Posted on 07/01/2015 1:33:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups in the Muslim religion. The Pew Research Center says about six percent of American Muslims are Latino. And women make up a little more than half of the new converts -- the people who have changed their religion to Islam.
On a recent Friday, men listened to their imam at Masjid Miami Gardens in Miami, Florida. This clergyman spoke about forgiveness.
On the upper level of the Gardens, the women watch through glass. They hear the imam through a monitoring system.
This is the world that Greisa Torres entered four years ago. That is when she arrived in Miami from Cuba. She says she lost her identify in the move – and found it in the Prophet Muhammad.
Ms. Torres converted to Islam while pregnant with her second son.
“It’s very hard for me because we don’t have family here, just my husband and my kids. On this day, my baby, my Mahdi Aparicio, this day he was born. That’s why I convert to Islam, because I’m scared.”
Some estimates say there are 3,000 Hispanic Muslims in the Miami area and more than 40,000 nationwide.
Stephanie Londono received a master’s degree from Florida International University. She published a study about religious conversions by Latinas, women of Hispanic ancestry.
Ms. Londono says some women turn to Islam because they reject Western values. They believe success in the West is measured by careers, education or wealth.
These women feel more at ease with the traditional expectations of women in Muslim society. They feel that what some consider less freedom in this way of life is something good or a benefit.
Ms. Londono says they like clear definitions between “halal”, meaning acceptable, and “haram”, which means unacceptable.
“So they know exactly where they stand. So the Koran happens to become this book that is almost like a guidebook, that tells you exactly how to wear, what to wear, when to wash, what to eat, how to behave, when to pray…”
Less traditional Muslim women may avoid the hijab. But Latinas are happy to wear this head covering. Ms. Londono says they purposely speak Spanish while their heads are covered to show they represent Islam.
“When the people see you with the hijab, they respect you. It’s emotion you feel because you are different.”
Being seen in public in a hijab breaks traditional images that all Arabs are Muslims and all Hispanics are Catholic.
Ms. Torres also discovered similarities in the cultures as she changed religion. For example, 4,000 Spanish language words have roots in Arabic. This is because Moors – Arabs -- occupied Spain in the Middle Ages.
Greisa Torres finds this useful. Some of what she is learning about Islam is taught in Arabic.
I’m Bob Doughty.
*This report was based on a story from VOA’s Carolyn Presutti. Jeri Watson wrote the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in this Story
monitor - n. a device for observing, listening, inspecting
monitoring - v. the action of observing, listening, inspecting
benefit - n. advantage or profit; something good
Koran - n. the Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of God as given to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic
hijab - n. the traditional head covering of Muslim women
convert - v. changing one’s beliefs or religion
conversions - n. the act or instance of converting or the process of being converted
....you don’t need a high IQ number........
People choose their own oppressors.
The cancer spreads.
There are so few Muslims I think relative to the US as a whole, if you had a whole lot convert in one place, the article mentions Florida, it could really skew the figures. I haven’t seen it much but I have seen what appears to be some American women that converted to Islam, maybe only one.
Some people are more comfortable being ordered how to live their lives. If frees them of the responsibility of their choices. “I was just following orders!”.
They might not look so happy if they had to wear the full face covering. Flags of Puerto Rico.
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A couple of thoughts. I wonder what being female, Hispanic and Muslim does to your welfare benefits? Also, women are especially sensitive to (I’m going to call it) “fashion.” I don’t mean in the sense of wearing what everybody else is wearing. I mean it as a way of attracting attention.
Remember, that in any sufficiently large population the entire spectrum of likelihoods is going to appear in some proportion. Focusing on any one segment will automatically make that segment appear larger, by skewed perspective, than it really is.
Exactly. it took me YEARS to understand that some people actually LIKE being enslaved. They will actually fight for it.
Deranged but true.
Not surprising. Most Latins are very anti-Semitic.
Just one more reason to give illegals the boot.
I think people miss two important points: 1) A lot of nonMuslim men are wimpy and not masculine. 2) Muslims appear to believe in their faith more than a lot of Christians and Jews.
Hey Senoritas, don't you realize... No more Cervesa?
LOL!
That's a deal breaker for sure!
lol
Pretty much yeah there Ms. Londumb-o. Education begets career, begets wealth. The material successes are consequential to hard work, you f'ng fool.
No more pork? Cuban and Puerto Rican women giving up pork? No way. No freaking way.
Tragic and so very very sad.
Ask the Russians about selected forms of enslavement, starting from Peter the Great, lasting a generation or two after Stalin.
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