Monday, September 16, 2024

Hundreds march in Brazil to support religious freedom as cases of intolerance rise

Practitioners of various religions have marched down Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach


By DIARLEI RODRIGUES 
Associated Press
September 15, 2024,



RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Practitioners of different religious traditions marched down Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana Beach on Sunday to support religious freedom in Brazil, where cases of intolerance have doubled over the past six years.

Hundreds of men, women and children from more than a dozen faiths participated in the event, known as the March for the Defense of Religious Freedom. Many of the participants were practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions that have recently faced attacks from members of Christian groups. Brazil's recently appointed Minister for Human Rights Macaé Evaristo also joined the march, which was held for the 17th consecutive year.

“The great challenge today in our country is to reduce inequality," Evaristo told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency. "So for me it is very important to be present in this march, because the people here are also struggling for many things like decent work and a life free from hunger."

In Rio de Janeiro state, which is home to a quarter of the practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions, there’s been a proliferation of evangelical Christianity, particularly neo-Pentecostal churches founded since 1970 that focus on spreading their faith among non-believers.

Experts say that while most neo-Pentecostal proselytizing is peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied by a surge of intolerance for traditional African-influenced religions, ranging from verbal abuse and discrimination to destruction of temples and forced expulsion from neighborhoods.

“Everything that comes from Black people, everything that comes from people of African origin is devalued; if we are not firm in our faith, we will lose strength," said Vania Vieira, a practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. “This walk is to show that we are standing, that we will survive.”

While the Brazilian constitution protects the free exercise of religion, cases of disrespect and attacks, especially against groups of African origin, have become increasingly frequent.

Between 2018 and 2023, the Brazilian government’s complaint service recorded an increase of 140% in the number of complaints of religious intolerance in the country.

In Brazil, those who commit crimes of religious intolerance can face up to five years in prison, as well as a fine.

Hundreds protest religious intolerance in Brazil
Hundreds protest religious intolerance in Brazil

Hundreds protested religious intolerance in Brazil on Sunday due to a recent rise in discrimination against minority religions, including recently appointed Human Rights Minister Macaé Evaristo.

This year alone, complaints of religious intolerance in Brazil surged by 80% according to a government complaint service cited by local media.

Religious freedom is enshrined in Chapter I Article 5 of the Brazilian Constitution and there are criminal penalties in place for religious intolerance. The law currently provides for prison sentences of up to five years for perpetrators of crimes related to religious intolerance.

While believers of more than a dozen religions participated, there was a focus on practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions which particularly have faced a rise in attacks from members of certain evangelical Christian organizations. According to a paper by Professor Vagner Gonçalves da Silva, Neo-Pentecostal churches in particular pursue a practice of spreading their faith among non-believers which can be accompanied by intolerant acts and crimes towards other religious groups. This can include verbal abuse, discrimination and even the destruction of religious sites and expulsion from neighbourhoods.

Under international law, freedom of religion and belief is enshrined under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and article 18 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Brazil has ratified all of these agreements, so the state is bound by international law to protect the religious freedom of its citizens.

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