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| Together in prayer, support: Latina Muslim converts gather | |
| 2006-10-23 | |
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. "My first two Ramadans, I felt very alone," she said, referring to the holy month. At first, she was afraid to tell her parents that she had converted. "But after I did, my mother would fix me food to break the fast." What a difference six years make. 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. "She is the mole that holds us together," Adriana Castillo-Shah said. "She is like me, always saying we are doing this or that, always supportive, always getting us together." 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." No sooner had she spoken than her Iftar guests arrived, several holding small children by the hand. As they entered, each woman took a date from a bowl and ate it to break the fast, then took a sip of water. In the corner of the living room they set up a prayer rug. Castillo-Shah whipped a compass out of her purse to determine the direction of Mecca. At 7 p.m., she called out the prayers as the women bowed, stood up and bowed again. "We each take turns calling the prayers," Castillo-Shah said. "I'm terrible with directions so I take my compass everywhere. At home I have an alarm clock that sings out the call to prayers, so I can't forget." Reasons for conversion The lively group chatted in Spanish and English while Martinez prepared chicken enchiladas and lamb in her sister's kitchen, borrowed for the evening. No one seemed bothered by the large picture of The Last Supper behind the table or by the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the wall. Castillo-Shah said that removing pictures like that from the walls of her home was one of the hardest things she did after converting three years ago. They told a visitor of their reasons for converting: they were attracted by the simplicity of Islam; the fact that they could pray directly to God without an intermediary (something they could do under Catholicism as well); Islam's focus on close family ties, similar to that generally found in Latino culture; and respect for women. Some felt they were discovering lost roots from Islamic Spain. "Before I was Muslim, I used to wish I was covered," said Maria Franco, a native of Monterrey, Mexico. "Back home, people would say, 'Oooooh, you good-looking girl,' and make many other rude comments. I hated that." 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. But the more she learned about Islam, the more convinced she became that it was the right path for her. She converted and surprised her husband. "He was so excited and called all his family," she said. Over dinner, the women chatted about the upcoming wedding of fellow convert Nyelene Ismail. Others talked about the challenges of fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. Castillo-Shah, for example, has diabetes and under Islamic law is not required to fast. But she wants to please Allah, she said, so she has fasted since converting. Her friends keep close watch over her and her blood sugar. Also on their minds was fashion, and what they might wear on Eid al-Fitr. Martinez, who is known for her color-coordinated, sparkly headscarves, will choose one that matches the outfit she wears. It might be a stylish hijab made by her mother. "At the beginning, I didn't want to wear the scarf and long dresses," Martinez said. " ... When Hurricane Rita was coming, the first thing I packed was my scarves and my pictures. Clothes I can buy, but I can never replace all those scarves." 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. At the Iftar gathering, several women said they had converted because they were searching for something they could not find in Catholicism. That was not the case for Martinez, who initially tried to convince a Muslim acquaintance that Catholicism was a better choice. "Before I could do that, I felt I needed to find out more about his religion," she recalls. "So I got a Quran and some books." Looking for answers During a Catholic retreat, she found herself reading the Quran instead of the Bible. To Martinez, the Quran was similar but more descriptive. It also answered questions she had not found in the Bible. "I was scared, though my heart felt so at ease and I thought: 'Is this from the devil?" she recalled. "I went to the priest to make confession, and I started crying. That's when he said: 'I have read the Quran. I understand it. But you need to follow your religion. Muslims are not bad people, but they are not right. We are correct. Don't question your religion; practice it, but don't question it.' " Martinez didn't like the answer. As she continued her research, she realized that Islam respected and honored Jesus as a prophet. That removed the last stumbling block. "To me, I didn't abandon Christianity, I discovered a religion that continued it," she said. The women are sometimes criticized by other Hispanics about their decision to convert. That's why Martinez felt it was important for them to be united as Latinas and Muslims. | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #20 you are showing your age, Zenster ;-) Was a bunch of stuff about "freak dancing" in Massachussets and elsewhere in the country on the radio the other day. It's dancing that is boys behind the girls ...how shall I say this nicely ... doing the doggie up close and personal at the JR. High School dances as the chaperones stand by. Abd it's not just Massachussets, my sister in law in small town Kansas said she was one of the only chaperones breaking it up in her school. She said at other dances she's heard of parents literally using spray bottles of water. That is not a joke. This isn't a white/black/hispanic thing. It's 13, 14 year olds just picking up the MTV legacy that we left for them. It's not your Patrick Swayze type dirty dancing, it's more your local strip clubs lap dance dancing. So is it any wonder that some are tired of the degrading sexuality and looking for some shelter from having to out sex the professional strippers at the local truck stops? As for me, I think this article and that article the other day where that woman made up about 100 incidents of really mean things that happened to her when she wore her veil for one day - I think this is being churned out by that million dollar funding that was given to CAIR (or whoever) to promote Islam and fight against Islamophobia. And we are taking the bait hook line and sinker. I say that because this article seems as bogus as that one did. These just strike me as made up stories that could be true but are just a little to perfect to the point. Friend of mine used to call the "preachers stories". Its not that this isn't a valid discussion - I have some thoughts about this - but don't have time to go there right now. Maybe later. |
| Posted by: anon 2006-10-23 20:05 |
| #19 Who in their right mind would convert to a cult founded by a murdering pedophile? |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2006-10-23 18:35 |
| #18 The author of the article, Barbara Karkabi, is the Houston Chronicle's religion writer. Writing stuff like this is what a lot of religion writers do: they find and report on fringe elements looking to fit into mainstream society. Next week it'll be former Episcopalians who are now Hare Krishnas. Look, some of these poor gals can't even take down their wall hangings of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is more sad than threatening. |
| Posted by: mrp 2006-10-23 17:13 |
| #17 You are kidding, right? Do you watch MTV? No. MTV (I pronounce it "Empty V") is some of the most worthless trash there is. As a musician, I hold MTV largely responsible for the ascendency of style over substance in the music industry. There are many excellent musicians who, because they are not photogenic, are passed over for consideration because they will lack marketability in music videos. Ever heard of rap or heard of freak dancing? Sadly, yes. Obviously you missed my post in the Burning Cars thread the other day. I'll repost it here for your edification: If the black community ever wants to know why they continue to be societally marginalized, they need look no further than gangsta rap. The glorification of violence, promotion of conspicuous consumption and routine degradation of women positions it as a significant and universally retrograde force in our modern world. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-23 16:42 |
| #16 The machismo mentality is one of the most abusive there is to females. You are kidding, right? Do you watch MTV? Ever heard of rap or heard of freak dancing? |
| Posted by: Hupuger Angiter7152 2006-10-23 15:09 |
| #15 being turned away by priest telling them "they should stay muslim", or "need to talk with their imam". If there is a Christian hell, those priests who intentionally redirect willing converts back into Islam's withering embrace surely need to eternally rot in a firey afterlife. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-23 14:51 |
| #14 Yeah compliments suck. I bet she would've loved them saying 'Ooooh, look at that fat ugly pig' instead. Scooter, have you ever heard the suggestive tone in which such comments are typically being made? It is usually far from complimentary and often just as hurtful as the alternative you provided. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-23 14:46 |
| #13 Zenster's onto this one. The Church (not just Catholics, but those evil Evangelicals too) needs to respond to this with truth and love ASAP. While I don't expect wholesale abandonment of the Catholic faith by the Hispanics, a few here and there can hurt. What I don't get is the quote about wanting to be covered up. You can do that yourself in Catholicism. Maybe not a canvas tent over you from head to toe, but feel free to cover yourself as you see fit. Meanwhile an immigrant from Somalia (or maybe Egypt) here in an Atlanta suburb has been brought up on charges of female "circumcision" (genital mutilation) on his 5 year old daughter with freakin' scissors! This, in a very small town about 40 miles outside of Atlanta (think "redneckville" until about 5 years ago when development hit)! I just can't believe ANY self-respecting woman would convert to Islam after seeing how they're truly treated. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-10-23 14:12 |
| #12 "Back home, people would say, 'Oooooh, you good-looking girl,' and make many other rude comments. I hated that." Yeah compliments suck. I bet she would've loved them saying 'Ooooh, look at that fat ugly pig' instead. Unbelievable. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2006-10-23 14:04 |
