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Brazil perplex with the increasing of religious intolerance

Ariela Boaventura
Ariela Boaventura

A request to remove 16 videos from YouTube has sparked a broad debate on the limits of freedom of speech and religious expression in Brazil.

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Brazil perplex with the increasing of religious intolerance By Simone Marques The Brazilian Press Association held on May 21th an act of protest against religious intolerance in the country, in solidarity with Afro-Brazilian religions. Leaders from various religions gathered two days before in the Maracan達 Stadium, during the launch of campaign promoted by Rios Sports Pastoral Archdiocese. On May 16th, hundreds of followers of religions African origin also held a protest in front of the Parliament of Rio de Janeiro. All three acts were calling for freedom of expression and were performed in Rio for the same reason: the repudiation against a decision from the Federal Court, which was considered arbitrary, insulting and prejudiced. Thousands of people gathered on Copacabana Beach for the 6th Walk in Defense of Religious Liberty, an action promoted by the Commission Against Religious Intolerance in Rio de Janeiro (08/05/2014). Photo: Fernando Fraz達o (ABr) It all started with a complaint requesting the removal of 15 videos from YouTube, whose authorship came from people linked to the Neo-Pentecostal churches. According the complaint of the Associa巽達o Nacional de M鱈dia Afro, the videos showing intolerant and discriminatory contents against religious practices of African origin (Candombl辿 and Umbanda). In fact, a search in the website shows dozens of rabid videos, in which the evangelical faithful urged to attack the so-called terreiros (religious places) and destroy the statues of saints. It is the image of intolerance in raw state.
Who issued the decision in the case was the judge Eugenio Rosa de Ara炭jo, of the 17rd Federal Court. On May 16th, he denied the request for removal of the videos from YouTube, since its contents does not reflect a belief system they are distasteful, but are manifestations of free expression of opinion. However, the basis of reasoning of the magistrate caused general astonishment: The African-Brazilian religious practices do not constitute a religion and that religious manifestations (Afro) do not contain necessary traits of a religion. According to the judge, a religion needs to have traits such as a baseline text (as the Bible or the Koran, as mentioned in the Decision), a hierarchical structure and one God to be worshiped. His decision was hardly criticized by religious leaders and protesters and reopened old cultural hurts. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors (MPF) asked Google Brasil to remove the videos, but received a negative response. According to Google, the material disclosed would be nothing more than the manifestation of the religious freedom of the Brazilian people and that the videos did not violate the companys policy. The judge went turned back on his decision. In a statement, he reviewed the fundamentals of the sentence and admitted the error, stating that the strong support given by the media and civil society demonstrates unquestionably the belief in the worship of such religions. The negative impact of the decision was tremendous. To the representative of the Commission Against Religious Intolerance, Ivanir dos Santos, the statement of the judge encouraged the discrimination. He is an employee of a laic State, and is submitted to the Brazilian Constitution and laws. He violated the Law of Discrimination, the Constitution and the many laws, which says that is need to reduce the prejudice and discrimination in the country, he said. The MPF has filed an appeal, which argues that the decision mistreats the awareness, the honor and the dignity of millions of Brazilians who recognize themselves in these religions. The Constitution says that the freedom of conscience and religion are inviolable, and assured the the free exercise of faith. The Commission will meet to decide whether will denounce the judge to the National Council of Justice (CNJ). The case brought up at least three controversial issues in Brazil. One is about the mastering of media by neo-Pentecostal evangelicals. There are at least 11 television networks, own over 60 broadcasters throughout the country, whose content is known to specialists as tele-evangelism or evangelisation through the media. There are also more than 200 radio stations and newspapers. Televisions and radios are public concessions, and, accordingly, its content should be commited to neutrality. There are reports of censorship on religious
grounds. One study on religious liberty versus freedom expression published in 2013 concluded that cases of religious intolerance in Brazil have increased, especially through attacks by the neo-Pentecostal media, creating what researchers call the hate of speech in the name of freedom religious. POLITICS INFLUENCE The religious dominance of the media pass through the Congress. The Brazilian Parliament is full of Pentecostal and Catholic congressmen, who exercise their political power and prestige among the growing flock of faithful voters to get even more prestige and power, which brings even more concessions of media, licenses, money, influence, and so on. The Evangelical Parliamentary Front has 77 deputies and senators, which form the basis of support for the government of Dilma Rousseff. The religious influence is already so deep-rooted that the called deputies-preachers perform worship services, sermons and prayers within Congress, at the opening of legislative sessions. They are authors of polemic bills, as the gay cure (which asserts that homosexuality is a disease). Finally, the issue of discrimination against African religions by neo- Pentescostals brought up the historical (and disguised) Brazilian racism. Because the Catholic Church hegemony, the religions of African origin were persecuted over four centuries. Joined to the Republican State, especially in the first half of the 20th Century, the Church helped spread in society an imaginary of disdain and fascination for the exoticism associated with the cultural manifestations of Africans and their descendants in Brazil. This desecration entered the 21th Century, and is practiced not only by members of the Pentecostal faith. The Brazilian racism is in the language, in gestures of everyday life and in the historical marginalization of what has African origin. There are many policies for racial equality, but they are weak against the belief that some Brazilians are better than others. Hence the origin of the infamous YouTube videos; hence the misguided decision of the judge, who saw no religious unity in those manifestations and seriously injured several legal instruments, including the Brazilian Constitution and the Penal Code, the American Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. * This text is a raw version. The updated and edited article was published in Index on Censorship (04.06.2014): http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2014/06/brazil-religious-intolerance-on- the-rise/

