CAIRO, October 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) Common
grounds are luring an increasing number of Latinos in the United States to
Islam.
"On a daily basis, I hear Latinos coming into the fold
of Islam," Khadijah Rivera, founder of Piedad, an Internet group with
nearly 300 members whose mission is to teach non-Muslims and give
leadership training to women, told The Journal News on Sunday,
October 30.
"It is so close to our culture that, once they
understand, it is like second nature to belong to Islam."
Fatima Britos, a John Jay College student of Argentine
descent, agreed.
"I was very confident it was the correct way of living
life," she told the paper.
"It is the straight path."
In recent years, thousands of Hispanics nationwide
have been reverting to Islam, particularly since the 9/11 attacks, when
interest in the Muslim faith seemed to gain momentum.
Though precise statistics do not exist, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) estimates there are more than 36,000
Hispanic Muslims in the US.
Other estimates raise the total to
75,000.
Cultural Similarities
Britos recently attended a Columbia University student
event titled "Latinos in Islam: Rediscovering our Roots" that saw a
diverse group of people in attendance.
The event featured a Mexican feast and a discussion
led by Hernan Guadalupe, a mechanical engineer from South Brunswick, N.J.,
on why Hispanics are reverting to Islam in numbers.
Guadalupe, an Ecuadorean-American, spoke of the
cultural similarities and family values inherent to Hispanics and
Muslims.
Typically, Hispanic households are tight knit and
devout, and children are reared in a strict environment traits that
mirror Muslim households, he said.
Guadalupe also highlighted the Muslims' reign in Spain
from 711 to 1492, asserting that between 10 percent and 30 percent of
Spanish words come from Arabic.
"There are 780 years of Islamic influence that can't
be ignored," he said emphatically.
"If you understand that, as a Latino, you have Spanish
blood in you, then you would understand ... that you have Islam in
you."
Guadalupe, 24, reverted to Islam after years of
studying different religions and cultures.
He started the Latino Muslim Outreach Program this
year, travelling to schools in the tri-state area to educate not convert
people on Islam.
Misconceptions
Melvin Reveron said he reverted to Islam last year,
following a period of depression and internal doubts about
Catholicism.
Reveron, 41, a Puerto Rican who lives in New York
City, said he had read the Noble Quran after the 9/11 attacks because he
wanted to gain more knowledge about a religion that was being blamed for
the attacks.
Culture and religion often can be mistaken, said the
supervisor for the Department of Social Services in New York
City.
"People say that Islam is a religion that teaches
people to kill, that it creates suicide bombers," noted
Reveron.
"I reject that notion. Just because a criminal does
something, the religion isn't wrong. There's something wrong with that
person."
The Qur'an, he said, resonates with Catholics because
it mentions Adam, Moses, Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
"I looked at is as an intellectual continuation of
what I had been taught," Reveron said.
Challenge
However, reverting to Islam means a lifestyle change
that to some can be difficult, The Journal News said.
Fasting, praying five times a day and giving up
alcohol and pork a staple in the Hispanic diet can present
challenges.
Women must wear a hijab in the face of usual
misconceptions.
"A head scarf does not symbolize oppression. It
represents freedom," said Ecuadorean Sonia Lasso, while speaking at the
third annual Hispanic Muslim Day at a mosque in Union City,
N.J.
"Because it is not our physical but our intellectual
selves that are seen."
Though there are no definitive statistics, reports
indicate there are more women than men reverting to Islam.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle reverts face is with
their families, who take great pride in their Catholic rearing and have
little understanding of Islam.
Reveron said he has yet to tell his family, fearing
irreversible repercussions.
"I haven't found the right way to tell them," he said.
"You hear stories about families ridiculing and (reverts) being
ostracized."
For Aisha Ahmed, her family was more accepting
of her decision, so much so that her brother is now Muslim, and her mother
has accepted Islam.
A recent study also showed that 6 percent of the
20,000 annual reverts to Islam are Hispanic.
Though the numbers are a small fraction of the
estimated 6 million Muslims in the country, it is fast becoming evident
that the reversion rate among this minority group is taking root and that
its influence is being asserted through the formation of Hispanic Muslim
organizations.
While the horror of 9/11 moved many Hispanics toward
Islam, Ahmed admits that the attacks gave her pause about her adopted
religion.
"My faith was tested, but I stayed on track because
I'm not going to let a group of fanatics change my faith. I became
stronger. Once you believe, you can't go back."
