Latina Muslims gather for Eid
Yes, yet another article on Latinas. This seems to be becoming a media fetish.
That aside, Eid can be one of the loneliest times for converts. While everyone else is spending the day with family and old friends, a convert is somewhere by him/herself probably trying to convince him/herself that he/she is having a good time.
Eid, if one was a single convert, basically consisted of praying, listening to the khutbah, going through the motions of hugging everyone, then going home to an empty room. No one to talk to because everyone is busy with their families much like Christmas or Thanksgiving for Americans.
When Zulayka Martinez left the Roman Catholic Church and converted to Islam six years ago, she was happy and at peace with her decision. But she felt like an outsider in her new faith.
Looking back, she realizes her problem was more of a cultural and language barrier. Most members of Houston mosques were of Arab or Pakistani backgrounds. She didn’t know any Spanish-speaking Muslims. And as a single woman, she found it especially hard during holidays.
Over time - especially in larger communities -steps taken to correct this situation to the best of their ability. Here in the DC area, for example, lots of converts got together in many different gatherings to eat, let their children play football, bowl, and other things that Americans like to do.
In that time, Martinez has become the center of a close-knit group of Latina Muslims who support each other throughout Ramadan and the rest of the year. For today’s festive Eid al-Fitr, the day that ends the month of fasting, she is organizing the women for morning prayers and a celebratory brunch
During Ramadan, the women often met for sunset prayers at local mosques and to break the daily fast. They gathered weekly at different homes for festive Iftar dinners.
As the early evening sky began to darken from rosy pink to deep blue on a recent Saturday, Martinez anxiously looked at her watch. “They’re always late,” she said. “We work on Mexican time.”
I had no idea that Mexicans worked on CPT too.
Franco was a single mother with a son when she converted to Islam in 1998. Her father once made fun of her decision, but became so impressed with his daughter’s devotion that he eventually converted to Islam, as did one of her brothers.
Castillo-Shah converted to Islam seven years after marrying a Muslim. She had not planned to convert and said she never felt pressured to do so by her husband, a native of Pakistan
[...]
It took more than a year for Martinez to make her first Hispanic Muslim friend. Then, three years after her conversion, a class in Spanish for female converts and others interested in learning about Islam began at El Farouq, the mosque she most frequently attends.
Now, Martinez said, she is meeting Latino converts, both new and old, almost weekly. Just recently she was at Starbucks when a young Hispanic woman asked about her head scarf. The stranger said she had always been interested in Islam. Several days later, she accompanied Martinez to evening prayers at a mosque.
I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of the media facination with Latino converts - particularly Latinas. It is like a novelty or something. I’m not Latino, but I don’t think I’d like this if I were one. I suppose that that comes from my aversion to being anyone’s ‘pet convert’.
Even at some of the DC area masjids there were Latino Day iftars (quite enjoyable, by the way, as the food was excellent) where a group of Latino converts cooked their ethnic foods and served it.
That was nice, but I can’t help but wonder how ’White folk’ or ‘Black folk’ Day would sound. Then again, there are so many Black American Muslims, that ‘Black folk’ Day is everyday in some masjids. So, how would a ‘White folk’ Day sound?
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Link: Latina Muslim converts gather for Eid al-Fitr
UPDATE: Umm Zaid’s take on the issue “Ohhh Latina Muslims”
Filed under: Convert Issues
Tariq quit beating around the bush and say what everyone is thinking: men find Latinas to be sexy
Salamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Baraktuhu
Eid Mubarak. May Allah accept our prayers and fasting and strengthen us in His Deen for the rest of the year, too. Hope everyone enjoys Eid and has a blessed one with his family.
Wa Salam
Problem is, Ashamed, that women are in many, if not most cases, writing these articles
“White Folk Day”? That is funny! What ethnic food do we serve? Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Pizza?
I dont care for it too much, especially if you are single out for being the token “white guy.” I recently got an e-mail from an attorney here at my office who is with the Office for International Relations, wanting to know if a group of me and others would help take around some foreign visitors. I was the only “American” name on the list it was sent to. How they knew to include my name, that I spoke Arabic or what, I dont know.
The same happens every year at our community day. I am the token white guy left to man the Islamic booth with women, mostly without hijab. We are there to soften the image of Islam I guess.
Lol! The Eid of the single converts was what I had yesterday,and on top of that im white too! So I prayed, went home and ate white people food: some cake, some tuna, chips, but i didnt have any meatloaf.
