There are about 200,000 Latino Muslims, about 90% of them converted, in the United States according to a study by Stephanie Londono, a Florida International University professor and researcher. A considerate segment to the 3.3 million Muslims in The US but not to the 57 million Latinos who have a vast portion of the population not knowing about the Latino Muslim community.
The majority of the Latino Muslim communities have gathered in areas with concentrated populations of Latinos like Florida, California, and Texas, where is located the heart of the community, El Centro Islamico, The Islamic Center is located in Houston and has 1,000 attendants nowadays with dozens of them showing up every Friday for the congregational prayers and hundreds participating in the holiday services.
El Centro Islamico is directed by Isa Parada, who became the first imam at the center. It is the only Spanish-speaking mosque in The United States opening the doors to hundreds of Muslim Latinos. Its creation has also allowed creating a stronger relationship between the two communities who have been affected by the controversial administration of President Trump, “What I try to tell people is that Donald Trump becoming president for us is giving us more confidence as Latino Muslims. It’s an opportunity for us to talk about Islam, to talk about our immigrant stories” said Parada, to Los Angeles Times.
Religion has been a major factor of change on their lives specially with their families, as they said in some cases it has drawn them apart because their parents think they are not part anymore of their culture and the latino community, making it a constant task to prove that their religion doesn’t change their cultural background.
“We always have to defend our Latino heritage when it comes to communicating with other Latinos so we don’t lose that identity just because we are Muslim. With Mexicans, we have to prove we are still Latino, with Muslims, we have to prove ourselves as Muslim through our faith. As Americans, we have to prove to Americans we are also American.” told Lucy Silva to Los Angeles Times
Silva and Al Omari belong to a group of Muslim Latinas in Orange County who guide through the conversion process, as well Islam in Spanish is a community with the mission to inspire, lead and pioneer solutions in educating Latinos and communities about Islam in Spanish.
