BRASILIA The number of Muslims in Brazil keeps on increasing day by day, and the Islamic centers in that country continue to intensify their activities in attracting more and more to the faith. The centers also try their best to correct the wrong image about Islam that has been portrayed by the Western media, and the effect it has had on the Brazilians with regard to Islam. Out of Brazil's population of 150 million, Muslims account for at least one million.

The Islamic center in the capital, Brasilia, is one of the most prominent Islamic landmarks in the city, and it is considered one of the biggest Islamic centers in South America. The center was established in 1991 and has an area of 10,000 square meters, comprising a mosque (with a two-meter minaret), a school, a lecture hall, a public library, and residences for the Imam and other staff of the center.

Islam came to Brazil in 1825 and was brought by African Muslims who had arrived in the country at the height of Portugal's colonialism empire. (IRNA)