São Paulo – High school student Ana Clara Sampaio (pictured), of Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil, released her first book about a month ago. ‘Direct Speeches’ is a compilation of accounts from young Muslims and non-Muslims from 15 different countries designed to fight islamophobia, i.e. the prejudicial association of Muslims with terrorism.
The 17-year-old writer told ANBA that her curiosity about the subjects was piqued by an online friendship with a Pakistani girl (they would speak in English) when they were 13, in 2015. Sampaio created a Twitter account so she could talk to people about the United States TV smageries House, of which she was a fan. The girls became pen pals and found out they had other common interests. “When she told me she was from Pakistan I was really surprised. I didn’t know anything about the country, so I decided to do research. At some point I inquired what her religion was, and she told me she was a Muslim. That made me very curious, and I set out seeking information about this religion, which I knew nothing about,” the student recalled. Speaking with my Pakistani friend, I found out there was a lot of prejudice against Muslims, which I found unacceptable. I was disgusted and upset,” she said.
In 2016, History teacher Sampaio, from school Colégio Magnum Agostiniano Cidade Nova (which Ana Clara still goes to) started an in-class discussion on Islam and terrorism, so she relied on social media again to call on people to express their views on islamophobia. She was hoping to get four or five accounts, but wound up with 20 stories in English and Portuguese from people in several countries. “This debate prompted me to do more in-depth research on the subject, and what started out as extra content for the debate evolved into the Direct Speeches project,” said Ana Clara.
She collected another 20 accounts for the project, which ultimately became a book, published by the Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (Fambras) and released during the São Paulo International Book Biennial, last August, with free distribution. Ana Clara organized the book, which comprises 40 texts by people from countries including Brazil, the United States, Pakistan, India and Arab countries Lebanon and Somalia. “The texts address how people mistakenly associate Islam with terrorism. Each text has its own take. Some deal with questions endogenous to each country, while others give more international views. Some are very emotional, with personal experiences of prejudice,” said Ana Clara, who translated the writings from English into Brazilian Portuguese and made small changes for ease of reading.
The process of getting the statements was moving and intense, she said. “It was an amazing moment. I had many sleepless nights, but it was one of the best times in my life,” Ana Clara recollected. She said the project helped her choose what to study in college. “I was a bit lost. I knew I was into History and Geography, but I wasn’t sure about anything. During the project, I realized I really like to turn my gaze abroad, to share knowledge and explore new cultures, so I decided I will study International Relations.”
Ana Clara said that after the research and debates at school, she has a less stereotypical view of religion, and that her schoolmates’ behavior and opinions also changed. “I noticed that my classmates started paying more attention, taking stances and becoming more involved in discussions. I like to think that my project helped changed some people’s minds, thanks to the struggle of the Muslim community, and all the good things that the book brought about are great for me and a lot more people involved,” she said.
Check out an excerpt from a young Somali girl: “Islamophobia started after 9/11 and still lives on today. There had been many killings not spoken about in the media which involved Christians killing Muslims here in America… (…) “The word ‘Islam’ has a direct translation to Peace. The whole religion preaches peace and nothing else. If you look directly in the Quran you will NOT find one passage that preaches violence. (…) Please remind your classmates that Islam is the 2nd largest religion and still is growing. And to falsely stereotype 1.3 billion people for acts of probably 300 or less is unacceptable. There are terrorists acts and non-belong to any religion.”
The e-book version is available for free download from the Fambras website.
Ana Clara said English and Arab versions are in the plans for the near future.
Quick facts
Finally, Direct Speeches
Ana Clara Gonçalves Sampaio, 2016
Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil
ISBN 978-85-85308-00-1
Free download available from the Fambras website.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
