Clouds over Iguacu

Duration: 5 minutes and 51 seconds

Country: United States

Language: English

License: dotSUB Non-Commercial

Genre: Documentary

Producer: Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

Director: Gabrielle Weiss

Views: 169 (3 embedded)

Posted by: pulitzercenter on Apr 25, 2008

As featured on Foreign Exchange. In the rain forest in the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, a Muslim Arab community stands accused by some of complicity in international terrorism. So far investigations have turned up empty. But the Muslim community of Foz do Iguacu is learning to live with the target on its back. For more information, visit www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=13.

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[♪Jazzy music playing ♪] WITH FAREED ZAKARIA
In the rain forest in the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina,
a Muslim Arab community stands accused by some of complicity in international terrorism.
So far investigations have turned up empty.
But the Muslim community of Foz do Iguacu is learning to live with the target on its back.
[♪Man singing solo♪]
"Clouds Over Iguacu" Reported by: Kris Kitto and Gabrielle Weiss
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Hoda Dabaja, School Director
[In Spanish, translated] My father came here in 1968 to look for work.
Because of the war in Lebanon people couldn't find work.
Sheik Taleb Jomha, Imam
I am the Imam, which means the religious leader for this community,
for the Muslim community in Foz do Iguacu,
and the religious leader for this mosque.
The Muslims, they came here to Foz do Iguacu in 1951 or 1952.
They established financing in this town, working, and opened stores,
for more than 50 years.
This is their job and their mission here.
They are businessmen.
And they are still trying to keep their background,
and their religion.
At the same time they are trying to go inside the Brazillian society.
Arwa Mais, Imam's wife
It doesn't feel like living away from Lebanon, there are so many Lebanese in here,
especially from the same villages that my husband is from, that sometimes I forget I am in Brazil.
[Sounds of children talking in classroom]
We started the school with only 30 children, and now I have 260 kids.
[Teacher and children singing and clapping]
They are Brazillians, they were born here so they are Brazillians.
I used to read on the internet and some newspapers that
Al Qaeda has cells here in Foz do Iguacu and around.
sleeping cells,
something like that in the media. It's very strange to us.
Laura Galante de Miskin, Wife of Syrian Ambassador, Founder, Peace Without Borders
[In Arabic, translated] The region is perhaps more permeable due to the movement of people,
That's possible.
Here, we have never seen any activities that could even be considered terrorism.
There have been thousands of accusations,
Mossad, the CIA, the FBI,
The Argentinian authorities, the Brazillian Federal Police, have all been here.
There has been so many people here but they have not been able to prove anything.
Luis Muniagurria, Paraguayan Federal Prosecutor
[In Spanish, translated] We are working closely with the United States,
They are helping us a lot and a group has been formed called the 3 - 1 group,
which consists of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay,
plus the United States, which gives us support.
And principally, this group watches activities related to terrorism,
and the movement of money, money laundering.
Every time they say there's terrorism here, and then every journalist in the world come here
and ask us the same question over and over again.
But -- it's so strange that -- at the end there are here people who couldn't stay in Lebanon
for financial reasons -- so they came, they left their country -- they immigrated here.
To work, to have money, to send back to their families to help them.
That's it, it's so simple.
The money that they send home to their countries,
is used partly to contribute to jihad,
which forms part of their religion,
and also supports the martyrs, the people that commit illicit terrorist acts.
Everybody here
sends money to Lebanon, to Palestine, to Syria, to Egypt
to any country.
You have immigrants here,
they send money to their relatives, their parents, their brothers
We believe that they send money home
and through terrorist organizations, they commit other types of illicit acts,
on a global level.
They attack the United States, they attack England, they attack Spain,
If we could work and live in Lebanon, we would never have left.
So why come here and be terrorists? [laughs]
[♪Jazzy music playing ♪] WITH FAREED ZAKARIA
ISLAM RISING Islam is the fastest growing religion in the European Union
Source: International Herald Tribune
There are 12-15 million Muslims living in Europe
Mohammad has been the most popular name for newborn boys in Brussels, Belgium for the past 4 years
WITH FAREED ZAKARIA
Director/Editor: Gabrielle Weiss
Reporter: Kris Kitto
Produced by: The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Azimuth Media
www.pulitzercenter.org