A time for hope and healing
Arabs in Brazil, torn during election between business and heritage, now look forward to stronger ties with Muslim nations
In the presidential election on Oct. 30, Brazilians chose Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who previously served as their president from 2003-2010, after a highly polarized campaign against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
The divisions among the population of the South American country was reflected in the result: Lula received 50.9 percent of votes while Bolsonaro got 49.1 percent.
The large Brazilian-Arab community, estimated at more than 10 million, was also divided.
This could be seen in, for example, Foz do Iguacu, a city on the border with Paraguay and Argentina that is home to thousands of Arab-Brazilians.
In August, part of the community organized a dinner with Lula. As soon as the invitation was publicized on social media, Arab supporters of Bolsonaro began to protest. The dinner was canceled.
Such controversy has been common in the politically charged atmosphere throughout the country over the past few months, and the Arab community has been no exception, analysts say.
The first aspect of this to consider is that the Arab community does not constitute an organized group of influence, said Tufy Kairuz, a researcher with a PhD in history from York University in Canada.
“Lebanese and Syrian immigrants began to arrive in Brazil at the end of the 19th century,” he told Arab News.
“Europeans in Brazil were usually Mediterranean, so Arabs were always considered to be white here. They adapted well.”
He added that as white, Christian people and members of an economic elite, Arab Brazilians tend to vote along the same lines as the non-Arab Brazilian elite.
This is why many in the community voted for Bolsonaro, said Murched Omar Taha, president of the Institute for Arab Culture.
“Many Arab Brazilians are businessmen, and businessmen are among the segments who, in general, supported Bolsonaro,” he told Arab News.
At the same time, he said, there are many intellectuals, educators and artists among Brazilian Arabs — who tended to favor Lula.
Mamede Jarouche, the son of Lebanese immigrants and a professor of Arab literature at the University of Sao Paulo, said a large part of the Arab community is completely integrated into Brazilian society, so Arab heritage does not play as much of a role when it comes to voting.
“Descendants of the first waves of immigrants usually don’t feel much connection to their roots,” Jarouche told Arab News.
However, first- or secondgeneration Brazilian Arabs tend to follow Middle Eastern politics and so feel closer to the Arab world, he added.
“Most of the Muslim people who are concerned with the Palestinian cause oppose Bolsonaro,” he said.
During the 2018 presidential campaign, Bolsonaro pledged to move the Brazilian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a promise for which he received great support from the Brazilian-Israeli community.
However, “he had to give up on that idea after he suffered great pressure from Arab nations, which are important commercial partners for Brazil,” Taha said.
Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of halal meat and poultry, for example, and the agribusiness sector, a massive supporter of Bolsonaro, urged him to reconsider the embassy move, Taha added. “But if he had four more years, maybe he’d do it,” he added.
Bolsonaro’s pro-Israel rhetoric, which displeased many Arabs in Brazil, was amplified by his evangelical allies. His wife, Michelle, is a member of a Baptist church and is often seen wearing the colors of the Israeli flag.
On Oct. 30, for example, she cast her vote while wearing a T-shirt with a graphic of the Israeli flag.
Jihad Hammadeh, a prominent member of the Muslim community in Brazil, told Arab News the photos went viral and added: “As a sheikh, I thought she lacked sensitivity and common sense. It was really a provocation.
“Many people who hadn’t decided yet ended up voting for
Lula after that. Many of them felt it as an insult.”
Hammadeh said many Brazilian Arabs remember that Lula had enjoyed close relations with Arab countries and played a central role in supporting Palestinians. In 2010, shortly before the end of his previous presidential term, he formally recognized Palestine as a sovereign state.
Domestically, Lula has shown more openness toward Muslims than Bolsonaro, said Hammadeh.
“When the president himself opens the doors for you and establishes a dialogue, you feel more comfortable,” he added.
“In Bolsonaro’s administration, we didn’t have the same closeness with the president than we used to have with Lula.”
Kairuz predicts that Lula will work to strengthen Brazil’s ties with Arab and Muslim nations.
“Lula has a solid reputation in these countries,” he said.
“That’s why many of them, immediately after the election result was announced on Oct. 30, sent messages to congratulate him.”
On Nov. 1, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a message to Lula in which he expressed “sincere felicitations to the president-elect, wishing him every success and the government and friendly people of Brazil steady progress and prosperity.”