RIO DE JANEIRO: Being Muslim and a woman in Brazil is a struggle for some, especially those who believe in their Brazilian culture, but are faced with a rising xenophobia that wants them out. Salima and Jumana are both of Arab parents but consider themselves Brazilian. They enjoy the beach, in a bikini, and are die hard football fans. Still, they feel as though they are outsiders sometimes in their home country. “When people hear our names they often just stare as if the world had come to an end,” said 22-year-old Salima, whose parents arrived in Brazil two years before she was born. She told Bikyamasr.com that although her family is Moroccan, she is Brazilian. “It's all I have ever been. I speak Portuguese and do all those things that other Brazilians do,” she argued. Still, even here on the beach, when others overhear her and her Jordanian friend Jumana speak Arabic together, they feel shunned. Admitting that maybe they shouldn't speak Arabic, considering their native tongue is also the local language, the two girls said that they never noticed the looks until a few years ago. They say it was the rise in the global Islamophobia that has left many Brazilians fearful of immigrants and others. “It might not be as bad as other places on the planet, but it is increasing and we are very concerned for our safety,” said Jumana. Salima retold a recent harassment she experience near the beach as she was leaving the waterfront, still wearing her bikini top and a short skirt. Two men appeared and began following her. She said that while this is worrisome, “it is unfortunately normal.” But when the men passed by her, instead of heckling or propositioning the young woman, they “called me horrible names that I hadn't heard when I first entered university. “One of the guys just yelled ‘Arab whore' and then he spit in my direction. I was stunned and didn't really think that had just happened,” she said. Others among their friends, the Arabs, have also reported an increase in anti-Islamic sentiments, even to their Christian Arab friends. “People just are racist and don't have a clue that there are Arab Christians all over the place,” said Jumana. For both the girls, they hope that Brazil will move forward and end these racist attacks before they turn to violence. That is their greatest fear. “It only takes one person to really do massive damage,” Salima argued.
