Have you ever wondered how a Muslim in San Diego lives? Most people have no idea what it's like to be a Muslim or live a Muslim life. Therefore, I'm here to teach you why we should respect and appreciate them. So I picked Muslim Americans and communities in San Diego as the subjects of my stone investigation. The mosque and the Muslim Community Center are the only Muslim landmarks in San Diego at the moment.
My class visited the Muslim Community Center in Via Fiesta, which is one of San Diego's largest mosques.
The population of the Muslim community in San Diego is 120,000 American Muslims. The population has grown a lot over time, and the community has grown stronger and better with everyone's help. The Muslim community center has helped a lot of people with their religious actions and prayers. Sometimes people need a place to feel comfortable when doing so.
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The background history of Muslim Americans dates back to over 400 years ago. The first documented arrival of Muslims in America was during the 17th century, when slaves were transported from Africa. It is estimated that a quarter to a third of the enslaved people brought from Africa were Muslim. Large numbers of Moriscos (former Muslims from Spain and Portugal) also came to the Spanish colonies, including many areas of what is now the USA. Although enslaved people were denied freedom of religion, many did practice their faith in secret and passed it on to their children. Most people say the Muslim community center is great for their lead prayers and their wide range of programs about the religion and the history behind it. For example, Islam has a history of being a very peaceful and kind religion until the 9-11 attack on the twin towers. Muslims then got a bad name since an Arab Muslim was framed for the attack. There are documents indicating that Muslims arrived in America 400 years ago, but who knows, they could have arrived much earlier.
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When they migrate here, they bring their culture and shape the city for the better. They also offer value to businesses who are looking for people to hire. San Diego's Muslim startup companies will also be recognized on a global level. Many of them are multi-million-dollar companies that started in San Diego and are expanding their roots.
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Another thing is that Muslim women usually wear head coverings called hijabs, and Muslims have mosques around San Diego. Every year when the full moon is spotted, Ramadan starts, where they fast for 30 days. For example, they wake up at sunrise and eat a lot, but then don't eat or drink until sunset.
The Muslim people of San Diego were the fastest religion in San Diego to grow into such a big group. "This group grew so big to 179% Muslims that Islam is the 7th largest religion in the country." Also, due to the growth of masque, many who are refugees are finding it easier to integrate into American society. They used to have many Muslim immigrants who would form social groups, until the group was large enough to have a mosque built for them.
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In conclusion, this story stone will commemorate Muslims in the past, present, and future and how they helped shape San Diego and other parts of the US into what they are today.
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Sources: Muslim people in San Diego, American Muslims in the United States
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By:
Sadaf, Hazel, Safiyah, Alix, Aspen and Sebastien