WHAT IS THE COLOR OF FAITH?”

PERSPECTIVES ON RELIGIOUS RACISM AND THE SILENCE OF AFRICAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

Abstract

The process of colonization, in its structures and development, presented among its forms of domination and control, the process of evangelization, where through the understanding of superiority in religious aspects, there is a demonization of the beliefs, customs, spiritualities of different countries on the African continent. Between 2019 and 2023, through information and communication portals, there was a growing increase in cases of invasion and depredation of candomblé and umbanda terreiros, as well as persecution of their religious leaders. Such behaviour is often labelled and referred to as Religious Intolerance, where a generalization occurs, thus generating different problems and debates. In this sense, the focus is on an in-depth analysis of what religious racism is, based on bibliographical methodology, using texts, articles and theses that can contribute to differentiating between this concept and the practices of religious intolerance, in addition to presenting how human rights and the citizen's constitution can promote the prevention of these elements that neglect the right to religious freedom, as well as observing the current challenges in promoting laws that curb actions such as the depredation of sacred temples, the destruction of images of orixás, in addition to processes of persecution and physical and verbal violence. As a preliminary result, it can be understood that the use of the concept of Religious Racism is of great importance when observing that certain acts of violence and persecution are articulated not only in religious issues, but are also related to skin color, ancestry and origins, which differ from Western societies, where there is a process of constant silencing of these acts that break with human rights.