Latino Muslim Reporter

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...

UMD UMAH: Being Latino and Muslim PANEL 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 Br. Hernan Guadalupe, Sr. Wendy Diaz, and Br. Jamal Abdul Salaam. 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 't...

Por Ramon Francisco Ocasio Traducido por Wendy Díaz Originally published in the English language as Alianza Islamica: The True Story , The Islamic Monthly, March 14, 2016 For English article: http://theislamicmonthly.com/alianza-islamica-the-true-story/ El 30 de enero de 2016, ambos musulmanes y no-musulmanes se reunieron en la ciudad de Houston, Texas, para el evento más esperado de la temporada: la gran apertura del Centro Islámico de “IslamInSpanish”, un nuevo nexo para traer el Islam a los latinos. Un cielo brillante, soleado y despejado adornaba la multitud de tamaño considerable, la mayoría sentados bajo un toldo protector mientras que el resto permanecía bañado en el calor del sol de un invierno Tejano. Mientras los niños jugaban en los castillos inflables, la multitud disfrutó de un discurso tras otro, cada charla aumentando el buen augurio del evento, todo hasta llegar a un clímax trascendental cuando se cortó la cinta roja en la entrada del centro y las miradas de los...

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...