INFOPOST: The Situation in Brazil (TWs: Religion, Religious Intolerance, Violence... Proceed With Caution)

Reposted from TrevorSpace. Made by us.

Over the past year (which is not even over yet!), complaints about religious intolerance have grown 80% larger in comparison to other years. The majority of the victims are practitioners of Yoruba-based Afro-Brazilian religions; namely, Candomblé and Umbanda.

In Brazil's constitution, religious freedom is guaranteed (Chapter I article V), and offenses related to religious intolerance can be punished with up to five years in prison. Most of the perpetrators are Neo-Nazis and Evangelical Christians.

On Christmas day 2020, the Cabocla Jurema Umbanda Temple (located just outside Brasília) was burned to the ground. All of the sacred items within were stolen. There were no injuries or deaths; however, more often than not, that is not the case.

For example, a well-known Candomblé practitioner and advocate for Afro-Brazilian religions named Romualdo Rosário da Costa was stabbed twelve times in October 2018, resulting in his death.

When president Bolsonaro was sworn into office, complaints against intolerance skyrocketed, and more than 200 terreiros (places of worship; the equivalent to churches/mosques/synagogues) were shut down from intimidation and fear during 2018 and 2019.

Another example incident (we don't know the year; TW for gun violence):

A Candomblé worshipper was praying at a small shrine within the confines of her own home when a person entered and pointed a gun at her. He threatened her with it and told her to destroy her shrine. She did it, reluctantly.

You'd think that since so much time has passed, things have changed for the better. And you'd be right, of course. There have been some changes. However, this has not stopped the intolerance.

On September 15, 2024, hundreds of people of varying faiths marched down Copacabana Beach, protesting against religious intolerance. The majority of the protesters were practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/supremo-tribunal-federal-ask-the-supreme-federal-court-of-brazil-to-protect-afro-brazilian-religious-freedom

Further reading: https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/brazil/ https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387870

(The second link is to a doc that is very long... over 200 pages. The first one is much shorter. TWs apply for both.)

Sources: https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/09/hundreds-protest-religious-intolerance-in-brazil/ https://insightcrime.org/news/brazil-evangelical-christian-gangs/ https://www.ncronline.org/news/hundreds-march-brazil-support-religious-freedom-cases-intolerance-rise