| #11 I call BS. No Catholic priest would ever say that; they're taught the reasoning behind the faith, and to pass on that reasoning. Even that wouldn't be so bad; here in secular France (the Republic is thee God), the Catholic Church is so PC-fied that the minority (small, but quite real) of muslim wishing to convert to Christianity are gently led away; no kdding, there were reports of muslims (often girls or berbers/kabyls wanting to return to their european/christian roots and escape the arab identity) being turned away by priest telling them "they should stay muslim", or "need to talk with their imam". Barf! So, the only christians who do welcome and encourage conversions are the Dreaded Evangelists (whom I wouldn't oppose, if they went on to re-evangelize post-christian Europe, better protestant than muslim), or the traditionalist catholics (quite small in numbers, but the only remaining active catholics in France, the only ethnic french who have large families - 6, 7 or more children is common -, the majority of young people willing to enter priesthood while the french clergy is aging, the only ones who still do pilgrimages,....). |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-10-23 13:54 |
| #10 your sexually repressed, your neurotically shy, your ignorant I'm convinced! That's the religion tailor-made for me! I'll convert, by Gum! |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-10-23 13:46 |
| #9 Sung to the tune of Anticipation (Carly Simon)... Indoctrination, indoctrination Is makin' me a tool Is keepin' me a foolin' And tomorrow we might not be together I'm no prophet and I don't know Mohammed's ways So I'll try and see into your eyes right now But it's hard cuz my hijab has slipped over my eyes again (Slipped over my eyes again) But it's so hard cuz my hijab has slipped over my eyes again (Slipped over my eyes again) (Slipped over my eyes again) (Slipped over my eyes again) (It's so hard... slipped over my eyes again) |
| Posted by: .com 2006-10-23 13:44 |
| #8 I am shocked that any woman would ever convert to Islam. That just boggles my mind. No mystery here. Put a Hijab on Lady Liberty, and change the inscription to read as follows: "Bring me your frigid, your sexually repressed, your neurotically shy, your ignorant, your self-loathers, yearning to hide behind the veil." Barnum was right. There's a sucker born every minute. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-10-23 13:34 |
| #7 That's when he said: 'I have read the Quran. I understand it. But you need to follow your religion. Muslims are not bad people, but they are not right. We are correct. Don't question your religion; practice it, but don't question it.' " I call BS. No Catholic priest would ever say that; they're taught the reasoning behind the faith, and to pass on that reasoning. It sounds more like an imam. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-10-23 12:59 |
| #6 What this article should tell you is just how fucked up Latino culture is in the way it treats women. The machismo mentality is one of the most abusive there is to females. Hispanic women I have worked with have told me about how they are expected to bring home a paycheck, cook, clean, shop, do the laundry and look after the kids while the husband sits and watches television. Any protest on the woman's part is greeted with "Shut up, bitch." Fortunately, I have also had the privilege of meeting a few really decent and honorable Hispanic men, so I know that not all of them are like this. However, living in one of the largest American Hispanic communities here in San Jose, California, I can also tell you that I've seen just what violent scumbags Latino males can be. The Catholic church needs to get over its sexual repression a bit and begin telling these prospective Hispanic woman converts about how the majority of Muslim females are treated, including some vivid descriptions of female genital mutilation, institutionalized spousal abuse, revenge gang rapes plus the complete and total legal inequity experienced by women in the Sharia judicial system. Specific note of how Muslim apostasy is punishable by death also should feature prominently in any such discussion. I doubt this is happening and because of it, the church is surrendering its turf without much of a fight. Pope Benedict's admirable frontal assault on Islam needs to trickle down to the parish level if this is to be stopped. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-23 12:37 |
| #5 Wimmen and (black) prisoners are the two most common pools of converts. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-10-23 12:33 |
| #4 We ignore this at our own peril. Most Latinos of faith are Catholic and with that denominations track record these past 20 years it's no wonder people are looking else where. That said I am shocked that any woman would ever convert to Islam. That just boggles my mind. |
| Posted by: RJB in JC MO 2006-10-23 12:29 |
| #3 You can't prevent ignorant people from doing stupid things. Whatever becomes of this bitch, she so deserves. She's now heading into 7th century hell and won't be able to escape, due to her simplistic outlook. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-10-23 12:29 |
| #2 It's mole as in the sauce. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-10-23 12:16 |
| #1 The mole that holds us together? I thought that was the badger. |
| Posted by: Pholutch Elmitle9275 2006-10-23 12:09 |