Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 15, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported on the growing phenomenon of Latino conversions to Islam. Though precise statistics are not available, Islamic leaders estimate that there are approximately 15,000 Latino Muslims in the United States, with major populations in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Miami. Last month, a group of 30 Southern California Latino converts founded the Latino-Muslim Movement at the ILM Foundation to educate Spanish-speaking Muslims and to spread Islam to other Latinos. One of the their main goals is to translate the Qur'an into contemporary, conversational Spanish because the only 2 translations available are in formal, Castilian Spanish.