Hispanic residents in the nation of Islam to Cuddle the identity, structure

Hispanic Muslim couples, Alvaro and Candice Franco, together with their daughterLaila, at their home in New Jersey.

Hispanic residents in the nation of Islam to Cuddle the identity, structure

According to some estimates, there are 3,000 Muslims Hispanics in Miami and more than 40,000 Muslims around the country.

Hispanic Muslim couples, Alvaro and Candice Franco, together with their daughterLaila, at their home in New Jersey.

MIAMI —

U.s. citizens of Latin America, called the Latino or Hispanic, is one of the fast growinggroup in Islam.

According to the Organization, about 6 percent whyIslam.org of Muslims in America isLatino. While according to the Latino American Dawah Organization (LADO), the Agency encourages the citizens of Latino conversion to Islam, more than half of the new adherents to Islam are women.

One of them is Greisa Torres, who arrived in Miami from Cuba four years ago.Although he felt at home in the city of the State of Florida, where two out of threeresidents are Hispanic, Torres said he had lost his identity while moving and found iton the Prophet Muhammad.

When he conceived his second son, Mahdi, Torres converted to Islam.

"It is very difficult for me because we don't have family here, just a husband andchildren. My baby, Mahdi, will be born. That's why I converted to Islam because I wasscared, "he said.

According to some estimates, there are 3,000 Muslims Hispanics in Miami and more than 40,000 Muslims around the country.

Stephanie Londono, who has a master's from Florida International University and has published the results of a study about the Latino residents moved religion, somewomen turn to Islam because they do not like the values of the Western standard's success, as measured by academic degrees, career or wealth. He said they were more comfortable with traditional gender roles.

Londono said his research found that some people may see Islam does not give much freedom to women, but the Latino women see it as a positive change.

"(It) defines their world with clear boundaries between halal and haram, so they know where they should stand," said Londono.

"So the Quran became a guidebook that will tell exactly what to wear, eat, clean themselves, how to behave and when to serve."

They also embrace the hijab and deliberately speak the language of Spain whilewearing it to take a stand as a representative of Islam, said Londono.

Torres agreed, saying, "when people see us wearing hijab, they respect us. Second, the perceived emotion because we are different. We believe in something, and it'sincredible. "

In addition, appeared in public with a veil of traditional stereotypes that removing allArabs are Muslims and all Hispanics are Catholic.

In the transisinya of Jesus to Muhammad, Torres also found similarities in bothcultures, such as the presence of 4,000 words prefixed with Spain which has its roots in the Arabic language, especially all the words beginning with the letters "a-l". It is derived from the occupation of the Moors in Spain in the Middle East.

Torres has found it useful, because some of the things he learned about Islam are taught in Arabic. (VOA)