Latino Muslim Reporter

Latino Muslims Reach Out to Their Own Communities in Spanish, Portuguese, and English By Wendy Diaz and Juan Galvan ( An edited version of this article appeared on the July/Aug 2016 issue of Islamic Horizons Magazine: https://issuu.com/isnacreative/docs/ih_jul-aug_16 ) Type “Latino Muslims” into any search engine and the results will display a plethora of recent media reports about the fastest growing minority within Islam. Names like PBS, NBC, BBC, AlJazeera, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Univision, and Telemundo have all produced their share of reports and documentaries fixated on this phenomenon. It has even warranted attention from academia, as professors invest research into the demographic and graduate students base their theses on varying factors of the Hispanic/Latino Muslim presence in the United States and beyond. The trend has been fueled by recent events surrounding the 2016 presidential race and the xenophobic and Islamophobic campaign rhetoric fro...

A devastated U.S. Territory sets out on the long road to recovery By Wendy Díaz ( An edited version of this article appeared in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of Islamic Horizons Magazine: https://issuu.com/isnacreative/docs/ih_january-february_18 ) La mezquita de Vega Alta or the Vega Alta Mosque is an iconic site for Puerto Rican Muslims. Nestled on a mountaintop surrounded by broad palm branches and lush greenery, the mosque, also known as Masjid Al Farooq, is visible from Route 2 in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. Some have even described it as resembling a castle, with its single dome and minaret towering over the rectangular structure with arched windows; it is the largest Islamic center in Puerto Rico. Like other buildings and residences on this tropical paradise, its cement walls have been painted and repainted in bright color patterns, forest green and mint years ago, and more recently a rusty orange with blue accents. On an island whose Muslim population is only between .1% and .2% ...

In the popular book turned movie, The Hunger Games, set in a post-apocalyptic world, the Capitol of Panem (bread in Latin), rules over thirteen nation-states referred to as districts. After one district attempts to ignite a rebellion against the Capitol, the ruling government obliterates it completely and establishes an annual ritual of carnage as a punishment and reminder. In these “Hunger Games,” two youngsters from each remaining district, called “tributes,” are randomly chosen to compete for survival, while the Capitol places in their path sadistic obstacles and challenges. A bloodthirsty audience watch as each contestant attempts to kill the other for essentials such as food and water. Witnesses of the gory charade are able, if moved by their human emotions, to offer aid to the contestants they feel are most worthy. One outcome is certain, only the one most favored will survive. This scenario may seem only fathomable in a Hollywood fantasy, however, the struggle for survival i...

Disappointed, pained, hurt, heartbroken, concerned, frustrated, helpless, desperate, angry, and powerless; these are just some of the words that Puerto Ricans living in the United States use to describe how they feel about the events unfolding on the island in the aftermath of Hurricane María. The powerful category 4 cyclone made landfall on September 20, 2017 and pounded the island with a full day of heavy rains and violent maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Entering though the southeastern city of Yabucoa and exiting through the northern town of Arecibo, María left no stone unturned in her destruction. Puerto Rico’s residents hardly had time to brace themselves for their second hurricane in a month; the previous, Irma, had ravaged parts of the Northeast on September 7th. Nevertheless, nothing could have prepared them for the strongest storm to hit the island in almost a hundred years. The damage that it left behind has been described as “apocalyptic.” The entire population was af...

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...

Written by Wendy Diaz, 2005 October 11, 2005 was a historical night in New York City where Muslims and non-Muslims came together as one entity to discuss untold events of Latino culture. Columbia University's Muslim Students Association and Lamda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., sponsored "Latinos in Islam: Rediscovering Our Roots." The event was presented by Hernan Guadalupe of the Latino Muslim Outreach Program (L.M.O.P.), a program founded under the PrimeXample Company which aims to build relationships between non-Muslims and Muslims through Islamic awareness based on the Qur'an and Sunnah, or authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Students and other spectators gathered in Lerner Hall at Columbia and enjoyed Mexican cuisine to break the Ramadan fasting, eagerly awaiting the highlight of the event to begin, the lecture which had been advertised through flyers in local universities and online. The Latino-inspired food set the mood f...

By Giula Lasagni for Medill Reports Chicago, 27 May 27 2010 Every Sunday morning, a group of women meets at the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview to study the Quran. They are Muslim, of course, but also Latinas. Most of them converted to Islam after growing unhappy with aspects of Catholicism and they found a new identity in being Muslim while also retaining their ethnic traditions. “I learned to respect myself through Islam,” said Magdalena Hanafi, a native of Mexico who is married to an Egyptian man and converted 15 years ago. Latino Muslims in Chicago are less visible and organized than in New York or in California, where they have official groups and organizations, but they are nonetheless a community. Its members are mainly women and they usually meet in informal settings, like private houses, or in mosques that give them a space to organize social and religious activities. According to a Pew Research report, 4 percent of the American Muslim population is of Hispanic ori...