Born into a household devastated by the Colombian drug cartel — her father received 30 years in prison, her mother died of a heroin overdose — sister Natalie was heading down the same destructive path. But her desire to give her children a better life led her to a masjid, and from there to the most transformative decision of her life: embracing Islam.
From the Cartel to the Quran
Sister Natalie’s life before Islam was defined by chaos. Growing up between two dysfunctional households, she followed in her parents’ footsteps until the realization hit: she did not want to leave her children the way her mother left her. When Muslim friends told her that Islam was simply about believing in one God — no statues, no intermediaries — the message resonated immediately.
“I compared my dress to that of the Virgin Mary. I told my family: how do you pray to her and it’s okay for her to dress like that? She’s supposed to be the greatest woman on Earth — and you don’t want me to dress like her? That shut them up.”
The Challenges of Transformation
- Family rejection: One Christmas, relatives slammed the door in her face because they did not recognize her in hijab. One sister still does not speak to her
- Leaving the old lifestyle: She was no longer the Natalie who showed up with Coronas to the party. The drinking, the heels, the extensions — all of it was replaced by salah, salam, and sisterhood
- First Ramadan: Extremely difficult as a new Muslimah without many close sisters, but the bonds she formed during that time became deeper than any friendship she had at the bar
- Family acceptance: Eventually, her family realized that if Islam meant she was no longer drunk or crashing cars, they could accept it
A Message to Latinas
In Colombian culture, appearance is everything — hair, makeup, heels. But sister Natalie urges Latina women to see themselves as more than their looks. Read the Quran, reflect on it with an open mind, and recognize that every single word is beautiful and true. “If you find one thing in the Quran that you do not see as true, then close the book and don’t open it again” — that is her challenge, and her confidence in its outcome says everything.
