The American Muslim Podcast · El-Amin Communications

Wendy Diaz on Islam, Identity, and Inclusion

·1 hr 7 min·4 clips

Diaz contrasts Puerto Rico's caste history with U.S. racism and describes being told to go to the "black church."

Imam Tariq Al-Amin opens the conversation by welcoming Sister Wendy Diaz into a space shaped by openness and reflection. Wendy Diaz is introduced as a writer, educator, poet, and co-founder of Hablamos Islam. Her work with Latino Muslim families gives the interview its center. The discussion treats language as service, not just self-expression. Diaz describes Spanish-language Islamic outreach as part of a larger effort to make faith easier to access. The host asks how her creative process works. She says poetry does not really obey force. For her, the writing has to arrive with some measure of inspiration. She cannot manufacture it on command. That idea runs through much of the conversation. Diaz also talks about writing regularly for a parenting newsletter at Sound Vision. That weekly practice keeps her in the habit of putting thought into language. She explains that the column draws on her own experience and then folds in research. The aim is usefulness. She wants the work to help other parents. The interview then turns toward poetry as a different kind of writing. Diaz says poetry may begin with a question, an experience, or something small that happens during the day. She emphasizes that not everyone has to become a writer. The point is to use the gifts Allah has given with honesty. One of the strongest moments comes when the conversation turns to Palestine and Gaza. Diaz recalls being asked to write about the situation. She sat with the request for a long time. Even then, the pain felt too raw to translate cleanly into lines. The exchange leaves poetry sounding less like ornament and more like witness. Throughout, the show stays with biography, practice, and moral attention rather than rushing to a summary.

As heard by us

A reflective interview about faith, writing, and Spanish-language Muslim outreach.

Wendy Diaz comes across as a writer, educator, poet, and co-founder of Hablamos Islam. The discussion stays with the overlap between faith, parenting, and Spanish-language Islamic outreach, and Imam Tariq Al-Amin lets her talk through the work of supporting Latino Muslim…

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Why you'd press play

For a slow, thoughtful conversation about Spanish-language Islamic outreach, poetry, and writing that serves community.

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