Brazilian Muslim Society

Farha Silva, Rua Valter Abicht, Santa Maria, Brazil:

Islam is a minority religion in Brazil, generally represent about 1% of the country’s population. Its number of Muslims was 35,207 according to the 2010 Brazilian census.

Brazil, today’s hub for Islam in Latin America, the largest Catholic country in the world, also a place of origin of many cults from several religious movements. It is a large country having a warm tropical climate and ethnically diverse people as well as hospitable. Brazilian Muslim community was apparently established many centuries back after the arrival of a huge number of West African Black Muslim salves.

By the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries the first Arab immigration took place in Brazil. That immigration was basically of Orthodox Christian Arabs from Lebanon and Syria. Meanwhile, a large Muslim immigration took place as the second Arabic wave arrived about 40 years back. Majority people among them were involved in different states of commercial purpose.

Brazil has a population of about 180 million, nowadays. Among them several million people are from an Arabic background. It is estimated that, there may be over one million Muslims lives in Brazil today but no authentic statistics are available.

Brazilian Muslim society get an established form by building libraries, arts centres, schools and even by funding newspapers beside mosques for recent 30 years.

Brazilian first mosque get established during the middle of 19th century. Many others were formed following that. The Paran region near to Paraguay have the largest community of Muslims and the next is the city of São Paulo.

Beside orthodox Islam, Islamic Sufi movements of different tariqas are also now active in Brazil. Among them Sadhilia, Naqshabendia and Twelver Shia Sufi Order are remarkable.