By Christine Armario
Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/

It surprises many of their friends and family, but some young US Latinas say Islam offers women more respect…

…Many of the Latina converts say that their belief that women are treated better in Islam was a significant factor in converting. Critics may protest that wearing the veil marks a woman as property, but some Latina converts say they welcome the fact that they are no longer whistled at walking down a street. “People have an innate response that I’m a religious person, and they give [me] more respect,” says Jenny Yanez, another Latina Muslim. “You’re not judged if you’re in fashion or out of fashion.”

…Other Latina Muslims say they also like the religion’s emphasis on fidelity to one’s spouse and family…

…Some Latina Muslims say they harbored stereotypes about Muslim women before deciding to convert, but changed their minds once becoming close friends with a Muslim.

…”A women is respected because she is the mother, she takes care of the children, and she’s the one that enforces the rules,” Pinet says. “They’re the ones who are sacred.”…

• enclosure: http://www.islaam.ca/downloads/audio/mutahbeale.mp3 5612362 audio/mpeg

The following is excerpted from a biography on ‘wikipedia’ From the Music Studio to the Mosque!!

“Napoleon (real name Mutah Wassin Shabazz Beale) (born Newark, New Jersey on October 11, 1977), is [note: was] an African-American rapper [note: formerly]. His mother, Aquillah Beale, was Christian and his father, Salek Beale, Muslim. When he was three or four years old his parents were murdered and his brother, Seike Beale, committed suicide.

After this, he along with his big brother, Moonie Beale, and his little brother, Kamil “Hellraza” Beale, moved to their grandmother in Irvington, New Jersey. As Beale grew older he started rapping. In 1994, he ran into his childhood friend Yafeu “Kadafi” Fula who he hadn’t had contact with for years. Both of them were rapping and Kadafi’s Godbrother was the notorious rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur. Kadafi’s mother, Yaasmyn Fula, told Tupac about Beale. She told him how he witnessed his parents being murdered and it made him cry. He felt he had to met Beale. They met and Beale joined their group, Dramacydal. Unlike the other members he didn’t go under an alias, he just went under his first name.

On April 5, 1995, Tupac’s LP, Me Against The World, was released. Mutah guest appeared on the song “Outlaw.” In 1995, Mutah, Bruce “Fatal” Washington, Kadafi, Katari “Kastro” Cox, Malcolm “E.D.I.” Greenidge, Tupac formed the group the Outlaw Immortalz; later renamed to the Outlawz. Tupac gave each member of the group an alias taken from an enemy of America, he gave Mutah the alias Napoleon after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. On February 13, 1996, Tupac’s double LP, All Eyez On Me, was released. Napoleon guest appeared on “Tradin’ War Stories,” “When We Ride,” “Thug Passion” and “Run Tha Streetz.” He was also the center of attention in Tupac’s famous song I ain’t mad at cha. Here Tupac talked about how Napoleon became a strong Muslim who always tried to do good.”

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An interesting interview with a former rapper who became inspired to learn about his Muslim roots. After following in the footsteps of Malcolm X and making the Hajj, he began to learn about the essence of Islam (tawheed - the oneness of Allaah) and decided to leave a fast lifestyle of music, intoxicants and vice for the simplicity of Islam. Why you may ask? We invite you to listen and find out…

Listen to this Testimonial…

PARIS – Mary Fallot looks as unlike a terrorist suspect as one could possibly imagine: a petite and demure white Frenchwoman chatting with friends on a cell-phone, indistinguishable from any other young woman in the café where she sits sipping coffee.

And that is exactly why European antiterrorist authorities have their eyes on thousands like her across the continent.

Ms. Fallot is a recent convert to Islam. In the eyes of the police, that makes her potentially dangerous.

Read full article here.

An increasing number of Hispanics are being drawn to Islam. Since 1999, the U.S. Hispanic Muslim population has increased by 30% to an estimated 200,000, according to the national director of the American Muslim Council in Chicago.

Many of the new converts, often second- and third-generation Hispanic Americans, are attracted to Islam due to curiosity, marriage and a common interest such as immigration.

The boom is especially significant in New York, Florida, California and Texas, where Hispanic communities are the largest.

Source 

An report appearing on YNetNews:

According to statistics from the Population Administration, 2006 will be a record year for Israeli Jews joining the Muslim religion. In the past few years, the number of conversions to Islam was relatively stable at 35 per year, but over 70 conversions were expected this year. In 2003, 40 Jews converted to Islam; in 2004 the number dropped to 27; and last year it stood at 33. But the trend took a drastic turn this year, and Interior Ministry data showed that in the first half of 2006 alone 42 conversions were recorded, and a comparable number is expected throughout the second half of the year.

The process of converting to Islam is carried out at the Muslim religious court which operates according to Islamic law. In contrast to Jewish conversions, which last months and often years, to become Muslim one must only convince the court that one’s intentions are sincere and declare faith in Allah.

Most are Jewish and Christian women who convert after choosing to marry Muslim men. The number of men who convert to Islam is far lower, but has also seen a rise.

“Jews say they decided to convert after deepening their knowledge of Islam. Many are disappointed in Judaism,” a senior member of the Islamic court said.

In the past, the Religious Affairs and Interior Ministries made it very difficult for Jews to convert to Islam. “They are giving me the runaround, sending me back and forth from office to office. They made me see a psychiatrist, to ‘make sure I wasn’t brainwashed.’ They did everything so that I would despair and return to Judaism,” one convert related.

Mutah Beale is the real name of the former “Outlawz” rapper, Napoleon. There is a nice audio interview on Islaam.Ca in which Mutah explains what made him turn to Islam and renounce his previous life of excessive indulgence.

An interesting interview with a former rapper who became inspired to learn about his Muslim roots. After following in the footsteps of Malcolm X and making the Hajj, he began to learn about the essence of Islam (Tawheed - the oneness of Allaah) and decided to leave a fast lifestyle of music, intoxicants and vice for the simplicity of Islam. Why you may ask?