Evangelical Drug Gangs Attack Afro-Brazilian Religions

"They have expelled priests, broken sacred objects and people even died," Babalawo Ivanir dos Santos, a Yoruba priest, said of the current situation in Brazil where attacks on Afro-Brazilian religions doubled in 2019.

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In 2019, Brazil registered over 200 attacks against Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Umbanda and Candomble, a 100 percent increase compared to 2018, the Commission for Combating Religious Intolerance (CCIR) found.

Evangelicalism has spread across the South American country in recent years, and today a third of the population is affiliated to the belief system, while growingly occupying positions of power.

African-inspired religions, however, are followed by less than 0,5 percent of the population.

Drug traffickers who identify as evangelicals have been responsible for such attacks, and experts believe this phenomenon is the result of the surge of religious fanaticism in Brazil.

Although the attacks are mainly concentrated in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, three of the most important states in Brazil, authorities have registered cases across the entire country.

One of the most recent attacks took place in December, where the Cabocla Jurema Umbanda Temple was attacked by criminals who destroyed and burned part of its facilities.

It was not the first time the Umbanda temple had been attacked.

Authorities are investigating whether evangelical drug gangs perpetrated the crime since the modus operandi was similar to previous attacks.

Both Umbanda and Candomble religions believe in a supreme God, although the focus is on spirits and forces of nature considered divine ancestors known as orixas.

Conservative movements like evangelicalism consider the multitude of deities they worship and their practices as pagan, according to experts.

Evangelical gangs believe they are "fighting evil," Christina Vital, a sociologist at the Fluminense Federal University, and author of the book "Oraçao do Traficante "(Drug Trafficker's Prayer) told EFE.

Evangelicalism is the second most popular religion in Brazil, with 31 percent of the population practicing it, just behind Catholicism, which remains the dominant religion (50 percent), according to a survey released by Brazilian polling institute Datafolha in January.

Estimates say that by 2032 evangelicalism may become the most dominant religion in the country in terms of the number of followers.

The rise of the evangelical movement has been particularly robust in the favelas, some of which are controlled by drug traffickers.

Throughout history, gangs have been linked to religions including Catholicism, Umbanda and Candomble.

According to Vital, these communities have experienced a change in their religious outlook, and evangelicalism is used by drug traffickers as inspiration to give up crime.

"When they are in the midst of criminal activity, they start recognizing that religiosity as a protection network and a source of inspiration for when the moment of departure comes," the sociologist added.

Yoruba priest Dos Santos partially agreed with Vital's hypothesis, acknowledging the number of evangelicals has grown dramatically in Brazilian prisons due to the benefits prisoners are offered if they convert to the religion.

"But when they leave prison they continue with drug trafficking, so what they do is attack what they call evil figures," he explained.

Dos Santos said evangelicalism has political and economic goals because it is not a religion but "uses religion for a political purpose."

"Intolerance has spread throughout the social sphere, education, work environments, neighbors' relationships, etc.," he added.