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Page 4 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 18
But, gradually, Christian armies advanced. After the fall of the last Moor-
ish stronghold in Granada in 1492, the cross replaced the crescent on
Spain’s minarets and Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity or
be exiled. Many Latino Muslims in Los Angeles see their conversion as
a return to their Moorish roots.
Today, Southern California has the third-largest concentration of Mus-
lims in the country, including 58 mosques and Islamic centers in Los
Angeles County.
“In Catholicism, there are just so many ways to go. Why am I
going to pray to the saints?” she added. “When we find Islam, we
don’t have to waste energy. It’s like if I call the operator to get a
number, I waste energy. But with Islam, I have the number. I get
connected directly to God.”
Along with the formation of more Latino Muslim organizations,
conversion stories have begun burning up the Internet. Ali Al-Mex-
icano, a 25-year-old Pomona computer technician, created his
own World Wide Web page account of how he became Muslim
that includes the first time he read the Qur’an. “It was so clear
and written in a simple, understanding way,” he said. “It just hit
me. This has to be the truth.”
Though Al-Mexicano family accepted his conversion, several
other young Latinos who have begun searching outside the tra-
ditional confines of Catholicism have found conversion to be a
heart-wrenching affair, often tearing families apart.
“We have a strong Islamic legacy...peo -
ple are rediscovering that part of their
heritage.” Islam penetrated almost every
facet of Spanish life...music, architec -
ture , literature .”
Domy Garcia said her family in Mexico was confused and upset
by her decision to leave the church. The Buena Park mother
converted to Islam two years ago after rejecting the religion she
said was forced on her Mexican ancestors.
Undeterred by her family’s reaction, Garcia said her main con-
cern now is raising her children as Muslims and introducing more
Latinos to Islam. “My family just would not accept it. They said,
‘What happened? You’ve changed so much,’” she recalled. “But
it’s all right, because on Judgment Day, my family won’t be able
to help. It will be God.”
The Latino-Muslim Movement meets every Sunday afternoon for
discussions at the ILM Foundation, a community center managed
by Saadiq Saafir, a prominent African American prayer leader, or
imam. About 2 p.m., Elizabeth Chawki, a Native American who is
fluent in Spanish, usually begins the sessions, which have focused
on women, preparation of food, marriage and Islamic divorce.
Despite the perception that all Muslims are Arab, Chawki said,
converts see the distinction between religion and ethnicity. “This
is about pure religion, not culture. We still eat our tamales and
frijoles,” said Chawki, referring to some Latino dishes served after
the discussions.
Gomez, a native of Nicaragua with no prior religious affiliations,
said it was after reading “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” that
he began to explore Islam. Like several other converts, Gomez
spoke with resentment about the Catholic Church’s involvement in
Latin America. “Viewing Jesus as a prophet and a political leader,
and not a God, made more sense to me,” he said.
The Latino-MuslimMovement also aims to bring together Muslims
regardless of race. At a recent meeting, Saafir reflected on the
emerging phenomenon of Latino conversions as similar to the time
when African Americans began accepting Islam 50 years ago. In
allowing the group to use the Islamic center, Saafir hopes to tear
down the barriers that divide blacks and Latinos. “We all realize
that we’re Muslim first,” Saafir said. “This religion is going to bring
us together.” Nur nodded. “Inshallah,” he whispered.
court suPPorts musLim i nmates -- Prisoners h ave
right to attend Prayer
services By Denny Walsh
SACRAMENTO - Every Muslim prisoner in California has the right
to attend traditional prayer services, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Freedom of religion doesn’t end at the prison gate, U.S. District
Judge Lawrence Karlton made clear in a blistering 15-page order
in which he held the state Department of Corrections in contempt.
Karlton demanded that the agency ensure that every Muslim inmate
in California - an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 - be permitted to
attend Jumu’ah prayer services at midday Fridays.
He gave a 15-day deadline for submittal of a plan to permit inmate
access to the congregational services that are part of the Five Pillars
defining Muslim religious practice. Karlton’s order comes in a
1995 case in which Ernest Fenelon, a California Medical Facility
inmate, sued for the right to attend the Jumu’ah services, generally
held between noon and 1 p.m. The services of no other religion
were at issue.
Corrections officials contend that regulations preclude prison-
ers from leaving their jobs to attend “routine” weekly religious
services. Making an exception for Jumu’ah services, they insist,
would disrupt the work program, require a regulation change,
“cause problems with security and prison operations” at prisons
statewide. At Jumu’ah services, the “imam” - or leader - preaches
a sermon before the praying begins.
During prayer, the imam recites all the words and the worshipers
silently follow him in his motions - for example, standing erect,
bowing and pressing their foreheads on the ground.
Friday’s action was the culmination of a series of rulings on the
matter in favor of worship. In February, Karlton sided with Fenelon
and issued a preliminary injunction, but his ruling was implement-
ed only to permit such religious freedom to Fenelon - not to all
Muslim inmates.
At a June hearing, Deputy Attorney General Bernice Louie Yew
told Karlton this was because his injunction was “not clear with
respect to other prisoners.” “It is only my good sense that keeps
me from putting you and your clients in jail and let you see what
it feels like,” Karlton fumed. “Your duty is not to cut the salami so
thin that you can see through it.”
In Friday’s order, Karlton assured the Corrections Department it
will face sanctions by the court if it fails to submit a plan accom-
modating all Muslim prisoners. Department spokeswoman Kati
Corsaut said the agency “fully intends to comply with the order.”
“We’re talking about the most basic of human rights,” said attorney
Steven Burlingham, representing Fenelon. “They want to use their
lunch hour to pray. Yet, we have been in court for four years. “It’s
ridiculous to spend taxpayers’ money to fight this. There are lots
better uses for the state’s resources. We’re not asking for televi-
sion sets or a golf course. We want an hour to worship God.” In
his motion for contempt, Burlingham claimed that, after Karlton
issued his preliminary injunction in February, prison officials “took
steps to retaliate against (Fenelon).”
However, the judge found that three incidents cited in the motion
do not prove retaliation. He adopted the recommendations of
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Moulds. Quoting appellate case law,
Moulds said the First Amendment requires that prisoners be af-
forded “a reasonable opportunity to worship in accordance with
their conscience.”
The U.S. Supreme Court found in 1987 that “Jumu’ah is com-
manded by the Koran and must be held every Friday after the
sun reaches its zenith and before the ‘Asr,’ or afternoon prayer,”
Moulds pointed out. “There is no question that (Muslim prisoners’)
sincerely held religious beliefs compel attendance at Jumu’ah,”
the high court said.