By Juan Galvan An Overview Let all Americans wonder, “Why are so many Latinos converting to Islam? What is it about that religion?” Estimated reports claim 40,000 Latino Muslims live in the U.S. Unfortunately, the rate of conversion of Latinos to Islam is lower than that of African-Americans and the non-Hispanic White population. Most Latino Muslims are converts who were formerly Catholic. Most Latino Muslims embrace Islam as a result of dawah. Like many other Americans, they have realized that Islam is the true, universal religion of our Creator. Many Muslims are beginning to realize what many Latinos have been
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Funny and clever! The interview between a Fox interviewer and the Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Farid Abboud. This was GREAT ! If you didn’t see the interview, then THIS IS A MUST READ !!!Aziz bin Taleb Fox Interviewer: Mr. Ambassador, do you consider Hizbollah a terrorist organization ? Abboud: Yes, Sharon is a terrorist ! Fox: Mr. Ambassador, this was not my question. I asked you about the operations of Hizbollah in the targeting and killing of innocent civilians. How do you view Hizbollah ? Abboud: Yes, Sharon the terrorist has killed thousands upon thousands of civilians. He
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan Earlier this year, I asked a local Imam advice about dawah. He replied, “Sincerity. Intention. Tension. Manners. First, you must be sincere. Your intentions and actions must be only for the sake of Allah (swt). Expect tension. Have manners.” 1. Sincerity.“Say, Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.”(Qur’an 6:162). All our actions should be acts of worship. Sincerity ensures that your intentions and actions are only for the sake of Allah. Our actions must not be tainted by our own desires. The work you’re doing doesn’t
Read MoreBy Khadijah Rivera Assalamu alaikum,Since I reverted to Al Islam, I have not gone to any musical events. Oh I still love music but just did not want to be among the crowds. A while ago my son invited me to see Richie Havens. For those of you who are too young, let me tell you who he is. Richie was the opening act to Woodstock, a gentle African American man who then and now stands for human rights and love among the Hippies. Good lovin’ brotherhood-not Hippie love. His music is pure soul, folk music style. A great guitarist
Read MorePor Khadija Mohiuddin Ojalá que nunca olvide de mi visita a Cuba y mi encuentro histórico con los musulmanes de la Habana. Los musulmanes de Cuba realmente son un grupo maravilloso. A pesar de su ambiente que no está inclinado a “la religión,” ellos están sobreviviendo y superando. Tuve que irme a un país extranjero que queda perdido entre la lucha contra el capitalísmo y para el socialismo para poder ver un ejemplo puro del Islam. El amor que el musulmán cubano tiene para otro musulmán es imaginable, es algo bello que te llena de esperanza y confianza que sólo
Read MoreBy Yahya Juan Suquillohttp://centroislamico.org.ec HISTORICAL ASPECTSThirty to fifty centuries ago, the native Ecuadorian Indian cultures were known as: “Chordeleg, Machalilla and Chorrera.” They are believed to have been sun worshippers. Their Indian chief was believed to have been sent by their “Sun God.” They practiced religious ceremonies offering young virgin women for sacrifice as a sign of thankfulness for the goods harvested. These Indian tribes believed in physical resurrection after dead. Therefore, they would be buried with much food, drinks, spears, gold, etc. to prepare for a big journey they thought they were going to face after death. Later on,
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan. I grew up in the Texas Panhandle. I had a boring childhood, I should mention, again. I spent over half my life in two small towns, Turkey and Quitaque. Turkey was named after Turkey Creek. Turkey’s first newspaper was called the ‘Turkey Gobbler.’ Quitaque was named after an Indian name which means horse manure. I sometimes joke that I am uncultured as a result. The population of both towns is less than 600 and shrinking. In 1972, the Turkey and Quitaque schools consolidated creating Valley School halfway between the two towns. I attended Valley School and have
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan In September 1999, a group of five Los Angeles Latino Muslims decided to form a study group to learn more about Islam in Spanish. They began meeting on Sundays at the Islamic Center of Southern California. The small group realized that many local Latinos were visiting the Islamic Center by either curiosity or to find information about Islam in Spanish. These visits by non-Muslim Latinos were occurring so frequently that they decided to structure an introduction to Islam program in the Spanish language. Local reporters began to take notice of this growing Latino Muslim group. Because reporters
Read MoreBy Samantha Sanchez I am a woman of many layersExternallyInternallyOn the outside, I am protected by modest clothingConforming to my true self As the layers and veils are liftedMy inner self exposedStill layers to goStrata to uncoverTruths to unfold I am a woman and like the earthI am many layeredFirm with gentle wavesDeep and boundless My core is solidAnd i have lived a lifetimeOf quakes, eruptions, war and peace Yet ever comforting and protectingShielding, providingEncompassingAnd ever praising my CreatorI am earth
Read More“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.” – Qur’an 49:10. “The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of the spider, who builds (to itself) a house; but truly the flimsiest of houses is the spider’s house – if they but knew.” – Quran 29:41. Narrated by Abu Wail (ra): ‘ Abdullah used to give a religious talk to the people on every Thursday. Once a man said, “O Aba ‘Abdur-Rahman! (By Allah) I wish if you could
