Islam in Latin America
Islam in Latin America is a collaborative project of FIU and the Social Science Research Council-Carnegie foundation that aims at addressing the significant disparity that exists between the American media’s, and by extension the American public’s, perception of Muslims in Latin America and the reality of the current state of affairs. Part of this communication problem can be attributed to the lack of sound and systematic examination of this subject in English.
Islam as a contemporary religious, cultural, and socio-historical phenomenon in Latin America is grossly understudied, especially when compared to its European, Asian, and North American counterparts. The Islam in Latin America project is a trilingual (Spanish, Portuguese and English) initiative that seeks to create a better understanding of Islam’s various manifestations in Latin America. This project attempts to start a dialogue toward answering the following questions:
What has been the historical development of Islam in Latin America? Is there a different approach to the practice of Islam between Latin American converts and Muslim immigrants from the Middle East? Can we speak of a “Creole Islam” in Latin America unique to other practices of Islam in the European or North American Diasporas? What is the social reality that Muslims face in Latin America in the post September 11th environment? How has media affected the perceptions of Muslims in Latin America?
