Latino Muslim Reporter

By: Yusuf Rios There are two major concerns that need to be addressed in the whole of the Muslim Community and they are internal disorder and struggles for leadership. The issue is not only lack of manpower, but lack of community will; a failure to be supportive in a substantial way and to act collaboratively. The Latino community needs to determine where it stands in this regard. There are too many disturbances within the Muslim Community that stem from disunity, and, specifically in the Latino community, when we judge by the standards of collaborative effort. The least point of focus is community development, while it should be a priority, and the trend is personal advancement, while this is not characteristic of true Islamic leadership and values. The standard is the lack of adequate resources and a willingness to accept second class status for personal survival within the existing organizations targeting the Latino community. There is also the problem of split loyalties...

Fruits of Hurricane Maria: A Multi Faith Coalition for Puerto Rico By: Imam Daniel Abdullah Hernández The Three Puerto Rican Imams strive to build a multifaceted coalition based on the universal principles of solidarity, love, humanity, mercy, collaboration, and service. In unity with the beautiful people of Puerto Rico, the Three Puerto Rican Imams are joining their hands, hearts, and efforts with other individuals and organizations for the sake of providing necessary relief after the terrible hurricane, Maria. They have fully committed themselves to this task. Acknowledging the fact that the resources are scarce, we thought it would be best to work collaboratively with others who share our passion and concern. The objective is to maximize the impact and, with God's help, achieve greater results. Many of the organizations that have joined the Three Puerto Rican Imams Project represent multiple faiths. Based on the teachings of the Qur’an, we believe in respect for people...

2017 Puerto Rico Disaster: Timeline of Events September 6 The eye of Hurricane Irma passes over the north of San Juan, Puerto Rico with heavy rain and 100-mile-per-hour wind gusts. 4 people are killed, 2/3 of Islanders are left without electricity, and 34 percent of the population lose access to clean water. September 20 Hurricane Maria makes landfall just south of Yabucoa Harbor in Puerto Rico at 6:15 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and some areas receiving 30 inches of rain in one day. The storm knocks out power to the entire island. Much of the island’s population cannot access clean water. Some towns see 80 to 90 percent of their structures destroyed. September 21—One day after Maria makes landfall President Trump issues a state of emergency for Puerto Rico. Catastrophic flooding in the territory’s mountainous interior. Informal estimates put the storm’s death toll on the island at 10. (Currently the official death toll is at 55, and a CNN News stud...

Puerto Rico – What You Should Know • Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. It is not a state of the union, but it has been under the control of the United States since it was annexed in 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War. The chief of state is the US President and the head of government is an elected Governor. • Before it was colonized by Spain in 1508, Puerto Rico was called Boriken or Borinquen, which means: "the great land of the valiant and noble Lord" or "land of the great lords," by its native inhabitants, the Taínos. The word Boricua refers to a person of Puerto Rican origin. • It’s an archipelago, or a group of islands, consisting of one larger island and two inhabited islets in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Florida and east of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic.) • The population in Puerto Rico is approx. 3.4 million. • Ethnic composition: white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%...

The 3 Puerto Rican Imams Project is a long-term endeavor that seeks to provide solutions to the needs of the people of Puerto Rico. In its initial planning stages, it was meant to be an outreach-driven initiative to provide educational and social services to the Muslim community. However, after the devastating natural disasters that occurred in September, Hurricanes Irma and, more notably, María, the project became an emergency relief effort that extended not just to the Muslims of Puerto Rico, but to all Puerto Ricans. These powerful cyclones literally hit home for the directors, three Puerto Rican Muslim leaders (Imam Abdullah Daniel Hernández, Imam Jose “Yusuf” Rios, and Imam Wesley “Abu Sumayyah” Lebrón) and their supporters, who share both their pain and vision, making this a mission of love and solidarity. The project is unique in that it unites various organizations and works collaboratively with others inside and outside of the island, while still working independently in i...