The Secret Lives of Muslims In Brazil

 

Brazilian Catholic Sister's Surprising Convert Story

 

Islam takes root in land of bikinis and Carnival

RIO DE JANEIRO: “As-salam aleikum!” Omar greeted worshippers as he entered Mesquita da Luz, Rio’s first mosque where he had just broken his Ramazan fast at dusk.

Those are some of the only words Omar knows in Arabic, and he quickly continued his conversation in Portuguese with fellow Muslims who mostly, like him, converted recently to Islam in the world’s biggest Catholic country.

In a land known more for its bikinis and extravagant Carnival featuring scantily clad women, a small but growing number of Brazilians of various backgrounds call themselves Muslim.

For decades, it was primarily families of Libyan, Palestinian and Syrian descent who practiced Islam in Brazil.

Omar, who until just four years ago officiated as Catholic priest at a local church, explained why he embraced Islam.

“I found in Islam everything I had always looked for. I met God as he is, with no adaptation,” the 34-year-old graphic designer told AFP.

Wearing a traditional long djellaba robe, he refused to give his official name, instead only revealing his Muslim one: Omar Israfil Dawud bin Ibrahim.

“At the seminary, you learn that Islam is one of the monotheistic religions. There is no prejudice against this religion,” said Omar as he stood by his wife Alessandra Faria, who goes by the name “Fatima” after converting and deciding to wear the veil.

“In the beginning, my mother was mortified at the thought of going outside with me. I wear the veil to show I am Muslim and aware that I am part of a minority,” she said.

Fatima’s hijab may raise eyebrows in Rio, where it is more common to see women walking the streets in bikinis in seaside neighborhoods, but she says her beliefs can find a place here.

“Brazil is a mix, made up of several different cultures. This mix makes Brazilians very adaptable and tolerant.” Like most practicing Muslims here, Omar and Fatima are only recent converts to Islam. They plan to travel to Saudi Arabia next year on a Saudi government grant to learn Arabic.

‘New form of resistance’

Renovations on the mosque they attend in the suburb of Tijuca north of Rio got under way four years ago with donations from worshippers. It will soon hold up to 400 people during prayers, a major upgrade.

“The number of Muslims continues to grow, and most are Brazilians who are converting. We recruit members mostly online,” said Sami Isbelle, a spokesman for the Beneficent Muslim Society (SBMRJ).

“In Rio, there are about 500 Muslim families, 85 per cent of them Brazilian converts who have no Arab links,” Isbelle said.

Things are different in Sao Paulo state and southern regions of Brazil, where most Muslims were born as such and are often of Arab descent.

Brazil’s census does not count the number of Muslims, and only provides data on Catholics, evangelicals, Jews, spiritualists and followers of Afro-Brazilian religions.

“Muslims are listed in the ‘other’ category, along with Buddhists, for example, said Islam expert Paulo Pinto of Fuminense Federal University, who estimated Brazil is home to about a million Muslims.

The best indicator of the growth of Islam in the country is the rapid increase in the number of places of worship, according to Pinto. There are now 127 mosques, four times as many as there were back in 2000.

After the September 11 attacks in the United States, “there was a growth of interest in Islam, and many people decided to convert,” Pinto added. “Islam was seen as a new form of resistance.” But it was a “telenovela” or soap opera launched just three weeks after the 2001 attacks, “The Clone,” that sparked some Brazilians’ infatuation with Islam.

Set in Morocco, the popular show showed a “positive image of that part of the world, with a benevolent Muslim hero,” said Pinto.

“There is a tendency to think that Brazilian culture, as liberal and sensual as it is, is against the rules of Islam. But in fact, there are many conservative rules that are part of moral and sexual control. Look at how many evangelicals are successful in Brazil!”

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Ali Mohamed Mazloum: Brazil Muslim Judge's Success Story

Looking back at his journey, Ali Mohamed Mazloum can sum it up in few, yet telling, words.

"It was not easy," Mazloum, the first Muslim to serve as a federal judge in the predominantly-Catholic Brazil, told IslamOnline.net.

He was born in Sao-Paolo in 1960 to a Muslim family that emigrated from Lebanon a year before his birth.

His journey to the prestigious post began at a young age, when he joined the Faculty of Law like four of his siblings.

He worked for 4 years as a chief prosecutor in one of Sao Paolo districts and pursued his post-graduate studies.

Mazloum became a federal judge, the most high-profile judicial post in the Latin-American country, in 1997.

He teaches criminal law at Brazilia University and delivers lectures on law in many other Brazilian states.

Mazloum believes that being brought up in a family that honors the values of science, ethics, and education was a key element in his success.

He tried to instill the same values in his own children, two sons and a daughter, who joined prominent schools and universities.

"There is a big Muslim community in Brazil, but they usually don't achieve important official posts," Mazloum laments.

"This is due to the fact that the majority of them focus on business rather than education."

According to the 2001 census, there are 27,239 Muslims in Brazil, the majority of them are descendants of Syrian, Palestinians and Lebanese immigrants.

However, the Islamic Brazilian Federation puts the number at around one and a half million.

Mazloum says he is starting to see a positive shift.

"The winds of change are starting to blow.

"Many Muslims now are achieving distinguished success in their professions, especially the medical field."

Practical Da`wah

Mazloum believes he has a responsibility of representing Islam to fellow Brazilians.

He found a practical means of da`wah and projecting the true image of his faith through charity.

"I chose charity and voluntary work as my way to introduce Islam to people and shatter negative stereotypes about the religion," he told IOL.

Mazloum's da`wah projects involve giving a helping hand to poor Brazilians, especially non-Muslim ones.

His first project, "Friends of Islam," aims at organizing social voluntary activities in the poor districts of Sau Paolo.

