By Barbara KarkabiHouston ChronicleOctober 23, 2006 Together in prayer, support Latina Muslim converts gather to share and forge their newfound faith, friendship When Zulayka Martinez left the Roman Catholic Church and converted to Islam six years ago, she was happy and at peace with her decision. But she felt like an outsider in her new […]

By Kirk NielsenHispanic Magazine, pp 48-54October 2006 I recently had the good fortune of becoming acquainted with several lovely Latin ladies. At the risk of committing the sin of stereotype, I found them, in some ways, typical of the diverse group of Latinas I’ve known over the years. They displayed intelligence and brawn. They were […]

By Martin RicardThe Oakland TribuneAugust 22, 2006 Group meets in Hayward to discuss how to reconcile two cultures HAYWARD — On a sunny afternoon, a dozen people file into the prayer hall at Zaytuna Institute, a Muslim teaching center in downtown Hayward. But they have not showed up to learn about the Prophet Muhammad, Islam […]

By Jens GlüsingSpiegel OnlineMay 28, 2005 Long a bastion of Catholicism, southern Mexico is quickly turning into a battleground for soul-savers. Islam, too, is gaining a foothold and the indigenous Mayans are converting by the hundreds. The Mexican government is worried about a culture clash in their own backyard. Anastasio Gomez, a Tzotzil Mayan from […]

By Alistair BellReutersJanuary 25, 2005 SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico (Reuters) – Islam has joined a battle for the hearts and minds of Mexico’s volatile Tzotzil Indians in Chiapas state, home of Zapatista rebels and a hotbed of sectarian strife between Christians. In an unlikely meeting of two worlds, an idealistic Muslim sect has […]

By Angus MacSwanReutersMay 10, 2005 BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) – At first glance a summit of Arab and South American leaders might seem an unlikely encounter. But Arab immigrants and their descendants have played a prominent role in Latin American life, from presidents such as former Argentine leader Carlos Menem to pop singers like Colombia’s Shakira. […]

By Tracy WilkinsonLos Angeles TimesJanuary 18, 2005 Across a valley of fragrant cedars and orange trees, worshipers at the pristine Great Mosque of Granada look out at the Alhambra, the 700-year-old citadel and monument to the heyday of Islamic glory. Granada’s Muslims chose the hilltop location precisely with the view, and its unmistakable symbolism, in […]

By Zlatica HokeVoice Of AmericaMay 18, 2005 After crossing from North Africa in the early seven-hundreds, Muslims ruled southern Spain, Andalusia, for almost eight centuries, interacting with the people they found there – mostly Sephardic Jews and Christians. A convergence of Islamic, Christian and Jewish cultures marked almost every aspect of life in Medieval Spain: […]

By IslamOnline.netOctober 5, 2005 Growing in number and taking difficulties into strides, Hispanic Muslim women have made an indelible impression on their society, teaching Spanish-Arabic classes, forming support networks and distributing the Noble Qur’an in Spanish, The Miami Herald reported on October 5th. Melissa Matos, who comes from a family of Seventh-day Adventists from the […]

By Hernán RozembergImmigration WriterSan Antonio Express-NewsJanuary 25, 2005 Like most youngsters growing up around his West San Antonio neighborhood, Jesús Villarreal was raised Catholic. He went to church every Sunday, took Communion and attended catechism classes. But he eventually strayed from the church, remaining in religious limbo for years until stumbling upon an unexpected answer […]