Brazil's Muslim community celebrates Ramadan

(18 May 2018) Muslims in Sao Paulo marked the first day of Ramadan in the oldest Latin American mosque. Constructed in 1929, the Brazil mosque offers support to the Muslim community, especially refugees arriving in Brazil. Around 2,000 refugees are helped by the mosque on a regular basis. Mosque officials offer Portuguese courses, food and clothing, depending on the donations received, but also help to integrate them into society. For many, being apart from their family is the main challenge. Razan Suliman, a refugee Syrian, has been living in Brazil for four years. "We were used to doing it every year with our family and now they are not close to us. We are sad, we miss them," Suliman said on Friday. Ramadan is traditionally a time of reflection and prayer, and Muslims are expected to abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex, to focus on spirituality, good deeds and charity Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/102011028589719587178/+APArchive​ Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/54e51feaf4231855f9529240bcdca2c0