São Paulo – A guide on what it means to be a Muslim, written by a household name on Islam studies and teaching worldwide, will be released in Portuguese next week in the cities of São Paulo and Campinas, in the state of São Paulo. Asad Tarsin (pictured above), a US-born Arab descendant author, will be in Brazil to present his work and teach a mini-course.
“Being Muslim – A Practical Guide” covers basic aspects of the religion in an in-depth, structured way. The piece is intended for Muslims and its primarily goal is to spread awareness of the religion to converts or Muslims looking to rekindle their faith. Transliterations and translations of Arabic terms pertaining to Islam are included in the book.
The idea of releasing the book in Brazil originated from Rebecca de Faria Slenes, who had read the piece in English and Spanish, and decided to translate it into Portuguese. She had already summarized some of the chapters in Portuguese for her own studies on Islam, and then she was put in touch with the author by an organization and it was agreed she’d translate the book.
Born in Brazil to a US-born father, Rebecca holds degrees in International Relations and French, which she completed in the United States, and a master’s in Anthropology from the Campinas State University (Unicamp). She works as a translator, an English teacher and an anthropologist. Rebecca told ANBA it took her about a year to translate the guide.
The author is a go-to source in Islam studies and teaching, especially in English-speaking countries like the USA. A curricular director at the Deen Intensive Foundation, which works to preserve and spread the holy sciences of Islam, he has studied Islamic sciences with some of the most respected religious scholars in his country. Tarsin has 10 years’ experience designing Islamic teaching programs.
The Brazilian Portuguese version of the book is being released by the USA’s Sandala, which also put out the English and Spanish versions. The author’s trip to Brazil has been arranged by Rebecca, who is working on the launch events along with Núcleo Acadêmico Islâmico (NAI), the Islamic Academic Center, comprising Muslim PhDs, postgraduate and university students. Tarsin will be in Brazil alongside de Zainab Ismail, the Latin American outreach coordinator for Al-Maqasid, a US-based Islamic religion teaching institution.
Tarsin will launch the book at 7pm on Wednesday (27) at Mesquita Anoor, in Campinas, and at 8pm on Thursday (28) at Mesquita da Misericórdia, in São Paulo’s Santo Amaro neighborhood. (mesquita is portuguese for ‘mosque’) The events are open to the public and free of charge. The Portuguese version of the book will have a print run of 1,000 copies, which will be given away free of charge.
The author will teach a mini-course on Saturday, March 30, from 10am to 4:30 pm at Mesquita da Misericórdia, mostly for converts. The course is free of charge, and registration is required. Simultaneous translation will be available during the events.
Quick facts
Book launch
Being Muslim – A Practical Guide
By Asad Tarsin
March 27, 7pm
Mesquita Anoor
Rua Antônio Pierozzi, 44
Barão Geraldo – Campinas – SP
Free of charge
March 28, 8pm
Mesquita da Misericórdia
Avenida Yervant Kissajikian, 1.130
Santo Amaro – São Paulo – SP
Mini-course with Asad Tarsin
March 30, 10am to 4:30pm
Mesquita da Misericórdia
Avenida Yervant Kissajikian, 1.130
Santo Amaro – São Paulo – SP
Free of charge – click here to register
For inquiries on the events, write to:
sermuculmano@muculmanas.org
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
