By Raquel ReichardLatina.comDecember 8, 2015 Anti-Muslim sentiments are high in the U.S., with leading presidential candidates like Donald Trump calling for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and more than half of Americans saying they have an “unfavorable” view of Islam. While the growing anti-Muslim rhetoric comes from recent terrorist […]
Category: LM articles
Changing faiths: Hispanic Americans leaving Catholicism for Islam
By Katy WatsonBBC NewsAugust 21, 2013 With more than 50 million Hispanics living in the US, the Latino community is now the country’s biggest minority. While most are brought up within the Catholic Church, a number of them are turning to Islam. Precise figures are difficult to pin down as the US Census does not […]
Yes, I can be a proud Latina & Muslim
By Eiliyah GonzalezMSN LatinZineJuly 11, 2013 Though I may still get looks at the taqueria for wearing my hijab, I am proud of both my Mexican heritage and my newfound faith. I am the daughter of devout Catholic Mexican immigrants who erected candle-lit altars to the Virgin of Guadalupe in nearly every room of the […]
Why So Many Latinos Are Becoming Muslims
By Tim PadgettWLRN AmericasOctober 9, 2013 Most Latinos know the country is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month right now. What far fewer Latinos know is that next week marks Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most sacred holidays. And yet the two observances are more related now than most Latinos realize. Just as the U.S. Latino population […]
Five Years Since the Release of ‘New Muslim Cool’: Hispanic Muslims Growing Segment of U.S. Muslim Religious Culture
By Julie Poucher HarbinISLAMiCommentaryJune 28, 2014 A train painted with graffiti of an American flag rolls through the streets of North Pittsburgh. Smokestacks are visible. There’s the sound of an ambulance, which fades into the opening lyrics of “Days End,” a rap song by Puerto Rican American hip hop artist Hamza Perez: I live my […]
Hispanic Muslims Demonstrate Unity
By Nivia MartinezVirtualMosque.comNovember 20, 2014 The revival of Islam came about in the Arabian Peninsula, but today we can find a Muslim practicing Islam, reading the Qur’an and living a lifestyle of peace in every corner of the world. Those who were not raised Muslim sometimes think they have to make a choice whether or […]
Latinas Converting to Islam for Identity, Structure
By Carolyn PresuttiVOA NewsOctober 18, 2014 MIAMI – Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups in the Muslim religion. According to the organization whyIslam.org, about 6 percent of American Muslims are Latino. And according to Latino American Dawah Organization (LADO), a group that promotes Latino conversions, a little more than half of new converts […]
From the Vatican to the Veil: Why America’s Latinas are Rushing to Islam
Sputnik NewsOctober 28, 2014 Two of America’s fastest growing demographics are showing signs of convergence, as Hispanics are increasingly converting to Islam. This traditionally Catholic people are giving up their religion because they’re looking for an orderly identity and increased respect, although their Islamic conversions come with a few major social hurdles.America’s Leaders Hispanics and […]
Catholic student converts to Islam
By Neven JonesThe RangerNovember 17, 2014 When Marilyn Martinez came back to San Antonio, she did not speak English. She was born in the U.S. but raised in Mexico as a Catholic. When her parents divorced, she moved to Texas to be with her mother. She attended this college and earned an associate degree in […]
Some Mexican Catholics now find God in Islam
By William SchaeferThe Denver PostFebruary 13, 2014 MEXICO CITY – For almost five centuries Catholicism has been the dominant religion in Mexico. In 1970, Catholics comprised 96.7 percent of Mexico’s population. By 2010, that number had fallen to 82.7 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. Most of this change is attributed to growth in […]