More US Hispanics drawn to Islam
Marriage, post-9/11 curiosity, and a shared interest
in issues such as immigration are key reasons.
By Amy Green | Contributor to The Christian Science
Monitor
September 28, 2006 edition

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0928/p03s02-ussc.html

ORLANDO, FLA. – With her hijab and dark complexion,
Catherine Garcia doesn't look like an Orlando native
or a Disney tourist. When people ask where she's from,
often they are surprised that it's not the Middle East
but Colombia.

That's because Ms. Garcia, a bookstore clerk who
immigrated to the US seven years ago, is Hispanic and
Muslim. On this balmy afternoon at the start of
Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, she is at her mosque
dressed in long sleeves and a long skirt in keeping
with the Islamic belief in modesty. "When I was in my
country I never fit in the society. Here in Islam I
feel like I fit with everything they believe," she
says.

Garcia is one of a growing number of Hispanics across
the US who have found common ground in a faith and
culture bearing surprising similarities to their own
heritage. From professionals to students to
homemakers, they are drawn to the Muslim faith through
marriage, curiosity and a shared interest in issues
such as immigration.

The population of Hispanic Muslims has increased 30
percent to some 200,000 since 1999, estimates Ali
Khan, national director of the American Muslim Council
in Chicago. Many attribute the trend to a growing
interest in Islam since the 2001 terrorist attacks and
also to a collision between two burgeoning minority
groups. They note that Muslims ruled Spain centuries
ago, leaving an imprint on Spanish food, music, and
language.

"Many Hispanics ... who are becoming Muslim, would say
they are embracing their heritage, a heritage that was
denied to them in a sense," says Ihsan Bagby,
professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the
University of Kentucky.

The trend has spawned Latino Islamic organizations
such as the Latino American Dawah Organization,
established in 1997 by Hispanic converts in New York
City. Today the organization is nationwide.

The growth in the Hispanic Muslim population is
especially prevalent in New York, Florida, California,
and Texas, where Hispanic communities are largest. In
Orlando, the area's largest mosque, which serves some
700 worshipers each week, is located in a mostly
Hispanic neighborhood. A few years ago it was rare to
hear Spanish spoken at the mosque, says Imam Muhammad
Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central
Florida.

Today there is a growing demand for books in Spanish,
including the Koran, and requests for appearances on
Spanish-language radio stations, Mr. Musri says. The
mosque offers a Spanish-language education program in
Islam for women on Saturdays. "I could easily see in
the next few years a mosque that will have Spanish
services and a Hispanic imam who will be leading the
service," he says.

The two groups tend to be family-oriented, religious,
and historically conservative politically, Dr. Bagby
says. Many who convert are second- and
third-generation Hispanic Americans.

The two groups also share an interest in social issues
such as immigration, poverty, and healthcare. Earlier
this year Muslims joined Hispanics in marches
nationwide protesting immigration-reform proposals
they felt were unfair.

In South Central Los Angeles, a group of Muslim UCLA
students a decade ago established a medical clinic in
this underserved area. Today the nonreligious
University Muslim Medical Association Community Clinic
treats some 16,000 patients, mostly Hispanic, who see
it as a safe place to seek care without fear for their
illegal status, says Mansur Khan, vice chairman of the
board and one of the founders.

Although the clinic doesn't seek Muslim converts, Dr.
Khan sees Hispanics taking an interest in his faith
because it focuses on family, he says. One volunteer
nurse founded a Latino Islamic organization in the
area. Another Hispanic woman told Khan she felt drawn
to the faith because of the head covering Muslim women
wear. It reminded her of the Virgin Mary.

The trend is a sign that Islam is becoming more
Americanized and more indigenous to the country, Bagby
says. As Republican positions on issues such as
immigration push Muslim Hispanics and blacks in a less
conservative direction, Islam could move in the same
direction. Muslim Hispanic and black involvement in
American politics could demonstrate to Muslims
worldwide the virtues of democracy, eventually
softening fundamentalists. He believes the Osama bin
Ladens of the world are a small minority, and that
most fundamentalists are moving toward engagement with
the West.

"The more Hispanics and other Americans [who] become
Muslim, the stronger and wider the bridge between the
Muslim community and the general larger American
community," Bagby says. "Their words and approach have
some weight because they are a source of pride for
Muslims throughout the world."

Garcia left Colombia to study international business
in the US. Always religious, she considered becoming a
nun when she was younger. But her Catholic faith
raised questions for her. She wondered about eating
pork when the Bible forbids it, and about praying to
Mary and the saints and not directly to God.

In the US she befriended Muslims and eventually
converted to Islam. Her family in Colombia was
supportive. Today she says her prayers in English,
Spanish, and Arabic, and she eats Halal food in
keeping with Islamic beliefs.

"It's the best thing that happened to me," says Garcia
in soft, broken English. "I never expected to have so
many blessings and be in peace like I am now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More on Latino Muslims AT:
http://www.islamawareness.net/LatinAmerica/