Leaders debate as Brazil celebrates National Day Against Religious Intolerance

In October 1999, the newspaper Folha Universal, owned by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, printed on its first page a picture of Gildásia dos Santos e Santos, also referred to as ialorixá, or Mother Gilda—her religious titles—with the heading “Crooked witches a hazard to wallets and lives of customers.” Mother Gilda had her house broken into by members of another religion, who went on to attack verbally and physically her husband and plunder the yard she used to conduct her religious rites. Mother Gilda died on January 21, 2000, following a stroke. In remembrance of Mother Gilda, and in a bid to stop discriminatory acts such as this, the National Day Against Religious Intolerance was established, on January 21.

Incidents like Mother Gilda's are not isolated cases. In 2014, a hot line called Disque 100, dedicated to religious intolerance reports, received 149 calls all throughout the country—26.17% of which from Rio de Janeiro, and 19.46% from São Paulo. The total number of calls was seen to drop from 2013, when 228 reports were made. This shows, however, that the challenge has not yet been overcome, and that most victims are still members of African-Brazilian faiths, such as candomblé and umbanda.

“Last year, we took several measures against religious intolerance, like staging demonstrations and uploading videos onto the internet. I don't think [intolerance] decreased immediately, but groups have responded. It doesn't mean we've had fewer houses broken into, or people attacked because they weren't allowed to wear their religious attire publicly,” argues Lúcia Xavier, coordinator of the NGO Criola.

In her view, discrimination against African-Brazilian religions is strongly linked to racism. According to data from Disque 100, last year, 35.39% of victims were black. White people accounted for 21.35%, and people of indigenous descent to 0.56%. Data on other segments were not released.

“I think that, despite the strides made over the last years, clarification is a great challenge. The religion is demonized. […] People need more information; they need to know more about it,” says Ialorixá Dora Barreto, from the Ilê Axé T'Oju Labá Sanctuary, in the Federal District.

Pastor Carlos Oliveira, head of the Federal Council of Pastors, in turn, denies that Protestantism is intolerant. “You don't see a Protestant kill, hit, or discriminate against someone because of their faith in Jesus Christ. If they do that, they're not a true Christian, or never have been.”

Among Catholics, historically viewed as intolerant towards other religions, the attitude has changed considerably since 1965, with the Second Vatican Council, as explained by Father Marcus Barbosa, member of the Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, connected with the Commission of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB): “The Catholic Church adopted a clearer way of seeking communion and dialogue with Christian churches and great religious traditions. To experience the Gospel is to acknowledge that all religions attempt to answer common human questions.”

Far away from the conflicts between the Muslims and Jews, so often witnessed in other parts of the world, the two communities in Brazil live harmoniously, side by side with the other faiths, says Sergio Napchan, director of the Institutional Relations of the Israelite Confederation of Brazil: “Judaism is born as a tradition aimed at dialogue. This doesn't mean, however, that, over the course of so many years, the attitude has always been a tolerant one. But, in general, we have a number of examples of tolerance and dialogue. Tolerance generates more wealth, cultural wealth. It's a topic in our everyday lives. The promotion of dialogue is healthy, interesting—something to be desired.”

Sheik Khaled Taky El Din, head of the Council of Islamic Theologians in Brazil, is also unequivocal: “Our religion is clear: if you kill a soul, you kill the whole of humanity. Our education says we should live in peace with other religions. God is the one who will judge people. We need to treat our neighbors with love and affection. In Brazil, we're establishing dialogue with other religions, visiting other churches. We're living together in peace—an excellent example. Islam is not a ghost, and terrorism does not represent who Muslims are.”

In the opinion of Professor Agnaldo Cuoco Portugal, who teaches philosophy at the University of Brasília, intolerance, as the latest episodes in Europe have made clear, often go beyond religion and encompass socioeconomic and political issues. He concludes his statement by saying, “Brazil is a relatively peaceful country in terms of religious violence.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira