According to figures from the American Muslim Council, there are some 200,000 Latin Muslims living in the USA. Data from the Latin American Communicating the Word Association suggest that women represent around 60% of Latin Muslims. According to newspaper reports some Latins feel a special bond between the historical legacy of Islam and their own cultures. The reason for that is the Andalusian Muslims of Spain and the rich Islamic experience of the time. The influence of Islam on architecture, cuisine, language and especially ethics was carried from Spain to Latin America. Spanish contains hundreds of words of Arabic origin.
Muslims carried civilization, peace and brotherhood with them wherever they went throughout history. Islam is a religion of peace. In Islam, human beings are regarded as manifestations of Allah. For that reason, nobody can harbour feelings of hatred towards anyone else. Even if they hold different opinions, a believer is aware that the other party is living the destiny ordained by Allah.
Aware of this, believers bring love and brotherhood with them wherever they go. They protect everyone, Muslim or otherwise. They feel a responsibility for the security of the un-believers. Believers have a responsibility before Allah to allow them to live as well as possible and to ensure they can worship as they so choose.
The positive impact left behind by the devout and civilized Muslims of Spain can still be seen in societies 800 years later. Everyone who has ever learned about the history of Andalusia and its way of life has been hugely impressed by the Muslims’ elevated levels of civilization. The origins of that civilization lie in Islamic moral virtues and the Qur’an.
There are 200 thousand Latin Americans in USA