What is it about?
This article explores a mid-20th century attempt by the Muslim communities in Buenos Aires, Argentina to build a mosque. It investigates ideas of community and sentiments of belonging by a religious minority community.
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Why is it important?
The article is important because it reveals a strong sense of belonging from an immigrant and religious minority group that is remains poorly understood. Furthermore, it demonstrates clearly that far from viewing themselves as separate from broader society, Muslims believed their religious identity was perfectly compatible with their Argentine national identity. Their expression of difference was a declaration of belonging.
Perspectives
This story was one discovered by accident in the Buenos Aires national library. At first, I ignored it because I was focused elsewhere. I only returned to it after being approached to participate in a workshop at Duke on religious minorities in Argentina. I'm glad I did because I think this example is important for understanding how minority groups - religious or otherwise - seem themselves as members of local and national communities inasmuch as the majority views these groups.
Steven Hyland
Wingate University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “Solemn Expression of Faith”: Muslims and Belonging in Peronist Argentina, 1946-1955, The Latin Americanist, June 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/tla.12124.
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