Colombia, like all Latin American countries, houses large communities of Arab origin. What do these groups represent to your country, and what do they represent in terms of closer ties with the Arab world?
Yes, we have significant Arab communities in our country, particularly of Lebanese origin. Currently in Colombia we have approximately 700,000 people of Lebanese origin, who are descendents of the 30,000 immigrants who came from Lebanon to settle in Colombia in the late 19th century. Ten percent of the members of the Colombian Parliament are of Arab origin. We also have great businessmen, scientists, etc, of Arab origin. I have just visited Lebanon because I think that we should start to boost our relations and our blood ties.
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Arabs are less that 3% of the population but 10% of the Senate in Colombia.
Palestinians are less that 3% of the population but 10% of the Senate in Chile.
Do you see a pattern here?
The Arabs are elite in many countries in South America.
I spoke with Michel Jacabo Eljure, whose father emigrated from the district of Qura, located in present-day Lebanon. He is a retired businessman who owned a ranch in the Yucatán. He spoke Arabic well and was familiar with the history of the Arabs in Mérida. According to him, even though the Lebanese were only 1 percent of the city’s 1.5 million population, they controlled 30 percent of the commercial and industrial establishments. As for religion, he explained that the Lebanese were originally evenly divided between Maronite and Orthodox Christians. Today, they are all Roman Catholics with only about 20 families still practicing the Orthodox rites. From time to time, a priest travels from Mexico City to administer to these few families’ needs.
With the tolerance of peoples to others in mind, I asked Michel, “Why is it that in countries like Canada, multicultural societies are encouraged and here in Mexico it’s total assimilation?” He replied, “Our society is montholitic. We want everyone to be Roman Catholic and speak Spanish. In our community only about 20 people still read Arabic.”
He continued, “As for our food, it’s another matter. Even a great number of the non- Lebanese in Mérida cook in their homes our kubbah, grape leaves and other Arabic foods. At least we contributed some of our heritage to Mexico – now our beloved homeland.”
This essay appeared in Al Jadid, Vol. 6, no. 30 (Winter 2000)
I am not saying Mexico’s way is best, but notice the total assimilation of the Arab community. Notice also that these Lebanese are not commercial and industrial elites.
The society to which the Arabs came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries reinforced the almost total loss of the language. The church was all-powerful and every inhabitant had to fit into the narrow view of the Spanish-Catholic world of that time.
I asked George Baladi, a longtime immigrant living in Cartagena, if there were any Muslims among the early Arabs in Colombia. He replied, “I am told that five Muslim families from Tripoli, in present day Lebanon, had come with the early immigrants, but they all had to become Christian.”
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In the political arena, the Arab immigrants have also left an impressive mark. Gabriel Turbay ran for president in 1946, and Julio César Turbay Ayallah, born to an Arab father and Colombian mother, served as president of the country from 1978 to 1982. When first elected he is reported to have stood up in Parliament and declared that he was proud to be of Arab descent.
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At any one time, there are from 20 to 30 members of Parliament and the Senate who are of Arab origin. It is estimated that there are over a quarter of a million Colombians of Arab descent — almost all tracing their origins to Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
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In spite of their small number and almost total assimilation, the Arabs have left a significant mark on Colombian society. In every city where they reside, restaurants and cafes proudly display the nameRestaurante Arabe or Comida Arabe. The Arab dishes, kubbah, shish kabab, taboula, tahini, and all types of pies stuffed with cheese, meat, sweets, and vegetables are well-known among the Colombians. Many Colombians have come to think of these delicacies as their own foods, and a good number of these dishes are sold frozen in almost all markets.
Strangely enough, even though the Arab immigrants’ descendants have lost their tongue and most of their traditions, they still form social clubs, and about 25 percent marry within the Arab community.
This essay appeared in Al Jadid, Vol. 6, no. 30 (Winter 2000)
The author severely undercounts the Arabs in Colombia. He may be ignoring Arabs who are more settled for many generations, or he may be ignoring Arabs of Christian backgrounds.
Notice that the author says: “It is estimated that there are over a quarter of a million Colombians of Arab descent.” Yet, Wikipedia alone estimate that there are 700,000 Lebaneses Colombians.
The infuriating tendency of Lebanese not to number themselves among the Arabs – even though they are Arab speaking – causes havoc with statistics.
Often, the number of Arabs in a Latin American country is woefully underestimated.
Unless there is a good reason, I usually multiply the number of Lebanese x 2.1 – to account for Syrian Christians, and other Arabs – to get a good estimate of the Arabs in a country. This often produces reasonable results. Not always, but it does cross check in countries where the numbers are more reliable.
Palestine and Honduras, where Palestinians are heavily populated, would not come in under this estimate.
I had to remove a video stream which was taken down.
The Chaco Province is in Argentina’s almost tropical north, yet there was enough of an Arab population in 2013 to support a radio show called Las Mil y Una Noches(1,0001 Nights) which broadcast Arab Music to the Internet and to Chaco.
It was an internet set up; and it was only about 14 shows, but it had some viewers. At that time, it was on USTREAM, which has since been bought out by IBM. The show played to a small niche market, but it showed that even in a relatively poorer, rural province, Argentina has an Arab population.
These Arabs in Latin America could be a force for peace.
They are assimilated, and Westernized; yet obviously have enough Arab identification that they could be a bridge between the Arab world and the West.
Why is our American government doing nothing to reach out to them?
3 July, 2020 – Edited: Had to remove a video that no longer was streaming. Made corrections to text.
![141px-Chaco_in_Argentina.svg[1]](https://latinarabia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/141px-Chaco_in_Argentina.svg1_.png "Chaco Province, Argentina")