Islam takes root in land of mini-bikinis and carnival FEATURE 08/23/2011

Islam takes root in land of mini-bikinis and carnival

FEATURE

08/23/2011
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 Ramadan 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 mini-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..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110823com3.html