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Brazil perplex with the increasing of religious intolerance

  • 1. Brazil perplex with the increasing of religious intolerance By Simone Marques The Brazilian Press Association held on May 21th an act of protest against religious intolerance in the country, in solidarity with Afro-Brazilian religions. Leaders from various religions gathered two days before in the Maracan達 Stadium, during the launch of campaign promoted by Rios Sports Pastoral Archdiocese. On May 16th, hundreds of followers of religions African origin also held a protest in front of the Parliament of Rio de Janeiro. All three acts were calling for freedom of expression and were performed in Rio for the same reason: the repudiation against a decision from the Federal Court, which was considered arbitrary, insulting and prejudiced. Thousands of people gathered on Copacabana Beach for the 6th Walk in Defense of Religious Liberty, an action promoted by the Commission Against Religious Intolerance in Rio de Janeiro (08/05/2014). Photo: Fernando Fraz達o (ABr) It all started with a complaint requesting the removal of 15 videos from YouTube, whose authorship came from people linked to the Neo-Pentecostal churches. According the complaint of the Associa巽達o Nacional de M鱈dia Afro, the videos showing intolerant and discriminatory contents against religious practices of African origin (Candombl辿 and Umbanda). In fact, a search in the website shows dozens of rabid videos, in which the evangelical faithful urged to attack the so-called terreiros (religious places) and destroy the statues of saints. It is the image of intolerance in raw state.
  • 2. Who issued the decision in the case was the judge Eugenio Rosa de Ara炭jo, of the 17rd Federal Court. On May 16th, he denied the request for removal of the videos from YouTube, since its contents does not reflect a belief system they are distasteful, but are manifestations of free expression of opinion. However, the basis of reasoning of the magistrate caused general astonishment: The African-Brazilian religious practices do not constitute a religion and that religious manifestations (Afro) do not contain necessary traits of a religion. According to the judge, a religion needs to have traits such as a baseline text (as the Bible or the Koran, as mentioned in the Decision), a hierarchical structure and one God to be worshiped. His decision was hardly criticized by religious leaders and protesters and reopened old cultural hurts. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors (MPF) asked Google Brasil to remove the videos, but received a negative response. According to Google, the material disclosed would be nothing more than the manifestation of the religious freedom of the Brazilian people and that the videos did not violate the companys policy. The judge went turned back on his decision. In a statement, he reviewed the fundamentals of the sentence and admitted the error, stating that the strong support given by the media and civil society demonstrates unquestionably the belief in the worship of such religions. The negative impact of the decision was tremendous. To the representative of the Commission Against Religious Intolerance, Ivanir dos Santos, the statement of the judge encouraged the discrimination. He is an employee of a laic State, and is submitted to the Brazilian Constitution and laws. He violated the Law of Discrimination, the Constitution and the many laws, which says that is need to reduce the prejudice and discrimination in the country, he said. The MPF has filed an appeal, which argues that the decision mistreats the awareness, the honor and the dignity of millions of Brazilians who recognize themselves in these religions. The Constitution says that the freedom of conscience and religion are inviolable, and assured the the free exercise of faith. The Commission will meet to decide whether will denounce the judge to the National Council of Justice (CNJ). The case brought up at least three controversial issues in Brazil. One is about the mastering of media by neo-Pentecostal evangelicals. There are at least 11 television networks, own over 60 broadcasters throughout the country, whose content is known to specialists as tele-evangelism or evangelisation through the media. There are also more than 200 radio stations and newspapers. Televisions and radios are public concessions, and, accordingly, its content should be commited to neutrality. There are reports of censorship on religious
  • 3. grounds. One study on religious liberty versus freedom expression published in 2013 concluded that cases of religious intolerance in Brazil have increased, especially through attacks by the neo-Pentecostal media, creating what researchers call the hate of speech in the name of freedom religious. POLITICS INFLUENCE The religious dominance of the media pass through the Congress. The Brazilian Parliament is full of Pentecostal and Catholic congressmen, who exercise their political power and prestige among the growing flock of faithful voters to get even more prestige and power, which brings even more concessions of media, licenses, money, influence, and so on. The Evangelical Parliamentary Front has 77 deputies and senators, which form the basis of support for the government of Dilma Rousseff. The religious influence is already so deep-rooted that the called deputies-preachers perform worship services, sermons and prayers within Congress, at the opening of legislative sessions. They are authors of polemic bills, as the gay cure (which asserts that homosexuality is a disease). Finally, the issue of discrimination against African religions by neo- Pentescostals brought up the historical (and disguised) Brazilian racism. Because the Catholic Church hegemony, the religions of African origin were persecuted over four centuries. Joined to the Republican State, especially in the first half of the 20th Century, the Church helped spread in society an imaginary of disdain and fascination for the exoticism associated with the cultural manifestations of Africans and their descendants in Brazil. This desecration entered the 21th Century, and is practiced not only by members of the Pentecostal faith. The Brazilian racism is in the language, in gestures of everyday life and in the historical marginalization of what has African origin. There are many policies for racial equality, but they are weak against the belief that some Brazilians are better than others. Hence the origin of the infamous YouTube videos; hence the misguided decision of the judge, who saw no religious unity in those manifestations and seriously injured several legal instruments, including the Brazilian Constitution and the Penal Code, the American Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. * This text is a raw version. The updated and edited article was published in Index on Censorship (04.06.2014): http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2014/06/brazil-religious-intolerance-on- the-rise/