CPT is claimed by every race I know except Whites. Wherever I go and somebody is late, depending on the make up of the gathering they are like, “well you know our people…this is ‘Arab’ or ‘African’ time”. The British are the most prompt people I know, except this one family of Nigerian origins that I know. The rest, regardless of their origins, if they were raised in the UK are always prompt. Yes, it’s a sweeping generalization.
And let’s not forget the Eid of the Muhaajir! We try to do it good, but for some reason it leaves me with a lonely feeling. We are usually invited to hang out at some bedo family gathering, which I refuse to do again insha’Allah. Even if the family is known for their good deen somehow grandpa or the tribal chef always end up entering the women’s side to greet all the women and nobody notifies me, so I am always looking like I’m on fire…STOP, DROP, AND ROLL! Only usually I don’t stop, I just drop and roll..lol
Last Eid ul Fitr, I was invited to An African American gathering, and again this year. There are no other AA in my area. My dh felt regular, cuz it is not unusual for him to be the only white (even though the 2nd gathering we went to last night was British and it was several white brothers there.. I asked him who can he relate to most the AA or the white Brits..he said it’s hard to tell…in other words probably neither…that’s my saying not his so I could be wrong), my children were ignored by the other black kids, but that could be cuz they all knew each other…but nobody tried to play with them even when my 6 yr old put on her sad face, and I as much as I look forward to these annual AA gathers (dh said my attitude is haram, I tried to tell him it is not nationalistic but I do not have one AA friend, I have a Nigerian Brit friend and a Somali British friend but it ain’t the same thing. All my neighbors are Saudi and maybe a few times a year I get with some white sisters married to Saudis and some indopak Brits, so I see nothing wrong with looking forward to seeing my peeps), I feel out of place once I get there. I’m not sure what it is or why..the connection is gone. I still love them for the sake of Allah like I do all Muslims. Maybe it is a good thing.Perhaps Allah has removed any love for any other reason than his sake. All Muslims are the same to me now, always were but it was nice to meet some people who were like you in so many ways…especially as a muhaajir. I was coming from a sad lonely perspective when ?I started off writing this, now alhamduillah as I close I have a totally different perspective on this. It’s all good, masha’Allah.
Umm Adam:
One thing that I had to come to realize: There is nothing wrong with human companionship, friendship and association. Everyone in Saudia have spent the last couple of days visiting mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends and have been enjoying themselves. There is nothing wrong with that.
Love for Allah does not mean that we must be devoid of true friendship and love of family. This is a major misconception we have: thinking that we must be almost robotic in our relationships even to the point some think it is wrong to love their own children more than the children of another person and see it as as weakness in Iman when they do.
We are human beings in need of human companionship. When we don’t have it, we will naturally feel a sense of loneliness. My advice on dealing with it is to try to provide a better environment for your children where they can have what you do not at Eid. Perhaps by the time you are a grandmother, Insha Allah, Eid will truly be a festive, happy and pretentious-free occasion
You are right, Br. Tariq. I know several sisters, including myself who have been proposed to by AA brothers who are married to non AA sisters. There reasons are similar to what you stated above. For all the reasons they chose to marry a non AA sister (and many are good and beneficial reasons), they now realise that there is not much left after being togther for the sake of Allah, in those relationships. They start to miss that loud black sistah, who they earlier complained about…lol
It is my dream, rather my dua that my offspring can experience the joys of having extended muslim families. I actually want my dh to build a family compound. I don’t want my children breaking my heart moving away from me like I did my family. I want to do like the old Saudi women do and live with all my children…a few months here..a few months there. Allahumma Aameen! May Allah give us the good/best of this life and the next…aameen.
>>So, how would a ‘White folk’ Day sound?
LOL. The Egyptians would accuse us of neo-colonialism, the Palestinians would accuse us of aiding Zionism, the Syrians would wonder if that included them, the Latino Muslims would shout us down as hating Aztlan, the Pakistanis would show up in thier best kilts, god knows if the Blackamerican Muslims would have baseball bats or not and the Malaysians would be looking around wondering what the fuss was about!
(Did I leave anyone out?)
