the small Muslim community of Mexico City. The Islamic Center has planned and
Read MoreBy Edmund A. Arroyo Asalamu Alaykum brothers and sisters, Muslims must be cautious about how they deal with situations such as the DC sniper tragedy. First, I want to warn against attacks on the Nation of Islam by Muslims. It is acceptable to clarify our differences. However, we should caution against insults and mockery, even if it is in jest. I would like to believe that we are better than those who do the same to us. Secondly, I want to caution all of my convert brothers and sisters about blame. All too often, we buy into these conspiracy theories
Read MoreBy Brenda Ortiz Ok, guys! I’ve been sitting here wallowing in my own self-pity all morning. What if my husband thinks I’m brainwashed because I accepted Islam? So what if my father-in-law finds it hysterical that I actually leave on my hijab after I leave the mosque? He practically pulled my mother-in-law out of the toilet to come and get a look at me. Anyway..I don’t care. I am Muslim! Maybe not perfect, but I am. I’m still struggling with how to tell my mom that I’m Muslim. As is typical in American culture, she has many misconceptions. If I
Read MoreBy Haneme Idrizi “”Whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” – Qur’an 5:32. Within a century after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the Muslims not only expanded their empire beyond Arabia but also led the way in scientific innovations that would forever influence the practice of medicine. By the ninth century, Islamic medical practice had advanced from talisman and magicry to
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
Read MoreBy Juan Alvarado As per Laurie Kellman of the Associated Press [“Muslims fear sniper backlash,” 10-24-02], John Allen Muhammad belongs to that idiosyncratic religious group of African-Americans known as the ‘Nation of Islam’ or the NOI for short. He provided his services to Louis Farakhan’s Million Man March as security back in the mid-nineties. This means that despite his name, John Allen Muhammad is neither Sunnite, Shia, Wahhabi or Salafi. Because of his affiliation with the NOI, Mr. Muhammad holds onto some pretty peculiar beliefs which may explain the phrase ‘I am god’ on the tarot card left on the
Read MoreBy Tweaka Temple Dilek From the Teacher’s Desk, I Salaam alaykum, Insha’Allah everyone is well and your month of Ramadan had been well. As a Muslim educator working in a school with a population that is 95% Hispanic, this month gives special opportunities and also difficulties. As we are all aware an important part of being a good Muslim is Dawah, calling others to Islam. As there have been countless articles posted dealing with this subject, I will not delve into it. However, this is an excellent time for your child to show pride about their Muslim identity but they
Read MoreA Brief Review of 3 Spanish translations of the Quranby Alejandro Hamed http://www.soundvision.com/Info/quran/spanish.asp It used to be really difficult to find an English translation of the Quran. That has now changed, as various translators and publishers work to regularly improve the quality of their translations of the Book of Allah. Today, Spanish translations of the Quran are where English ones once were. They are few and far between. However, with the growing number of Spanish-speaking Muslims, mostly converts to Islam, this is changing. Br. Alejandro Hamed is one of these Spanish-speaking Muslims. He has reviewed three current translations of the
Read MoreBy Michelle Al-Nasr http://islamicweb.com/begin/newMuslims/convert_letter.htm I am writing this for all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have converted (or re-verted) to Islam, and have had the courage, against all odds, to stand firm on their beliefs – no matter how great the cost. I want to convey the sorrow I share with many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Islam, that have had to distance themselves from their families, because of their acceptance of the religion of Islam. I want to first tell you, “I love you”, you are my family, I have not forgotten you. It breaks my
Read MoreBy Edmund A. Arroyo A Perspective from Chicago of the Latino Muslim Experience. When talking with members of the Latino Community that have, by the mercy of Allah (SWT), embraced Islam, one finds some common factors. Regardless of their cultural background, most new Muslims can identify with an initial feeling of religious enthusiasm. The new Muslim wants to read every Islamic book, memorize the Qur’an, learn every dua, go to Hajj, and convert their family all in one year. All too often the ‘pre-Shahada’ person finds him/herself cornered in the mosque with a brother or sister that wants to teach
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan Assalaam alaiykum,This article will provide responses to a number of frequently asked questions about Latino Muslims. Most questions are about Latino Muslims, in general. Some questions are about Muslims and Islam. Some questions are about myself. Some questions ask for my opinion. I should warn you that my personal opinions, thoughts, and ideas should not be misunderstood as facts. I do not have a pipeline into the brain of every Latino Muslim. Muslims may disagree on various issues, and I do not want to isolate any segment of the Muslim population. Some things are set in stone,
Read MoreBy Isa Lima I remember the last time I tried to participate in dawah work with Hispanics. We sort of went out into Culmore, the Spanish neighborhood close to the Darul Hijrah mosque in Virginia. We set up a barbeque and a table full of pamphlets. One bro was grilling burgers; another was yelling “FREE FOOD!” I was trying to give an overview of Islam to those who were coming, and other brothers were giving pamphlets out. If people showed a lot of interest and wanted to know even more than what the pamphlets said, we’d give them a Spanish
Read More“He is God; there is no god but He, He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God, there is no God but He. He is the King, the All-Holy, the All-Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All-Compeller, the All-Sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate! He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” – Qur’an 59:22-24. “Show gratitude
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