Islam has joined a battle for the hearts and minds of Mexico's volatile Tzotzil Indians in Chiapas state, home of Zapatista rebels and a hotbed of sectarian strife between Christians. In an unlikely meeting of two worlds, an idealistic Muslim sect has converted some 300 Tzotzils, a Maya Indian group known for drink-fueled fiestas and religious fervor. "It was difficult to learn the prayers in Arabic at first but now I have them in my heart," said Muhammad Emin Lopez, 46, a Tzotzil...

When Carlos Puerto was growing up in his native Colombia, he was taught to step out of bed in the morning on his right foot to ensure a good day. It's a custom, he said, that's common in many Spanish-speaking countries. So he was surprised, many years later, to find a similar practice among Muslims, who follow the example set by the prophet Muhammad. "When I embraced Islam, I was surprised by all the similar customs," said Mr. Puerto, one of a small but growing number of Hispanic...

Given by Yahya Juan Suquillo, the Imam of the Islamic Center in Ecuador at the Fourth Annual Conference of Latin American Muslim leaders in Curacao. Sponsored by I.S.E.S.C.O. (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) & O.L.P.A.D.I. (Organización Latinoamericana para la Difusión del Islam). FOREWORD Before the end of the second millennium CE, most scientists and thinkers in the western world have began to question their assumptions about the theory of...

MEXICO CITY, November 23 (IslamOnline) - Muslims in Mexico started observing the holy month of Ramadan on November 6. Some Muslims determined the date based on information received from Islamic countries, while others used information received from adjacent countries, mainly the USA. The moon sighting information from abroad concurred with information received from the Observatory of the UNAM (the Autonomous University of Mexico.) As normal, the Taraweeh prayer started immediately on the...

Some foreign missionaries working for an Islamic group in the southern state of Chiapas have been asked to leave Mexico because they lack proper residency documents, a Mexican immigration official said Sunday. The missionaries -- who include Basque converts to Islam from Spain -- have converted a number of Chamula and Tzotzil Indians, but have never applied for status as a religious organization, said Javier Moctezuma Barragan, assistant secretary of the National Immigration Institute. ...