Latina/o y Musulmán: The Construction of Latina/O Identity Among Latina/O Muslims in the United States

Latinas/os are the fastest growing minoritized ethnic group in the United States and Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States. It is therefore no surprise that the Latina/o Muslim population is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States. As a minority within a minority the ways in which U.S. Latina/o Muslims construct their identity is not only interesting in itself but also of interest for how they challenge traditional understandings of U.S. Latina/o identities. This book explores the process of conversion of U.S. Latina/o Muslims and how it becomes the foundation for the re-construction of their U.S. Latina/o identities. Furthermore since Latina/o religious experience in the United States up until now has largely assumed Christianity as the de facto religion Latina/o y Musulman brings a whole new angle to studies in this area. Martinez-Vazquez lays the broader analytical foundation for how the religious experiences of non-Christian U.S. Latinas/os shape the process of identity construction. Through his utilization of Latina/o Muslim conversion narratives Martinez-Vasquez offers us new perspectives and ways of knowing for capturing the fluidity of Latina/o identities and communities in order to better comprehend the complexities of the U.S. Latina/o religious experience. This scholarship will bring new and important theoretical sophistication to the field of Latina/o and American Religious Studies. --Alberto Lopez Pulido Department of Ethnic Studies University of San Diego Latina/o y Musulman is a captivating book. Focusing upon the narratives of initial conversion and continuing observance of Latinos and Latinas in the USA who are Muslim its pages open up new insights into the manner in which identities are constructed contested and reconstructed. Martinez-Vazquez continues to challenge us to see history and culture through a different lens enabling us to remember outside the colonial. --Dale T. Irvin President and Professor of World Christianity New York Theological Seminary. Hjamil A. Martinez-Vazquez is Assistant Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth Texas.