Muslims in Brazil

Muhammad Mumtaz Brazil, a country of 200 million people, is well known for its leading economy in the world. It is famed for its diversity in culture, people, faith, religions and much more. The constitution of Brazil adopted a secular government system, where people are free to choose and practice their religions. There is no official religion in Brazil; majority of Brazilian follow Roman Catholicism. Various other religions, including Islam, are also practiced in the country.

Islam is one of the earliest religions in Brazil. It is believed that the earliest significant Muslim presence was the result of African slaves in the 16th century. In the 19th century, a large number of immigrants traveled to Brazil from the Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, while the 20th century envisioned the growth of Islam in Brazil. The Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics has presented the data which shows the number of Muslims in Brazil has increased by 29.1 percent in the last one decade or so. The recent growth of Muslims in Brazil is not based on immigrants, but largely by the espousal of native Brazilians and conversion by followers of other religions.

Presently, Muslim population in Brazil is about 1.5 million. The increased numbers of worship places for Muslims in Brazil second the findings of the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics that Islam is a fast-growing religion in the country. Today Brazil is becoming a focus for Islam in Latin America. Muslims are free to practice their religious obligations without any apprehension, woe or fear. They have built mosques, libraries and Islamic centers which substantiate and encourages the belief that not only Muslims but other religions are allowed to practice their religious convictions amicably. It is relevant to note that no one is restricted in Brazil to practice his religion or even to switch to other’s one.

There are about 127 mosques, incessant four times as many as there were back a decade ago. Likewise, many Islamic religion centers can easily be found in Brazil. This growth of worship places and rise in religion indicate that the government of Brazil does not interfere but is rather committed to ensure religious freedom and harmonious relationships among diverse religion communities in the country. It is not only observed but is a well-established fact that Brazil as a State is much more flexible and liberal as compared to the United States of America, European countries or any other Non-Muslim State on the issue of religion and religious practices, though it is Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism or Islam.

Muslims in Brazil are completely free to live their lives according to Islamic culture and values. There are no restrictions what so ever on the use of veil (hijab, niqab or burka) for Muslim women and they are free to move everywhere including public institutions and places. Muslim community is allowed to preach or pray on the streets or even other open places. Majority of Muslim community live in the states of Paraná, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul and in the capital Brasília.

Brazil as a country is free of discrimination, bigotry, prejudice and biasness. Muslim kids can be enrolled wherever their parents decide. Some full time Islamic schools are also operative in Brazil especially in the state of São Paulo. In order to get effective contribution from minorities, various leading universities are mandated to enroll a fixed percentage of minority students including Muslims. Many of these universities also have quotas for indigenous people, for the disabled and those that attended the poorly funded public schools.

The government of Brazil has always been devoted to respect and ensure the right to freedom of religion. It is a very attractive place for the Muslims to travel and tour as it safeguards their religious traditions and practices. Once in 2010 when the Muslim community protested against the anti-Islamic movie on You-tube, the historical decision was taken by the Brazilian courts in favour of protestors by ordering to remove the film’s trailer from the website. This clearly depicts the concern of Brazil towards its minority, their rights and values. Brazil, at the same time, is the largest producer of Halal meat in the world. Halal meat and food can be easily picked out from the big cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In the backdrop of World Cup 2014, the government of Brazil has taken stringent measures to ensure the provision of Halal foods in most parts of the country. The rising Brazilian Halal meat industry has also occupied a considerable number of Muslim skilled workforces.

Brazil has strong and productive relations with the Muslim world. Brazil formally recognized Palestinian statehood in 2010 and became the last of the BRIC group of emerging powers – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to do so. The whole Muslim world appreciated and welcomed the commendable stance of Brazil as Palestine is considered to be a core issue of Muslim world. Likewise Brazil and Pakistan are also moving forward to establish strong and long-lasting ties based on mutual respect, understanding and reverence.

Brazilian Embassy in Islamabad (Pakistan), in a recent move, arranged a photographic exhibition based on “Islam in Brazil” at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Islamabad. The exhibition highlighted the life of Muslims in Brazil by displaying the photographs of Islamic community that were taken in various parts of Brazil. The exhibition was attended and lauded by scores of people related to various walks of life including a large number of students and business community. The emerging ties between Pakistan and Brazil in wake of mutual respective and responsive behavior will indubitably induce many Pakistanis to travel and explore Brazil. There is spacious room available not only for Pakistani businessmen in Brazil but the entire Muslim world to invest in the field of Halal food industries, garments, sports items, carpets, and agri-products etc.

Pakistan, in the recent years, has reinforced its ties with Brazil and both the countries are agreed upon to multiply their trade, business and other bilateral relations in the years to come.

The Embassy of Brazil in Pakistan (Islamabad) is aggressively cementing these ties and augmenting the contacts under the headship of its ambassador H.E. Alfredo Leoni. I, being and eye witness for all these developments, would like to thank the Embassy of Brazil in Pakistan on the behalf of the Pakistani community for its marvelous efforts in assisting and boosting the relations with Pakistan in various fields. Long Live Pak-Brazil Ties……