Brazilian Muslims face growing Islamophobia amid Gaza war

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Brazil is grappling with heightened concerns regarding religious discrimination, particularly against its Muslim community. A recent survey by the Anthropology Group on Islamic and Arab Contexts, based at the University of São Paulo, revealed widespread reports of harassment among Muslim Brazilians since the commencement of the war.

Approximately 70 percent of respondents indicated that they knew someone who had experienced religious intolerance since October 7, coinciding with an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on southern Israel. The subsequent military offensive by Israel against Gaza has raised human rights concerns, with United Nations experts warning of a “grave risk of genocide.”

While Palestinians are an ethnic group rather than a religious one, the survey found incidents of religious intolerance in Brazil, with Palestinian identity being conflated with Muslim identity. Professor Francirosy Barbosa, leading the survey, highlighted instances where Muslim women reported being labeled as ‘Hamas daughter’ or ‘Hamas terrorist.’

The survey, conducted online, also indicated that around 60 percent of respondents experienced some form of offense, either on social media or in their daily lives. Women, in particular, reported slightly higher rates of religious intolerance.

The issue of Islamophobia gained national attention when a video circulated on social media showing an incident in Mogi das Cruzes, where a resident allegedly attacked a Muslim woman and grabbed at her headscarf. The altercation was reportedly fueled by a dispute between their children.

Religious intolerance in Brazil extends beyond the Muslim community, as a government report from July highlighted occurrences against various groups, including those of African origin, Indigenous, Roma, immigrant, and converted individuals.

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Brazil, predominantly Christian, has a long-standing Muslim population, with estimates ranging from 35,167 to 1.5 million people. Tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim groups are influenced by demographic and political trends, including the growth of Evangelical Christians, a significant political force credited with supporting President Jair Bolsonaro.

Reports of Islamophobia have surged since the start of the Gaza conflict, with a 1,000 percent rise in denunciations to the National Association of Muslim Jurists. Some attribute this increase to inflammatory remarks from far-right evangelical pastors.

Survey leader Francirosy Barbosa suggests addressing the issue through increased media representation of pro-Palestine views from the Middle East and encourages Muslim Brazilians to speak up about their experiences. She emphasizes that awareness and denunciation are crucial for the government to take appropriate measures against religious intolerance, such as investing in education.