Tijuana: Latin Americans, converted to Islam, create the first refuge for Muslim migrants
They are Latin Americans, residing in San Diego, and walk together towards Allah by rushing to the bedside of the most vulnerable.
The members of the Latina Muslim Foundation walk, with confidence, on the road that the divine word illuminates, until crossing the neighboring Mexican border in order to complete a most laudable objective: acquiring an abandoned building to transform it into a refuge dedicated to migrants , these new wretched of the earth, primarily Muslims.
It’s in Tijuana, this important crossing point and under close surveillance of illegal immigration towards the UNITED STATESthat their steps led them with patience and perseverance. Where, more united than ever, they transcended all difficulties, whether financial, administrative or logistical, without ever giving up in the face of the local ostracism that hit them, as Latinos converted to ‘Islam.
“ The creation of this Muslim refuge in Tijuana, on a border under high tension, in a country, Mexico, predominantly Catholic, was punctuated by obstacles, our Islam as Latin Americans complicated things. But, Hamdoulillah, we succeeded in meeting this major challenge. It took a lot of faith, money, effort and patience », Confided with emotion Sonia Garcia, the president of the Latina Muslim Foundation, at the microphone of CBS.
The summer of 2024 was a period to be marked with a milestone for the figurehead of the Latina Muslim Foundation and all of his very devoted co-religionists: in fact, three years after the first fundraising, the dream, to which they held on with all their might, finally came true.
The first Muslim refuge in Tijuana opened its doors wide, in front of which 30 Afghan migrants, seeking asylum in the United States, had gathered at dawn.
Capable of welcoming 150 people with dignity, in a warm and fraternal atmosphere, feeding them properly, providing them with quality medical care, but also legal advice, psychological support and recreational activities, particularly for children, the announcement of the opening of this unexpected shelter for Muslim migrants, including a prayer room as well as a center promoting their empowerment, quickly spread in Tijuana, among the poor people forced into exodus, mainly from from Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Ghana and even Afghanistan.
“ This refuge is certainly intended for Muslim migrants, but its doors will always remain open to offer protection and comfort to human distress, without distinction of any kind, to our brothers and sisters in humanity. insisted Sonia Garcia vibrantly.
“We have further noted that in Tijuana the number of conversions to Islam is steadily increasing. So we decided that our shelter will also welcome local Muslim Hispanics, looking for a place where they will feel safe to come together, practice Islam and strengthen ties within their small community. she further clarified, before going to meet the first Afghan refugees, with open arms, on the luminous path which leads to the Most High.
