Persecution of Non-Muslims (Brazil)

Note that the persecution of apostates and the persecution of homosexuals are covered in separate pages

Former Jehovah’s Witness who converted to Islam opens fire on children, 11 dead, 20 wounded. English language press ignores/conceals the murderer’s extremist religious beliefs and motivation

The horrific, premeditated massacre of nearly a dozen children at a school in Rio de Janeiro was the work of a Islamic extremist — but the English language press is either ignoring or concealing the alleged murderer’s religious beliefs.
. . .

updated reports have done little to expand on a critical piece of information neglected in many reports: Oliveira’s Islamic extremism. An article at LibertarianRepublican.net observed that “The 36-paragraph AP article, makes no mention of his Islamic affiliation or beliefs. In fact, no American MSM are reporting on the Islamic link. CNN report, even suggests that he may have gone on the rampage over an infection with AIDS. Only a handful of right news blogs, are reporting the full story.”

An April 7 story for the New York Times does make several passing references to Oliveira’s beliefs, noting that in his suicide note, “He asked to be buried in a way that reflected some aspects of Islamic tradition,” and “A longtime neighbor and former member of Mr. Oliveira’s church said Mr. Oliveira had been a lifelong Jehovah’s Witness before turning to Islam two years ago.” Such details were only included after a gratuitous swipe against American schools that says more about the parochial views of the author of the article than it does regarding the tragedy in Brazil: “But the specter of the schoolhouse massacre was thought to be a mostly American affliction.”

Media ignores Islamic Views of Brazilian Murderer
James Heiser, New America, April 12, 2011

The Brazilian media is reporting that the gunman was a Muslim, and that his prime motivation for the shootings was his Islamic beliefs.

Translated from the Brazil Journal "Sister says shooter was strange, and had no friends": In an interview with Radio Band News, Rosilane Menezes, sister of gunman Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, said he was strange, reserved and without friends.

"He was so focused on things related to Islam and had let his beard grow long. He was weird, he was on the internet all day reading related issues and it was very strange, very secretive," she said.

Wellington left a letter with disconnected sentences, but with fundamentalist tendencies, said Lt. Col. Djalma Beltrame, commander of Battalion 14.

"He was on the internet using Muslim sites... It's crazy. Only a crazy person could do this to children, said the commander..."

Muslim kills 11 Schoolchildren in Brazil Execution Style - 36 Paragraph AP article; no mention of Islam
LibertarianRepublican, April 8, 2011

One of the shooter's sisters told the police, in testimony, that Wellington started to go to a mosque in Rio. In his letter, he describes the conflict: "I made mistakes with my family but I changed with the Koran and they do not trust me."

Wellington makes reference to what could be a group. He reports that he divides time between prayers and reflections about terrorism. "I'm outside of the group but I pray to God every day with my noon prayer, that is the recognition of God, and the other 5 are the dedication to God and four hours every day I spend reading the Koran. Not the book because it stayed with the group but parts that I've copied for myself. And the rest of the time I spend meditating about what I read, and sometimes meditating about September 11th."

Manuscritos de atirador mostram fixação por terrorismo (English translation)
Globo.com, April 10, 2011

I think it's important to note that all of the headlines in the news reports in Portuguese call the murderer an Islamic suicide bomber and report that his letter refers to Islam, while none of the English outlets are reporting this critical clue.
. . .

At least 11 people, mostly children, died Thursday and more that 15 were wounded when an armed man attacked a school in Realengo in the poor suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.

According to a preliminary police report, the attacker - a 24- year-old former student at the school - was among the dead after shooting himself in the head. He attacked Tasso da Silveira school, where some 400 students ages 9-14 were in classes. [...]

Beltrami described the letter as 'the words of a person who no longer believes in anything, full of sentences that made no sense and references to Islamic fundamentalism.'
. . .
Roselane de Oliveira, a sister of the attacker, told Rio de Janeiro radio station Band News that the young man 'was very strange.'

'He had no friends, and he spent all his time on the Internet,' she said. In recent months, she said, he appeared to have got closer to Islam.

Rio Mass Murder: Muslim Opens Fire on Children's School, 11 Dead, 20 Wounded, Suicide Note "References to Islamic fundamentalism"
Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs, April 7, 2011

The letter also explained in detail how Oliveira wanted his corpse to be cared for — bathed and wrapped in a white sheet that he left in a bag in the first room where he said he would start shooting. The letter also states that the gunman should not be touched by anyone who is “impure” unless they wear gloves.

Gunman kills 12 children in Rio de Janeiro school
Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press, April 7, 2011

---

• ← Back to Persecution of Non-Muslims