VZCZCXRO1343
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHSO #0708 3431211
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091210Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0243
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 0052
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000708 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: Sao Paulo Nominee for Presidential Entrepreneurship Summit 
 
REF: STATE 112468 
 
¶1.  Sao Paulo Brazil nominates Andre Luz Lara Mello to participate 
in President Obama's summit for Young Muslim Entrepreneurs during 
the first quarter of 2010 per State 112468. 
 
 
 
¶2.  Sao Paulo hosts Brazil's and South America's largest 
concentration of Muslim communities.  Most Brazilian Muslims are of 
Lebanese descent and are successfully integrated into Brazil, a 
country with a strong "melting pot" ethic.  Andre Mello well 
represents this tradition of the moderate Muslim committed to both 
his faith and to the idea of respect between cultures.  He is 32 
years old and works as a journalist and media expert for the Muslim 
Federation, the leading Muslim umbrella organization in Brazil. 
The Federation is committed to a vision of moderate Islam and is 
known for involving youth in many charitable activities that 
benefit all Brazilians.  As one example, the Federation runs a 
private Muslim school in a marginal area of Sao Paulo that serves a 
student body that is 60 percent non-Muslim.  The Federation also 
recently organized a reception for SRMC Farah Pandith during her 
visit to Sao Paulo. 
 
 
 
¶3.  In his work with the Federation, Andre Mello promotes the 
organization's moderate vision of Islam through a variety of media, 
including newspapers, magazines and television programs.  His goal 
is to counter the stereotype that Islam is inherently fanatical or 
incompatible with other faiths.  Mello graduated with a degree in 
journalism from Anhembi Morumbi University.  He has extensive media 
experience, having worked in the Globo TV network (producing a 
reality TV show entitled "Task Force" about police operations) as 
well as editing and performing camera work for the network.  He 
also conceptualized and helped to produce a book, "The Mosques of 
Sao Paulo," which was designed to both present Islam to Brazilians 
and give them a summary of the Islamic faith.  Mello lists his 
English skills as intermediate.  Poloff has spoken with him and he 
could function quite well at a Washington-based conference. 
 
 
 
¶4.  Comment: Post's engagement with Sao Paulo's Muslim communities 
is a work in progress.  In general, these Muslim communities are 
still fairly conservative, with many children entering family-owned 
businesses.  That said, community leaders are very cognizant of the 
dangers of radicalism and organizations like the Muslim Federation 
are working hard to promote a moderate vision of Islam.  Post 
believes that it could be important to represent South America's 
Muslims at the President's planned summit.  The tolerance practiced 
here in Sao Paulo and the impressive range of general social works 
sponsored by the Muslim Federation (aimed mainly at benefiting poor 
Brazilians, most of whom are nominally Christian) could be an 
excellent example for other Muslim communities, particularly Muslim 
minority communities worldwide.  For this reason, Post strongly 
endorses Mr. Mello's candidacy for participation in the planned 
Presidential event. 
 
 
 
¶5.  This nomination has been cleared by U.S. Embassy Brasilia. 
White