Amaan Kha, of Rancho Cucamonga, leans forward as he watches other pray during Ramadan services of Baitul Hameed Mosque.
Posted on 10/09/2006 11:21:48 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
CHINO - When the sun finally sets and the fast of Ramadan ends for the day, Luqman Malik joins the faithful at the Baitul Hameed Mosque for a feast of chicken, rice, potatoes. And Mexican food.
Islam is a tapestry, says Imam Shamshad A. Nasir, a religion that attracts men and women of many cultures.
More Latinos are embracing the faith, said Hussam Ayloush, a Corona man who is spokesman for the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. While he has has no exact numbers, he said the shift is clear.
"Go to the mosque in downtown L.A. and you'll see a large number of Latinos," he said. "People are seeking a place where they feel the spirit of peace."
He said they are willing to make sacrifices to find that peace.
That includes Latinos like Malik, a Catholic by birth who found solace in Islam in the days after Sept. 11, 2001.
He was in college, and didn't like the way his Muslim friends were being treated.
"People were saying they were not good people," he said. "That's not true."
It made him want to learn more about Islam, and he found himself drawn to its teachings and traditions. After much study and thought, the 26-year-old Chino man decided to convert.
Malik comes from a traditional Catholic family.
"When I told my mom, she was like, I don't see it,' ' he said. "I actually had to move out of the house. My brothers and sisters were not pleased. I left home to make it easier."
After about a year, his family accepted his conversion.
"They saw a transformation in my life," he said. "I married just the past year, to a very traditional Muslim lady."
Malik has embraced his new religion, including the monthlong fast of Ramadan, when all but the young, sick, pregnant, nursing or those on a journey are expected to abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset.
Malik said it isn't easy. An inspector for an aerospace company, Malik says he likes to work out and usually drinks plenty of water each day.
"My first year, it was pretty rough," he said. "Now I accept it."
Nasir said it is not supposed to be easy.
"This is called sacrifice," he said.
Nasir said Ramadan is a time of reflection.
"The idea is to spend as much time at the mosque as possible - to pray and to learn," he said. "To study and be peaceful, because this is the purpose of the Ramadan."
During Ramadan, the mosque is the focus of the faithful. Every evening they gather for the prayer that breaks the fast.
Then as many as 300 men and woman will gather in separate areas of the Chino mosque to eat the meal prepared by a different family each night.
There will be more prayers later and a talk given by Nasir on a different religious topic each night.
But for about 40 minutes, the faithful fill empty bellies and rejoice at the simple goodness of hot meal.
Nasir said it is a joyous time.
"We feel happy we have done something for God," he said. "We are obeying the command of God, so it makes me happy."
Because Ramadan begins when the sliver of the new moon appears in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the dates shift from year to year.
This year, Ramadan falls when the days are still long. When Ramadan began Sept. 24, sunset was 6:48 p.m.
"By 4 or 5 p.m. you're pretty hungry," Malik said.
But he said the rewards for putting hunger aside in the name of God are great.
"When you take that first drink of water, you know that true feeling, thank God we have water," he said. "It's a very satisfying feeling. You become humble and pious people.
"It's a religion we give our life to. Just to be a humble and pious person."
Ramadan At A Glance
Ramadan is a monthlong fast in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, the time when it is believed the Koran was sent down from heaven to guide men toward salvation.
Ramadan begins when the first sliver of the new moon is visible in the sky. The dates change from year to year with the cycles of the moon.
During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to fast, taking no food or water from sunrise to sunset.
Young children, the sick, pregnant or nursing women and people on a journey are exempt from fasting. Those on a journey are expected to fast for a month sometime before the next Ramadan.
Each night the fast is broken after prayer and a large meal is prepared at the mosque. The meal is followed by prayer and a religious talk by the imam.
Source: Imam Shamshad A. Nasir, www.holidays.net
Barf.
Latinos embrace Islam
Who 'CAIRs'?
CAIR cares.
Well that's it then. It's all over.
BS
I don't buy it. I think there are even fewer Mexicans willing to give up the swine than there are Texans.
Amaan Kha, of Rancho Cucamonga, leans forward as he watches other pray during Ramadan services of Baitul Hameed Mosque.
for the newly arrived mexicans who already hate America, conversion to islam ought to be a very small step. they just take on a new name which says to all of the white people 'i hate you so much i'm willing to change my name so i won't be confused with any of you when the 12th imam shows up to kill you all'. and since many aren't planning on putting in the effort of learning english, why would they make the effort to learn arabic?
Q: How do you justify a sweeping headline like Islam gaining popularity with Latinos
?
A: By citing one single solitary case.
Becoming a Muslim in prison is a convenient method of avoiding the back vs. Latino civil war that is an ongoing reality in every correctional facility of any size.
This is complete crap. For every 1 latino that becomes muslim, 90,000 remain Catholic and 9,998 become evangelical protestants and 1 becomes buddhist.
Good. They can spray paint their camels and put fuzzy dice hanging from their necks.
Does the head mullah give them a handicapped sticker to sew onto their burkhas?
Go anywhere in LA and you'll see a large number of Latinos
Now that I believe.
Just remember latinos, it's a once-in-never-out proposition, and your muslim brothers consider murder a perfectly ok way to treat apostates. So think about that before going the 'I submit' route!!!!
Wow, they found one idiot Latino and it means it is gaining popularity with Latinos??? I guess the Muslim population among Latinos went from 1 to 2! What a trend.
If I were that kid I'd be watching my rear!!!!
In position for the mosque's imam to give it to them.
Excellent point!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.