Latino Muslim Reporter

Por Hernán Guadalupe La gran mayoría de los latinos son católicos romanos, debido principalmente a su cultura o crianza. Pero muchos de estos habitantes de Norte, Sur y Centroamérica se sienten incómodos y desencantados con las diferentes creencias y prácticas de la Iglesia Católica, incluyendo el énfasis en los santos, la doctrina de la santa trinidad, las oraciones dirigidas a María, el pecado original, asuntos relacionados con la jerarquía de la Iglesia, y la falta de aplicación de las prácticas religiosas por muchos católicos. Se ha reportado en El Almanaque Católico que un estimado de 100.000 a 600.000 hispanos, o latinos, abandonan la Iglesia Católica cada año en los EE.UU. solamente. Ya sea que elijan aceptar el Islam o no, ellos están comprometidos en la búsqueda de una mayor satisfacción espiritual y un sentido de propósito. El Islam es la respuesta para muchos debido a su simplicidad y su enseñanza de una relación directa entre el individuo y Dios, sin ningún intermediari...

Interview with Wendy Díaz 1. What influenced you to become a Muslim? In my freshman or sophomore year of high school, I saw the movie, Malcolm X, and I was so moved by his life and role in the civil rights movement that I wanted to know more about him. I bought Malcolm X’s autobiography and was intrigued by the religion of Islam. However, it wasn’t until I was in 11th grade that I met one of my best friends, who happened to be a Muslim Egyptian by the name Hebatullah (A gift from Allah). I feel like her name bears great significance in my life because it was through her that I found Islam. Through interacting with her and her family, I became acquainted with the religion and began to ask questions until finally her father gave me a copy of the Qur’an and some books with information about Islam. 2. What has been/is your greatest challenge after accepting Islam? There have been many challenges that have come since I accepted Islam, but by far the most difficult and continuous is...

Working Together for a Better Future-- A Message for the Children of Abraham By Wendy Díaz “Say (O Muhammad): "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah . Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims." (The Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 64) Undoubtedly, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them, taught the same message: the Oneness of God, upholding His Commandments, being good to others and living a righteous life. Both serve as examples for Muslims and Christians, alike, as well as others who choose to study about their lives and uphold their teachings. Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the children of Israel, Muhammad came to confirm his teachings, and to serve as the vehicle for the Qur’an, the final testament of God, a timeless revelation that would...

By Wendy Díaz November 20,2015 Dear neighbors, With everything going on in the world today and the news that surrounds us, we know that things can get a bit confusing. As your Muslim neighbors and fellow citizens, we would like to assure you that we stand with you against all forms of oppression and injustice in the US and anywhere else in the world. You may have heard Muslims say that Islam means “peace,” but you may have also heard from the media and other sources that Muslims can be “extremists,” “jihadists,” “radicals,” “fanatics,” and so on… Islam does stem from the Arabic root word, “Salama” which means peace, but the word Islam literally means to surrender yourself to God alone, in order to obtain peace in your life. A Muslim, by definition, is someone who submits to God in worship and obedience. This surrender and submission necessitates that we have “God consciousness,” meaning that we are always aware that God is watching us and that we will be held accountable for ou...

Por Wendy Díaz Publicado en el blog Mamasconpoder el 21 de marzo, 2016 Cuando me convertí al Islam en Agosto del 2000, sabía que sería una transición algo difícil añadiendo cinco oraciones a mi rutina diaria, ayunando desde el alba hasta la puesta del sol durante el mes sagrado de Ramadán y cambiando mi ropa escotada por piezas más conservadoras y un pañuelo. Sin embargo, estos cambios eran mínimos comparados al desafío de lidiar con opiniones negativas sobre el Islam y los musulmanes, incluso viniendo de las personas más cercanas a mí. Puse distancia entre mí y aquellos que deseaban introducir la negatividad en mi vida, pero cuando los comentarios venían de familiares, eran más difíciles de tragar. Un año después, cuando mi decisión de practicar la religión se había vuelto más aceptada y habitual, ocurrieron los atentados del 11 de septiembre, y mi vida cambió de manera drástica. Por temor a las repercusiones dirigidas a la comunidad musulmana y la preocupación por mi seguridad,...

