ISLAM IN AMERICA
Reflections on the 20th Anniversary of “El Clon” Teaching religious and cultural understanding through soap operas BY WENDY DÍAZ
O
n October 1, 2001, the epic telenovela or novela “O Clone” was released in Brazil on Rede Globo Television. After its successful debut, this soap opera was syndicated, dubbed in Spanish, and picked up all over Latin America. Aired from October 2001 to June 2002, with 221 episodes, it went on to be broadcast in 90+ countries. The first show of its kind to feature a Muslim main character, it radically changed how Latinos thought about Islam. In fact, “El Clon” was the latest sensation when I traveled to Puerto Rico as a hijab-wearing Muslima for the first time. And just like its opening song, it was maktub (written) that it happened then. About three years after my conversion, I was ready to visit my family in Puerto Rico fully covered. Most of my relatives were aware that I had left Catholicism. However, I was afraid of how they would react to my hijab, for it would be something foreign to them. On a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary, the veil was a symbol of devotion; but on a Muslima, it represented a distant tradition. I wasn’t sure if my family would understand that it was just as much a part of me as my Puerto Rican identity. During this time, I was living with my Egyptian Muslima best friend, Heba, and her family while finishing my bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland. I invited her to accompany me for moral support and so that I wouldn’t be the only hijab-wearer in my grandparents’ house. At that time, I didn’t know that Puerto Rico had nine mosques and thousands of Muslims. Before leaving the island, I had never seen a Muslim woman in hijab. This led me to believe that I might be the only Puerto Rican Muslima in existence. Besides, the shadow of 9/11 still loomed over the whole Islamic community. These things compounded my worries. Prior to my trip, I wrote letters to my grandparents and sent them copies of the Quran, explaining my new way of life and urging them to read and open their minds. I let them know that they could ask me anything; but the questions never came. Heba and I packed baggy jeans, long-sleeve t-shirts, skirts, and light-weight hijabs that would withstand the tropical heat. We even took matching outfits for fun. If we were going to be the only two hijab-wearers, then we may as well be color-coordinated! When we arrived in San Juan, my uncle picked us up from the airport. He was the first family member to see me wearing it. But my mother had warned him ahead of time. We chatted casually, ignoring the elephant in the room; it helped that Heba had come along. And yet there was something more. I expected more of an uproar —people in the airport to stare at us like we were strange or treat us with hostility. Instead, their eyes lit up in admiration. It was so odd. As we walked outside and into the humid breeze of San Juan, people nodded and smiled at us. I would look over my shoulder and see them still beaming. It wasn’t a mocking sneer, but a genuine look of contentment, as if the hijab was something familiar. At first, I attributed it to the fact that Puerto Ricans have a great reverence for the Virgin Mary. Maybe the hijab reminded them of her. Upon reaching my mother’s house at night, I finally caught a glimpse of the real reason for our warm reception: A TV channel was playing “El Clon.” 28 ISLAMIC HORIZONS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
This telenovela, set in Brazil and Morocco, had as its main character a young Muslima named Jade who was coming of age in Brazil. After her mother’s death, she returns to her family in Morocco. Although she was born Muslim and wears the hijab, her upbringing leaves her confused. She falls in love with a Brazilian man who visits Morocco, and a crazy love story develops that involves twins, a clone, arranged marriages and a lot of culture shock. Because the story takes place in both countries, viewers were exposed to different aspects of Muslim life, including the hijab. “El Clon” showed Latin Americans another side of Islam, contrary to the U.S. media’s violent terrorist narrative. Viewers learned about Muslims through some of its characters, especially Jade’s uncle and
