Stories of Some of the Early “Latino” Muslims (Part 2)

ALIANZA ISLAMICA, pioneering Latino Muslims in New York City. Giving dawah since the 1970’s. ASWAD (Ancient Sacred Wisdom And Development) at Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood.

By Yahya Abdul-Latif Figueroa Director, Alianza Islamica Reclaiming heritage lends itself to the false impression of dwelling on the past. The next few lines are about the future flowing from the past. Hopefully a reopening to a humble beginning that accomplished a number of great starts yet confronted many challenges and now must map a…

By Yahya Figueroa Strangely our brothers and sisters following the Salafi model love photos and publicity although many of the same minhaj believe photos to be haram, such as pictures of women with exposed faces.  I think it speaks to our confusion that these same ladies embrace modest dressing yet their behavior desires to be…

By Wendy Diaz The Message International August 7, 2024 On the scorching summer day of July 9, 2024, high above the clouds at 35,000 feet, I finished the book Alianza Islámica: Spanish Harlem’s Hispanic Odyssey. I was traveling back home to what the pilot called “El Calentón,” the sweltering Caribbean heat of Puerto Rico. The story…

By Yahya Abdul-Latif Figueroa Director, Alianza Islamica In these next few lines I want to boldly assert that Alianza was truly unique as a voice of Spanish Islam and that its vision and mission must be reclaimed and built again.  I want to stress that other groups today that are attempting to monopolize a Spanish…

By Jorge “Fabel” Pabon aka Brother Shukriy As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu, Alianza Islamica helped form the Muslim I am today. After embracing Islam in August of 1989, I began to mosque hop (going from one mosque to another) in an effort to find my rightful place in an Islamic community. My journey…