By Wendy Díaz Published on Momsrising blog, March 21, 2016 When I converted to Islam back in August of 2000, I knew it would be a transition adding prayer 5 times a day to my daily routine, fasting from sun up to sundown during the month of Ramadan, and exchanging my revealing clothes for more conservative threads and a headscarf. However, these changes were minimal compared to the challenge of dealing with negative opinions about Islam and Muslims, even coming from people who were closest to me. I steered clear of the people who wanted to bring negativity in my life, but when the comments came from family, they were harder to swallow. A year later when my decision had become more accepted and routine, September 11th happened, and my world was torn apart. Out of fear of repercussions aimed at the Muslim community and concern for my safety, for a year my parents refused to let me leave the house with hijab, and so I began to carry my headscarf in my purse, slipping it on once they ...

Oct 25, 2013 Hernán, un jóven de origen Ecuatoriano criado en los estados unidos, cuenta su historia paso a paso de cómo se alejó del catolicísmo y aprendió sobre el Islam, finalmente decidiendo convirtirse en musulmán. Para más de Hablamos Islam, visítenos en http://www.hablamosislam.com

The University of Maryland's United Muslim Advocates for Humanity hosted an interactive discussion moderated by Br. Jose Acevedo on the forgotten intersections of Latino and Islamic heritage. Panelists included the moderator, Br. Jose Acevedo, Br. Hernán Guadalupe, Sr. Wendy Diaz, and Br. Jamal Abdul-Karim. Latino Muslims are one of the fastest growing segments of the American Muslim community. Though not part of the 'traditional' narrative, Islam is an inescapable part of Latino heritage. “What most Latinos who have embraced Islam find most amazing is their cultural affinity to the Muslim culture,” says Wilfredo Ruiz, a Puerto Rican-born Muslim who converted a decade ago and is a lawyer for the South Florida chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. “It’s like rediscovering your past. That area of our past has been hidden from us.” Latino Muslims are one of the fastest growing segments of the American Muslim community. Though not part of the 'traditio...

Latino Muslims reach out to their own communities in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. By Wendy Díaz with the help and support of Juan Galvan Islamic Horizons July/August 2016 by Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Type “Latino Muslims” into any search engine, and the results will display a plethora of recent media reports about this fastest-growing minority within Islam. Familiar media names like PBS, NBC, BBC, Al-Jazeera, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Univision, and Telemundo have all produced their share of reports and documentaries on this phenomenon. This formerly under-the-radar development has even warranted attention from academia, for professors are researching this demographic and graduate students are basing their theses on varying factors of the Hispanic/Latino Muslim presence both at home and abroad. The trend has been fueled by recent events surrounding the 2016 presidential race and the xenophobic and Islamophobic campaign rhetoric from some o...

Published on October 1st, 2016 | by Wendy Diaz The current presidential race has left many unbiased Americans stunned and not-so-broadminded others rejoicing, as we all witness a surge in derogatory attacks by candidates against entire minority groups, such as Muslims, African-Americans, and immigrants, particularly Latinos/Hispanics. The drama continues to unfold in what could potentially be the most controversial election in the history of the United States of America. While unity has often been declared the focal point in shaping American society, this election has polarized the American people and contributed to a rise in racially-driven violent hate crimes, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. Republican nominee Donald Trump and his GOP rivals who fell to the side during the primaries, like Ben Carson and Ted Cruz who are, ironically, descendants of immigrants or minorities themselves, have all contributed their share of attacks against members of the Islamic community and Latinos, t...

New America Media/The Muslim Link, News Report, Wendy Diaz, Posted: Jan 18, 2013 SOMERSET, N.J. -- Tucked away in a quiet rural neighborhood in Somerset, New Jersey is an old brownstone that houses the New Jersey Chapter of the Islamic Center of North America’s (ICNA) WhyIslam Project. Within its confines, in a second floor office decorated with rose-colored walls, sits the administrative assistant and only female employee of the department, Nahela Morales. In a long black garment and gray headscarf, Morales sits in front of a computer entering notes and taking phone calls from the program’s hotline, 1-877-WhyIslam, a resource for individuals hoping to learn more about the religion. A Mexican immigrant and recent convert, Morales is the national Spanish-language outreach coordinator for the program, part of ICNA’s mission to disseminate information about Islam nationwide. But Morales’ efforts go beyond U.S. borders: the 37-year-old recently led a trip to bring Islamic literature...