They picked up 10 families of the poor districts to join free training courses in computer and hand crafts like sawing and hair-cutting to help them help themselves.

"This project saw a great success that it solicited the support of the local authorities in Guarolios district and Sao Paolo state authorities," Sheikh Khaled Rezq Takieddin, head of the Supreme Council for Imams and Islamic Affairs in Brazil, told IOL.

Takieddin believes that Mazloum's charity work is extremely important in washing away many misconceptions about Islam.

"It helps improve the image of Muslims in society."

For Mazloum, charity is simply part of being a good Muslim.

"It is our duty to be role models for others."

Brazil Muslims: Keeping Ramadan Traditions

Every Ramadan, Zubaida Jomaa, 44, struggles to bring her family together at least once a week for breaking their fast together.

“I like to see my family sitting together during the holy month,” Zubaida, of Lebanese origin, told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, August 29.

“It gives me the sensation that Islam is constantly inside my home.”

The mother of two feels a special joy when she invites relatives and neighbours to iftar during the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.

“Relatives are used to come to break fast with us and even some Brazilian relatives from my mother’s Brazilian’s side, who even without fasting are happy to share with me this so special moment of our lives.”

Despite living in a western society, the Muslim woman is keen to teach her kids the meaning of fasting during Ramadan.

“My children are fasting since they were nine-year-old and despite people around me condemning my attitude for letting children fast, I know that what I have done is seen with good eyes by any Muslim family,” said Zubaida, who was raised in Brazil.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy fasting month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.

It is customary for Muslims to spend part of the days during Ramadan studying the Noble Qur'an.

“Ramadan is a blessed moment in the life of any Muslim worldwide,” said Zubaida.

The Muslim woman is also keen on passing on the Arabic gastronomy to her children.

“During common days I don’t dedicate to the Arabic culinary as I do during Ramadan,” Zubaida said.

“I feel that we should keep as close as possible to everything around our culture and religion.”

Her iftar banquet often includes the famous Lebanese dishes such as Fatushe, tabule, dolma, rumus, kibbe, baba khanuj, caftan, bariane and yogurt.

In Brazil, families can easily find Arabic condiments with variety and at affordable prices.

“Even being born in Brazil, I have my heart close to any Arabic culture,” said Zubaida.

“Islam moves my life and Ramadan is the moment I get blessed for all that.”

There are a growing number of Muslim families in Brazil who are keen on observing the Ramadan traditions.

“We have observed that although living in a western and modern country, Muslim families in Brazil are struggling to keep their traditions and religion at full practice, special during Ramadan,” said Muhssen Jalil, president of Islamic Brazilian Organisation.

“The surprise is that a large number of the responsible for keeping Ramadan among their families are women who were born in Brazil but have Arabic origin but sometimes such decision could bring headache to them.”

According to a 2001 census, there are 27,239 Muslims in Brazil.

However, the Islamic Brazilian Federation puts the number at around one and a half million.

The majority of Muslims are descendants of Syrian, Palestinians and Lebanese immigrants who settled in Brazil in the nineteenth century during the World War I and in the 1970s.

Many Iraqis have arrived in the country after the 2003 US-led invasion.

Most Muslims live in the states of Parana, Goias, Riod de Janiero and Sao Paulo, but there are also significant communities in Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul.

But many Brazilian Muslims encounter troubles while trying to teach their children to fast during the holy month.

“Two days ago I had to go with a friend at his son’s school to convince the director that even fating the young boy could act like any other kid at school and he was doing that since he was eight,” said Jalil.

“Some people feel worried when they see a children fasting but we know that it won’t affect their lives but instead bring more hope and benefits.”

Ghassan Ali Abdullah, 39, agrees.

“The first time I fasted in my life I was seven and don’t regret for one second,” he told IOL.

“I remember my father’s friends criticising him but he stood against any accusations and today I have a family, a good job and expect to follow his steps towards my children.

“Ramadan is a moment of reflection, a moment that we feel pure from the impurities present outside home and fasting doesn’t change our way of behaving or towards our friends.

“I love Ramadan and I’m happy to see that my children are sharing the same thoughts too.”

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Thanks to its tolerance, Brazil is becoming a magnet for Muslim tourists from around the globe, where they enjoy holidays while keeping their religious traditions.

"We have a chance to be ourselves in Brazil," Egyptian tourist Abdel-Rahman Yehia, 51, told IslamOnline.net.

"For three consecutive times we have chosen this country for holiday and are happy with our achievements and freedom."

Yehia said Brazilians show a great interest in knowing more about Islam whenever they meet a Muslim tourist.

"They come over with hundreds of questions that make us satisfied to answer," he said.

"Once my food got cold because the waiter didn't stop asking me about my country and religion," he recalled.

Sajida Obeid, 58, was fascinated with the tolerant atmosphere in cosmopolitan Brazil.

"I came with my sons after hearing so many good information from Brazil and would chose this country to live if I had to move out from Lebanon," Obeid told IOL.

Obeid recalls when she first went to Santos coast.

"I was worried that when I go to the beach wearing clothiers, people were going to stop me or ask me to leave but they walk across like if I wasn't there," she said.

"You feel all the time like if you were one of them.

"I keep my tradition, despite not wearing a scarf but would never let someone see my body and in Brazil it makes no difference."

Brazil comes second after Britain as the most favorite tourist destination for Muslim tourists.

"We are happy to open our doors to any nationality, religion and ethnicity, this is the face of Brazil," said Roberto Almeida, media officer for the Ministry of Tourism and Information.

"The vast numbers of Arabs in this country, who have made good achievements and just sent good news to their relatives, have made it suitable for Arabic people to come and visit."