One of my friends that does media work, and recently did some interviews with Univision, has said that in general Latinos feel that Media-Bias towards Muslims to be very similar to Latinos (Terrorism, violence, drugs, etc..) so they are more willing to highlight stories that dismay these myths, esp. when they feel that the general Islamic culture is more compatible with thier traditional cultures and family values than materialistic western ones that are starting to take hold.
Oh and “White Folk” day at the Masjid sounds alot like “White History Month”
Two issues;
First to what Umm Adam was saying about visitation, wanting to be with ones own, and human companionship. That is important. The fact of the matter is that on most Eids I, along with a lot of other Muslims in America, go home from the masjid and watch TV or something because I dont have a Muslim extended family to celebrate with. When you live in a Muslim country, and I have been in Muslim countries for Eid, everyone is visiting and celebrating with family and you are an afterthought. Hijrah is nice, but the muhajr is still a stranger more often than not in lands were tribalism is rampant.
To Hood, I think that different Latino groups have different views on Islam. For instance to many Islam is seen as a black thing, and Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are very close to African-Americans socially and culturally so are more open; but Mexicans and Central Americans are more hostile to blacks, and in my opinion, this makes them more hostile to Islam.
“love for the sake of Allah” means “I hate you and would rather not talk to you but since you are muslim I have to”
Eid is a chore for many of us here in exile and we’d rather not even go
Umm Adam:
Recognizing that this is not normal is a first step in correcting it, even if it takes a generation to do so.
Unfortunately many think it is better to keep repeating “I’m having a good time…I’m having a good time…I’m having a good time…” until we make ourselves believe it. That is until the day you wake up and realize that you are not and prefer to quit fooling yourself
Umar:
Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are also closer to African Americans in genetic admixture as well
actually a little self deception may be good for you. Read this
I read that Gilbert book a few months ago. Its an ok read, funny but he kind of jumps around alot. But I agree with the gist of it which is we choose to be happy. If you pretend to be happy eventually you will be happy.
Actually I used to get depressed living in my city away from my family but then I realized that I wasn’t appreciating all the really wonderful muslims around me.
So Umm Adam, my advice is since you and your husband have chosen to live in Saudi away from many Americans, you gotta make the best of it and try you best to be happy. Actually force yourself to smile, they say even fake smiling makes you feel better.
Ed:
Please see my avatar
Umm Abdullah, Alhamduillah I have happy and content with my life and the decisions I have made. However, that does not stop me from missing love ones and feeling lonely at times.
Salaam alaykum *random comments, no particular order*
We’re fascinated with ourselves, too, you know.
Yes, I’m happy when encountering ANY Muslim, but when I find a Chicana/Mexicana/Latina Muslimah, my heart just SINGS.
It is that connection, to your own language, food, people. Even if slightly different, (I have a Muslim Dominican friend and his slang cracks me up) we still ‘get’ one another.
Umar Lee: What you say about Dominicanos and Boriquas being closer to African Americans and thus, more comfortable with Islam, may be true. But friends who have tried making dawah to Latinos, of all kinds, find it’s difficult to reach out to ALL of them, regardless of origin. Once Latinos view Islam as embodying those values and virtures which they already cherish, dawah is easier regardless of origin.
I’m kinda hurt that you say Mexicans and Central Americans are more hostile to Blacks, but the truth hurts. *wince*
Not true of all of us, of course, but true enough especially for the older generation. My family has felt entitled to slip in “You know mixed race kids really suffer. I hope you don’t do that to one of your children.” ‘Course they’re okay with my daughter being 1/2 Arab which I vaguely understand that they feel somehow elevated her status.
Plus, you seem to forget that some Central Americans (and yes, some Mexicanos) have ‘mixed’ cultures. Panama immediately comes to mind. Can we just say that MANY cultures/peoples have color issues, and still, w/o fail, the lighter you are, the somehow ‘better’ you are….a dear lady close to me insists that her son is ‘fullo’ (light skinned in Panama) whereas her son identifies as Afro Latino. *shrug*
Hmm if ppl are so ‘fascinated’ with Latina sisters why is it sooo damn hard to find a suitable brother?
As for Eid….I love jumping from culture to culture..though I’m about UP TO HERE with Arabic food. I’m hoping next Eid I can wear stylized Mexican traditional wear. Still modest but paying tribute to my own culture. I see Paki sisters with their gorgeous salwar kameez, Moroccan sisters with that djellaba. And I get homesick for my own colors…..http://www.trajestipicos.com/imgprods/size3/gro01.jpg