In these daily gatherings and atmospheres, Muslims in Brazil spend the month of Ramadan. Mosques hold daily iftars, and other Islamic institutions provide food baskets and iftars for families. Religious and cultural competitions are held, with a predominantly Levantine character in iftars and atmospheres, due to the majority of Lebanese and Syrian Muslims in Brazil.
The number of Muslims in Brazil is estimated at around 1.5 million out of a total population of 200 million. Despite the low percentage of Muslims, which is less than 1%, their presence and influence are greater due to Brazil’s historical extension. The Brazilian government opens doors for the Muslim community to work, facilitates licenses for mosques and Islamic institutions, and Islamic figures have been selected as citizens of the year in recognition of their contributions to society.
Since 2008, by official decision, March 25th is annually celebrated to honour the Arab community. This date refers to 25th March Street in São Paulo, a commercial area where the first Arabs established their businesses. Likewise, in 2009, the Parliament of São Paulo State declared May 12th of each year as a day to honor Islam. The Parliament of Paraná State later followed the same step. November 29th is annually observed as a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Regarding Muslim women in Brazil, whether citizens or residents, they can obtain official documents with their hijab.
As for indigenous Muslims, their numbers exceed 10,000, descending from various origins. Brazilian Muslims constitute the largest Muslim community in South America, concentrated in several states, with about 70% of them in São Paulo. There is also a significant presence in border areas with Argentina and Paraguay, along with their presence in other states, with large mosques and established Islamic institutions.
The Beginning of the Story
You might wonder about the specificity granted to Muslims despite their small numbers, but when you learn about the history of Islam there, this wonder fades away. The Islamic presence can be divided into three stages.
The Moriscos
The first stage begins at the end of the 15th century with the age of geographic discoveries of the New World. Concerning Brazil, Islamic presence dates back to its discovery by the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. He was accompanied by Muslim sailors and guides skilled in maritime sciences, most of whom were Andalusians fleeing the Inquisition in Spain.
They concealed their Islam. Even after Brazil’s discovery, Portugal sought to prevent its Muslims from migrating there unless they professed Christianity. Some researchers argue that Islam reached the Americas before the Portuguese and Spanish, represented by the Ottoman Navy, citing the maps of Piri Reis, as mentioned in the Turkish series “Barbaros,” currently airing.
However, these Muslims who concealed their identity were not spared persecution. The Portuguese established new inspection courts in Bahia, Brazil, in 1594. These courts set criteria to identify secret Muslims, including waking up early, bathing, cleanliness of clothes, and fasting, and many of them were burned alive on charges of Islam according to their claims.
Dr. Ali Al-Kattani, in the second part of his book “Muslims in Europe and America,” mentions that there are Brazilian families of Portuguese origin who keep Arabic Qurans in their homes inherited from their ancestors, whom they revere despite being Christians.
The African Slaves
The second stage of Muslims’ arrival in Brazil was the phase of Africans brought by the Portuguese and enslaved from the mid-16th century until the end of the 19th century. Their numbers were estimated at about 6 million, as mentioned by Dr. Ali Al-Kattani in his book “Muslims in Europe and America.” Muslims constituted approximately 30% of these slaves. However, a significant portion of them were literate, and some held positions of status, leadership, and scholarship in their countries. They were captured and forcibly transported to these lands as slaves. These Muslims succeeded in maintaining their religion, organizing the slaves, and connecting them with their faith. They even managed to attract many other slaves to Islam. The Muslim components of these African slaves became strong and organized in the states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. They had places for education and prayer, although not officially recognized as mosques.
The Muslim Slave Revolt
Unfortunately, these individuals became victims of oppression and racism, leading to their forced conversion to Christianity and the suppression of their rights. This drove the slaves, particularly the Muslims, to revolt and resist. The most famous of these uprisings was the 1835 revolt, which incidentally occurred during Ramadan. However, it failed, resulting in the persecution, killing, and destruction of their institutions. This led to the complete disappearance of Islam in Brazil, with those who remained being forced to conceal their religion, while some migrated back to Africa.
It’s important to note, as emphasized by Brazilian historian João José Reis in his book “Slave Rebellion in Brazil… The 1835 Muslim Uprising in Bahia,” that shared ethnicity alone wasn’t the sole motivator or bond among the rebels. Religion played a significant role, as Islam served as a unifying factor among various ethnic groups. Historical sources confirm that slave revolts in Brazil were led by Muslims, contributing to the decline in their numbers. As mentioned by Dr. Atef Moatamad in his study titled “Islam in Brazil… The Burden of the Past and Challenges of the Future,” after each rebellion, authorities executed and tortured the Muslim leaders. This stage ended with the official abolition of slavery in 1888.
Following the 1835 revolt, Islamic presence in Brazil didn’t completely vanish despite the tragic events and persecution of Muslims. According to Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Baghdadi in his manuscript titled “The Marvelous Delight in Every Strange Matter,” which was studied and researched by Sheikh Khalid Taqi Al-Din, current head of the Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs in Brazil, Islamic existence continued clandestinely.
The Third Wave
Starting from around 1860, there was a new wave of migration to Brazil from Arab countries, notably Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. Many of them were Christians, but Muslims also began to migrate, especially from Lebanon and the Levant, with the onset of the 20th century. Their numbers, including those of Arab descent, are estimated to be over 12 million, mostly Christians. They primarily engaged in commerce, while the Muslims among them established the oldest charitable association in Latin America in January 1929 and the Brazil Mosque with Arab and Islamic support. It’s worth mentioning that the Brazil Mosque received special attention from Egypt in the 1960s, with the pulpit and minbar being specially imported from Egypt.
Over time, especially since the mid-20th century, these Islamic institutions became focal points for the growing Muslim population, serving as a haven to preserve their identity. Even during Brazil’s hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Muslims, with the assistance of institutions from Arab and Islamic countries, launched the “Peace Brazil” campaign to promote the World Cup, distributing about a million books and hundreds of thousands of pamphlets. This resulted in 12 conversions to Islam. Street Dawah tables were also set up. However, this Islamic presence is not without challenges, the most significant being the shortage of preachers compared to the number of mosques and prayer rooms, which exceed 100. Moreover, these preachers must be proficient in the community’s language and familiar with its reality, which is vastly different from our Arab and Islamic environments.
