Islam Takes Root In The Land Of Bikinis And Carnival


"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..."

http://dawn.com/2011/08/22/islam-takes-root-in-land-of-bikinis-and-carnival/

I was expecting more than this

deols: I was expecting more than this

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.

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!"

that is interesting 2 know of

I have always been fascinated by Brazil and I am not surprised that Islam is growing there at all.

^ I'm kinda interested in what fascinates you about Brazil? is it soccer?

i am happy for this Brazilian Muslims, may Allah strengthen them amin, it's not easy living as a minority.

^My thoughts as a teenager were shaped by several cultures, American, British, German and to a lesser extent Latin American. I have a way of learning things where most people just see fun or entertainment.

^ meaning? did you learn something about Brazilians that is unique, which showed potentials towards Islam?

We should be more concerned with what is going on in indigenous muslim communities, Islam in the west/latin America will be fine.

In indigenous muslim communities, the kind of corruption that goes on is ridiculous. The kind of bidah that goes on is bad, man. I had a local alfa that used to say all kinds of things, when i think back, i just smh but i know many people take those things as fact.

Our kids are disenfranchised, do you know how ridiculous it is for someone to leave Islam for christianity? but this is happening everyday because the muslim are not doing something correctly.

tbaba1234: We should be more concerned with what is going on in indigenous muslim communities, Islam in the west/latin America will be fine.

In indigenous muslim communities, the kind of corruption that goes on is ridiculous. The kind of bidah that goes on is bad, man. I had a local alfa that used to say all kinds of things, when i think back, i just smh but i know many people take those things as fact.

Our kids are disenfranchised, do you know how ridiculous it is for someone to leave Islam for christianity? but this is happening everyday because the muslim are not doing something correctly.

Hold on a second sir, maybe you can create a thread about it and we can discuss the issues. I saw something last Friday that I know was wrong and it made me feel bad. I might not jump on such a thread immediately but I will join later Insha Allah.

sino: ^ meaning? did you learn something about Brazilians that is unique, which showed potentials towards Islam?

Brazil is just like the Latin version of the United States in terms of its people, their outlook to life and even size. If Islam is spreading fast in the United States, I project a similar pattern in Brazil.

^i see, i would never have thought of brazil and Islam. Allah indeed knows how He would Spread His deen.

@tbaba, i quite agree with you, indigenous Muslim communities have fallen in standard, perhaps we need to look at these new Muslim communities and learn one or two things.

Listening to an indigenous Brazilian scholar explaining the deen so beautifully, should definitely arose Saudi Muslim who knows next to nothing about Islam, especially among the youth.

I still remember a sister who left Nigeria dressing provocatively, we were all surprised when she came back from europe with hijab. you need to see how young Muslim ladies who had forgotten about hijab felt so ashamed.

yeah, we've almost lost it, we need to be motivated by these stories.

tbaba1234: We should be more concerned with what is going on in indigenous muslim communities, Islam in the west/latin America will be fine.

In indigenous muslim communities, the kind of corruption that goes on is ridiculous. The kind of bidah that goes on is bad, man. I had a local alfa that used to say all kinds of things, when i think back, i just smh but i know many people take those things as fact.

Our kids are disenfranchised, do you know how ridiculous it is for someone to leave Islam for christianity? but this is happening everyday because the muslim are not doing something correctly.

I totally agree with you on this. massive da'wah and re orientation is trully needed. It is amazing how Muslims in Nigeria are generally classified.I had a.discussion with a friend and we had a problem deciding whom an average Nigerian Muslim was. it ended up being so so below par. I just pray that everyone realising the need for this puts in some action.

Another problem is da'wah trainings. how about people who go out to give d da'wah ending up not being representative of Islam enough or lacking the ideals of a da'ee.

well I remember learning a thing or two about giving da'wah, one of which was not getting angry in d course of it, being patient whenever tantrums are thrown towards you in d cause of giving it. But many of us fail at these things.

many people with the knowledge dont have d skills and many blessed with it are only sweet mouthed. I wish we can have a front-da'wah movement. with strong and passionate people at it, using all forms of media.

I learnt far more about Islam in the West than in Nigeria. Infact i thought i knew about Islam before i left but i knew nothing. Even the nothing i knew had problems with it. I am still not knowledgeable but at least i am sure of what i do plus i'm still learning.

There are also muslims that get lost in the west, it is not all rosy but if you really want to learn about Islam, you will. There is a lot of fitna though.

There are sad stories in the west too and the muslim community is far from perfect but there is work being done to improve it.

The key is to educate the younger generation and make them more responsible in the running of mosques. The younger generation have fresher ideas and are more in touch with what works in the 21st century. Is it possible for a 30 year old to be an Imam in Lagos, even if he has the best education in Islam??

I plan to start (or be involved in) a dawah movement in Nigeria soon In sha Allah, something that would involve dawah training and Quran training across institutions around the country. The MSAs have to be the engine that drives this movement. The biggest barrier to change will possibly come from the muslim communities. Too many cultural practices already conflict with Islam, so people will find it difficult to change. That is why the younger generation have to be the ones to drive change.

Muslim kids at the end of High school should have gone through the Quran at least once. I firmly believe that if we truly knew this book, we will be a different nation.

I have all these elaborate plans, in sha Allah in the next couple of years, something would start.

Swerve!!!!!!!!!!!!______---->lamborghini mercy

Boring discussion...#yawns and walks away# if una like ban me.

So what.

Don't take this the wrong way, my Muslims brethrens, but the only way Islam can take root in Brazil(the land with the highest population of Roman Catholics and least number of Muslims) is if and only if pigs will suddenly sprout wings and started flying.

What a silly topic.

To avoid being banned, please ensure that your post is not offensive to Islam. Oshegbe hey this tin dey funny me die

I pity brazilians

I find that people that convert to islamd tend to do it the extreme.

Look at that rapper that had the song with diddy.

Nice.

What a boring day for me , raise my left hand up use the right hand to cover my mouth while I yawn in a very annoying way. And just fall back to sleep. * Still yawning. *

It is a ƒя̩eǝ world i guess, anybody can choose to become anything as long as it is nt a major wahala to the nation



















I hope Brazil is safe though

Is nt a matter of everybody in d brazil turn muslim wht matters most is weather U serve ur God wt all ur heart dats d only tin

Frostyzone: Don't take this the wrong way, my Muslims brethrens, but the only way Islam can take root in Brazil(the land with the highest population of Roman Catholics and least number of Muslims) is if and only if pigs will suddenly sprout wings and started flying.

What a silly topic.

hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha

@ mods why put dt message 'to avoid being banned.......

Do u put that when it comes to topics about christainity and esp the catholic church. People abuse the pope these past days during his resigning and they were not banned.

Tomakint clears throat and was about to type when he remembers this: To avoid being banned, please ensure that your post is not offensive to Islam ***men bobo maclatunji yi ti tough ju***

Akpa ife: Is nt a matter of everybody in d brazil turn muslim wht matters most is weather U serve ur God wt all ur heart dats d only tin

Watch the way you write, your English is poor.

Are Christians permitted to worship and practice their religion without being persecuted the way these people are allowed here in the middle east or other Islamic countries?

can a christian practice his religion openly like this in Islamic countries.