Fe Burgess, left, Aishah, Charlston, and Rashid are Today’s Spotlight, a look at the people and families in Hernando’s Muslim community.
Family members: Rashid, 31; Fe, 24; Charlston, 7; and Aishah, 23 months.
Native countries: Rashid is a native Floridian; Fe is originally from the Philippines.
Occupations: Rashid is a lawn care worker; Fe is a homemaker.
Arrival in Hernando County: Rashid came here in 1993; Fe in 2001.
Rashid was raised in the Florida Keys and born to the name Lee Burgess. As a child, his mother took him to protestant and Catholic churches. But when clergy members couldn't answer his nagging questions, he began his own search for truth. Eventually he found Islam. When he converted six years ago, he took the Muslim name Rashid, which he says means "righteous one." He met Fe, who grew up Catholic in the Philippines, through a pen pal club. When they met, Fe already had Charlston. They exchanged letters for two years before he visited her in the Philippines. After a month together, they were engaged, marrying in the United States in 2001. Fe was introduced to Islam by Rashid, but she too began researching the faith. "I just feel like before, when I was Catholic, I was empty. I was looking for something. When I started studying the Koran, it made sense." Aishah, their first child together, is named after the second wife of the prophet Mohammed.
