The Role of Mosques in Welcoming Syrian Refugees in Sao Paulo: between the "Sectarianization" of Solidarities and the Integration into Brazilian Society

Outside the Middle East, Brazil is the country of the Global South that has received the largest number of refugees from Syria. Since September 2013, the government has offered a "humanitarian visa" providing a legal, safe, and non-selective route for Syrian refugees. Mosques, which are relatively few in Brazil, have played a leading role in receiving these refugees. This article sheds light on what this involvement entails. The first part analyzes the ways in which Muslim associations provide aid to Syrian refugees, considering both the shortcomings of the Brazilian state and competition from civil society. The second focuses on the identity and political dimension of this Muslim solidarity and shows how religious loyalties have subsumed older diasporic ethnic ties. Finally, the last part examines the role of mosques in integrating Syrian refugees into Brazilian society.