Brazzil

Sheik Jihad H. Hammadeh is used to receiving phone calls from confused Brazilian journalists. Vice-President of the Assembly of Islamic Youth of Latin America, an NGO with headquarters in São Paulo, in the southeast of Brazil, the Sheik has been interviewed by several Brazilian media outlets, including the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, about the now infamous caricatures of Prophet Mohammed that were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the bloody protests that followed.

In the interview that follows, Brazzil Magazine, had a different set of questions for Sheik Jihad - what was the reaction of the Brazilian media to the controversy, and what is the situation of religious tolerance for Muslims in the country?

The purpose was not to engage in debate, but simply to give our readers a perspective on how this controversy has been interpreted in Brazil. Conducted in Portuguese and later translated into English, the conversation continues below. 

Brazzil Magazine: What do you think of the reaction of the Brazilian press to the cartoon controversy?

Sheik Jihad H. Hammadeh: First, the cartoons were in extremely bad taste, coming from a newspaper which should inform the public, which should put in its pages information that is useful for its readers, and ends up putting an offense to another religion. 

Here in Brazil, the Brazilian press was for the most part respectful, with the exception of one magazine that really sought to create a controversy through its coverage. We didn't think it that important, but it was in bad taste. 

BM: I believe you are talking about the magazine Veja. Could you explain what was offensive about their coverage, and what actions you plan to take? 

JH: The boycott that we are conducting against Veja magazine is not simply a result of recent events, but they were the final straw. Veja has a history of aggression, of offense against Islam and against Muslims. In their coverage of Muslims and about the Muslim world, they were always offensive, and this targets us. In the article [about the cartoons and resulting protest] they said that Muslims were behind the times, un-modernized. 

BM: And what about the boycott?

JH: We are doing a boycott individually, talking to people about the situation because it's not only Muslims who dislike the line that Veja is taking. Therefore, Veja will certainly be boycotted in a peaceful way, which is the right of every citizen - to not read or buy it, and look to other magazines. 

Why? Because when one person, or one religion is targeted excessively, and you don't do anything, you don't take a position, someone else will be targeted. In the end, everyone was disrespected, because tomorrow it could be another person, another religion. 

We don't have anything against anyone - not any journalist, or even the press, to the contrary - for fourteen centuries Islam was in favor of knowledge, in favor of growth, development, modernity, but against injustice and the disrespect of others. 

BM: In a recent interview, you compared the cartoon controversy to a case here in Brazil when an evangelical pastor caused a controversy by kicking the image of a catholic saint on television. Why did you make that comparison?

JH: I used this comparison because it was an event that shock evangelicals just as it did Catholics. And Muslims and those of other religions didn't stay out of the discussion, to the contrary - they all agreed that [the kicking of the saint] showed disrespect.

It is the right of evangelicals, just as it is of Muslims, to disagree with idolatry - but what you can't do is disrespect, it's not the right of anyone to disrespect the other. I called attention to this fact because it was a significant event that shook [Brazilian] society; there were multiple incidents of aggression.

I wanted to show the Brazilian people, in a way they could relate to, what these cartoons meant - that this was just as offensive for Muslims as it was for Catholics to see a pastor kick the image of the saint. 

BM: How would you compare the situation of Muslims in Europe with the situation here in Brazil?

JH: In Brazil it is peaceful. Each person has their own idea, but you don't see this barbarity on the street of attacks against the religious symbols of others. There is harmony, a peaceful co-existence. Yes, there are a few cases of discrimination [against Muslims], just as there are against people of other religions, and races as well - this subject is not restricted to the area of religion. 

In Europe, this discrimination exists more openly. For example, in France, when they prohibit the use of the veil by Muslim girls in public schools, or when they begin to pressure Muslims - this shows a lack of respect for religious liberty, which is a right of everyone.

There is an aggression here, and it seems to be growing in Europe, and it's not due to ignorance. It is a conscious discrimination, a provocative discrimination - the person that did this [the cartoons] wanted what they got - they knew what was going to happen, they wanted to offend. It was not someone who was ignorant of religious costumes, or the fundamentals of Islam. They know the value of their declarations and to whom they are speaking. 

BM: Do you think that the Brazilian state is doing enough to promote religious tolerance? 

JH: I think that the Brazilian government is on the right path to end these differences, the differences in regards to discrimination, prejudice, in order to give each person their right to religion. The government is trying to end the problem of discrimination; it is promoting various ecumenical dialogues so that they can find solutions to the problems of discrimination if they occur. 

BM: A step back for a moment, what is the size of the Muslim and Arab community in Brazil, and São Paulo?

JH: Here in Brazil we have approximately one and a half million Muslims. In São Paulo we have between three and four hundred thousand Muslims, but we don't have an exact census. There is a difference between the terms Muslim and Arab...

BM: Yes, the first is the religion, the second, ethnicity..

JH: Exactly, we have Arab Jews in Brazil, just as we have Arab Christians and Arab Muslims. Here, I am talking about the Muslim community, with all its different races and ethnicities. 

BM: What is the work of WAMY?

JH: WAMY, The Assembly of Islamic Youth in Latin America, is an NGO that works with youth, and the entire Muslim community and Brazilian society. We always participate in dialogs and conversations with religious authorities from other religions; we give lectures in schools and universities.

We promote events to bring people together, create dialogue and raise consciousness so that people can get to Muslims and Muslims can get to know other religions - all so that there can really be a harmonious and peaceful co-existence. That's what everyone wants - to be free, with their security guaranteed.

Everyone wants religious liberty, without discrimination, without a price, without restriction. We try to collaborate with this, WAMY does this work in Brazil and in Latin America, trying to bring people together and strengthen inter-religious dialogue. 

BM: Some have said that the reaction to the cartoon controversy, and the resulting protests, showed a clear division in the Muslim world, as the radicals were able to crowd out the moderates - do you agree with this analysis?

JH: I believe that it is the right of any person to protest if they feel offended or disrespected. People should protest, but in a peaceful, objective, and effective manner. A boycott is a form of peaceful protest, but tearing down an embassy, invading it, setting a fire, is not - this is excess, and Islam is clear about this.

If any person, Muslim or not, exaggerates, we condemn these excessive acts and orient ourselves to prevent them. Now, certainly, there were provocateurs that took advantage of the good will of the people and created this. 

BM: Why do you think Brazil has been relatively successful in regards to social integration, and inter-cultural, religious respect? 

JH: It's due to the religious and ethnic diversity. There is no person that is purely Brazilian - they have European, African, Middle Eastern, or indigenous origins. Here, we have a society made of various nations, various ethnicities and races - and they learned to co-exist, and maintain that.

I think that this indicates that living together in harmony and with respect is possible; you only need to have people that are aware, lucid, and that are truly sincere, because if we are not sincere with ourselves, with our own principles, we are going to create war. 

I believe that peace is possible through religious tolerance and mutual respect. This is normal, even inside a home - if there is not respect for the wife, the children, the parents, the siblings - our own house can turn into hell. There are basic laws of living together. 

For more information on WAMY, go to their homepage at www.wamy.org.br

For the transcript of this interview in Portuguese, go to the writer's blog at http://bahiacorrespondent.blogspot.com/

Jared Goyette is an ESL teacher and freelance writer who lives in Santo Antônio de Jesus, a city in the interior of Bahia, Brazil. He can be reached at jaredmgo [at] gmail [dot] com.

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