The Lone Mosque: a case study of Muslims in Rio de Janeiro (1951 - 2019)

The present work focus on the Mosque of Light – the only Muslim temple in the state of Rio de Janeiro –, and has the celebration of Ramadan and its sacred fast as a backdrop. It starts with a brief account about the foundation of the Islamic religion through the prophet Muhammad’s revelation. Primarily interested in the investigation of the history of Islam in the city of Rio de Janeiro, since its arrival in the country, and paths that brought the first Muslims as slaves to the city. There is also an exploration of the theme of the arrival of Arab immigrants between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The case study was carried out during visits to the mosque, describing the celebration stages of a sacred prayer on Friday, in November 2018, and two visits in 2019: the first on one of the Ramadan days, witnessing and participating in the “break” of the fast, and the last on the closing day of the annual sacrifice, with the prayer of the end of Ramadan and the feast of Eid al fitr.