Between the Islamic State’s attacks in Paris, the shooting that took place in San Bernardino, and the horrifying statements GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has been making about Muslims and Mexicans, it’s fair to say that our country’s racial and political climate has become quite intense and intolerant to say the least.
When it’s not one community facing prejudices it’s the next, which is why we wanted to take the opportunity to shine some positive light on a new minority making itself known in the states: Muslim Latinos.
Not only are Latinos in the U.S. considered the fastest-growing demographic, but according to a report by National Public Radio (NPR), they are also the fastest-growing group of Muslims in America. This would explain why IslamInSpanish, a non-profit organization that educates Latinos about Islam in Spanish, decided to build the first EVER Spanish-speaking mosque in the United States this Saturday.
“The heart of what inspired IslamInSpanish was responding to the need for information on Islam in Spanish,” says CEO Jaimie Mujahid Fletcher, a Colombian-American who founded the organization, “My family had a lot of questions when I became Muslim. This is something that’s foreign to a lot of Latinos.”
When Fletcher’s father discovered his son had converted, he had a hard time finding material in Spanish on the religion. There were no books or audio, hardly anything available in the Spanish language to educate Latinos on Islam. Fletcher, who has a background in film and multimedia, started creating audios translating books on Islam. What started off as one CD created to educate Fletcher’s family and his wife’s skeptical aunt, turned into something that was later distributed across the country. Shortly after, Fletcher was being asked to speak at conferences, universities, and various places of worship.
Photo: latinodawah.org
To read the full story: http://www.vivala.com/identity/spanish-islamic-center-latino-muslims/2501
