In a testament to the diversity—and openness—of the American Muslim community, Latino Muslims in Santa Ana, California have found a home at a mosque run by Cambodian refugees. As a small group with unique cultural and linguistic background, many members of the Latino Muslim community had concerns about whether they could fit into the larger Muslim community in the area. But, after years of struggling to find religious texts, classes, and services in Spanish, Latino Muslims collaborated with a small mosque in Orange County run by Cambodian refugees to provide these services and resources. As one mosque leader said, working with the area’s Latino Muslims was important for the mosque community, saying that it was “an opportunity to serve the community that you’re located in… About 78 percent of those who live in Santa Ana are Latino, and if word spread out to that 78 percent of the population that there’s an Islamic Center here, maybe more of them will gravitate here.”
