Turning Rhetoric into Resilience: How One Latina Muslim Leader is Countering Anti-Islam Propaganda in Puerto Rico
Civic engagement has long served as a powerful means of outreach when executed with purpose and patience, a reality clearly demonstrated by contemporary Muslim activism in countering anti-Muslim rhetoric within the current political climate. Across various levels of society, Muslim politicians, scholars, community leaders, and everyday citizens facing hostility from right-wing political actors and Christian nationalists have continually shown how attempts to divide communities can instead be transformed into opportunities for meaningful dialogue. Time and again, when faced with intimidation and prejudice, Muslims respond with eloquence, patience, and resilience, gradually drawing the constructive attention of the broader public. Whenever malicious groups or individuals target Islam, affected communities push back against waves of misinformation, thereby opening a viable path toward understanding and mutual respect.
This resilience is deeply rooted in faith. As stated in the Quran, in Surah Al-Saff (61:8): "They wish to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths, but Allah will certainly perfect His light, even to the dismay of the disbelievers."
For people of faith, this spiritual backing provides profound reassurance, yet it also carries a clear obligation to actively dispel harmful stereotypes and protect the fundamental right to practice one’s religion freely and openly. This responsibility typically begins by setting a positive example and participating fully in civic life in ways that reflect individual talents and professional skills. Such involvement frequently encompasses political participation, public advocacy, community education, using the arts to express lived experiences, writing to challenge prevailing misconceptions, or utilizing social media platforms to raise accurate awareness about Islam and Muslims. Whatever form these efforts take, they often function as collective endeavors. When children witness firsthand how their parents and elders respond to Islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric, they learn vital lessons about standing up for themselves, their families, and their wider communities with dignity.
Putting Civic Engagement into Practice
These broader dynamics took on deeply personal dimensions recently for Wendy Díaz, a Puerto Rican Muslim writer, educator, and mother of six who found herself fighting an active anti-Muslim campaign in her home country of Puerto Rico. What began as a handful of unusual social media posts protesting the proposed construction of a new mosque in the western municipality of Mayagüez quickly escalated into a comprehensive propaganda war directed against everything associated with Islam and Muslims. While such hostile campaigns may sound familiar to individuals residing in the United States amid today’s polarized political climate, the development felt entirely out of character coming from the people of Puerto Rico, a society traditionally celebrated for its deep-rooted hospitality and historical solidarity with marginalized groups worldwide, including the Palestinian cause. Because the vast majority of Díaz’s family still resides on the island and remains non-Muslim, these targeted attacks hit particularly close to home, both literally and figuratively.
Historical context reveals that Muslim connections to Puerto Rico extend far back into the era of Spanish colonization and the forced arrival of enslaved Africans, some of whom practiced Islam. While most contemporary islanders readily recognize their complex mixed Indigenous, European, and African heritage, local awareness of historical Islamic influences on Puerto Rican culture remains relatively limited. Later waves of migration, stretching from the nineteenth century up to the present day, brought subsequent generations of Muslims from various parts of the world. Over decades, Arab Muslim and Christian immigrants have successfully established local businesses, integrated into the island’s economic fabric, and contributed to community life. Muslim residents eventually established formal Islamic institutions, including the construction of the island’s first freestanding masjid in 1981 in Río Piedras. Given this longstanding history of coexistence, questions naturally arose regarding who and what was driving the sudden surge in anti-Muslim propaganda.
Analyzing the Roots of Local Hostility
Observers note that there appears to be no single, straightforward explanation for the recent wave of anti-Muslim hostility observed in Puerto Rico. A potent mix of imported political rhetoric, online misinformation, and sensationalized rumors regarding a supposed Muslim "invasion" can easily generate unwarranted fear among populations largely unfamiliar with Islamic practices and communities. Muslims currently constitute a tiny fraction of Puerto Rico’s overall population—estimated at roughly 0.1 percent—meaning that local Islamic communities often maintain a very low profile. Residents living outside the specific municipalities that house mosques may not even be aware that these places of worship exist within their territory.
At the same time, this localized hostility must be examined within the broader framework of ongoing political and economic anxieties across the island. Deep-seated public concerns regarding economic displacement, restricted access to public beaches, escalating housing costs, failing public infrastructure, and the continuous privatization of essential public services have left many Puerto Ricans deeply frustrated, exhausted, and uncertain about their collective future. Under such strained socioeconomic conditions, historical patterns show that scapegoating vulnerable or unfamiliar minorities can become an especially potent tool for those seeking to exploit public discontent. While determining the precise origins of the anti-Muslim sentiment—and investigating whether external actors are financing these digital campaigns for specific political or economic gain—requires rigorous further investigation, the immediate reality of a continuous stream of online hostility demanded a direct, constructive response.
Leveraging Digital Platforms for Education
Faced with a persistent wave of anti-Muslim social media content, Díaz chose to approach civic engagement through proactive education, utilizing mainstream digital platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Having previously utilized both platforms to promote her published literary works and children’s books, she recognized their distinct audience reach. Instagram allows content creators to connect with broader, more diverse networks outside immediate social circles, whereas Facebook facilitates direct communication with extended family members still residing across Puerto Rico.
To counter the prevailing misinformation effectively, she began producing short-form video reels entirely in Spanish. Some of these digital segments utilized gentle humor and satirical skits to highlight and dismantle the glaring factual inaccuracies driving the ongoing propaganda campaign. Other video installments focused squarely on educating the Puerto Rican public about foundational Islamic beliefs, everyday religious practices, and the rich historical presence of Muslims in the Caribbean. Complementing these video efforts, she regularly shared informative articles, historical timelines, and cultural explainers through platform stories and regular posts. Within just a few days of publication, the content garnered thousands of replays and widespread engagement, with numerous viewers responding positively and constructively in the comment sections.
Broadening Community Involvement
Sharing these personal experiences serves as a practical reminder to other parents, educators, and community members that multiple avenues exist for combating Islamophobia and misinformation. Every individual possesses unique talents, professional skills, and creative outlets that can facilitate meaningful connections across diverse populations. As a bilingual, Spanish-speaking Latina convert, Díaz is uniquely positioned to bridge cultural and linguistic divides, reaching individuals who share her specific background and heritage. Similarly, other community members bring valuable artistic abilities, technical knowledge, public speaking proficiencies, or gifts for creative storytelling to the table. Each of these distinct skill sets offers a viable mechanism for challenging pervasive misconceptions and fostering genuine cross-cultural understanding.
Examining how families can engage collectively involves identifying shared interests, hobbies, and individual strengths, and then considering how those specific capabilities might serve the wider community. When parents and educators guide children toward constructive approaches that match their personal inclinations, young people learn valuable lessons in agency and social responsibility. Collaborating with siblings, peers, or community groups allows youth to channel feelings of frustration or concern into purposeful, positive action.
While confronting the reality of potential discrimination can be daunting for families, preparing children in constructive ways significantly strengthens their confidence, resilience, and sense of civic empowerment. Such experiences teach young people that their voices carry weight and that they possess meaningful contributions to make to the neighborhoods and societies they call home. Ultimately, active civic engagement transforms into a profound expression of communal responsibility and outreach when individuals utilize their unique talents to uphold justice, disseminate accurate information, and serve their neighbors with integrity. By continuing to show up consistently as families and communities, citizens can collectively foster positive, lasting social change.