Read MoreLanguage of the Moors is Major Contributor to Vocabulary If you speak either Spanish or English, you probably speak more Arabic than you think you do. It’s not “real” Arabic you’re speaking, but rather words that come Arabic. After Latin and English, Arabic is probably the biggest contributor of words to the Spanish language, and a large portion of English-Spanish cognates (words that the two language share) that don’t come from Latin come from Arabic. The English words you’re most likely to think of as Arabic origin are those that start with “al-,” words such as “algebra,” “Allah,” “alkali” and
Read MoreBy Saraji Umm Zaid New York City is home to the first masjid specifically for Spanish speaking people, the Alianza Islamica, originally located in el Barrio (E Harlem) of Manhattan, but now in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. However, September 11 has proven to us that Muslims, especially those of Latino descent, can not rest on this accomplishment and expect the Alianza to take up the business of telling the Latino community about Islam. Hundreds of the victims of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center were Latinos, many of them working in the service industry
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan Assalaam alaiykum,Juan Alvarado and I were supposed to do an interviewtogether on a Columbian radio morning show. I chickenedout at the last minute. I began to worry that I’d makea fool out of myself. My Spanish isn’t the greatest. Ialso don’t like interviews very much. Juan did a great job. I listened on the other lineduring the interview. The top three questions Juan wasasked were: 3. Do you think John Walker is a traitor?2. Do you pray at the mosque three to five times a day?1. Would your wife let you have four wives? I couldn’t believe
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan As I fly home to Austin, Texas, I remember the days before my conversion to Islam. I am reminded of Armando, a Latino Muslim. He helped introduce me to Islam. While pointing to the East and then the West, Armando said, “Look what God has given us. He created everything. God is All-Powerful.” He had just finished praying magrib. The beauty of the sunset is still present in my mind. “Truly, in remembering Allah do hearts find rest,” Allah states in the Qur’an 13:28. Looking outside this window, I cannot help grinning as I look to my
Read MoreBy Juan Galvan In high school, I received a jolt to my long-held belief when a Christian friend told me that the Holy Trinity was not true and that Jesus was not God. “He was wrong” I told myself. Jesus had to be God. God and humanity were disconnected by the sin committed by Adam and Eve. God sent his only ‘begotten’ son to die because He loved us so much. Because only God forgives, Jesus had to be God. I even had the Bible quotes to prove it! Indeed, being a devout Roman Catholic Christian, I have read almost
Read MoreBy Khadijah Rivera Piedad, Florida Throughout our illustrious Islamic history, various messengers were sent to different lands to spread the teachings of Al Islam. The beginning of a convert’s Islamic duty is to spread the message in their own land! As Hispanic Americans, we believe we should utilize our gift of a second language to teach our brethren right here in the USA, our adopted homeland. Hispanic Muslims are generally pious people who have taken religion seriously throughout history. Our ancestors have always sought a deeper commitment to a higher truth. The horrendous tragedy of September 11th brought out the
Read MoreBy Kenny Yusuf Rodriguez As a nineteen-year-old Dominican Muslim who recently accepted Islam a couple of years ago, I personally know how difficult it is to be a Muslim in this country (nonetheless a Latino Muslim at that). Everyday, not only do we face numerous conflicts living in Western society, but we oftentimes also find ourselves having to defend our beliefs in our own households! Tell me if any of this sounds familiar: “Islam? That’s a religion for Arabs!”“Muslim? What are you, a terrorist now?”“Allah? What’s that? Don’t you believe in Jesus anymore? These are just some of the things
Read MoreBy Linnet Caban I wrote this poem after I was harassed by nonMuslim brothers on my way to work. My Deen“You should be ashamed” Is what they tell me.“Why do you worship Allah? He is not God.”You will not believe what I believe.Nor will I believe what you believe.Allah is my Creator. No one can tell me different.“Why do you cover your head, your body -it’s not normal.”I humble my self, what I have is not for display. What is the norm?Nakedness, display everything, nothing kept sacred, nothing special?Am I to give in to the work of Shaitan and let
Read MoreBy Khadijah Rivera During the first days of the September 11 catastrophe, Muslims were targeted in many different ways. I was spat upon and insulted at work and while traveling to and from work. For a week or two I felt like a victim of 9-11 and could not justify their treatment of sisters around the USA. I was also disappointed in the way a Fatwa was given by Qaradawi and Warith deen Mohammed to take off the veil. Many sisters did and the brothers shaved off their beards. Fortunately, some of us fought back the media by playing them
Read More“Say: O People of the Book! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and the revelation that has come to us and that which came before (us), and (perhaps) that most of you are rebellious and disobedient?” – Qur’an 5:59. “When it is said to them: ‘Make not mischief on the earth,’ they say: ‘Why, we only want to make peace!’ Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize (it) not.” – Qur’an 2:11-12. “Not equal are things that are bad and things that are good, even
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