Education

Arab-Argentine Home of Berisso

Latin Arabia Dabke, Education, History, Music, Muslim , , 0 Comment


From 2011 – Arab-Argentine Home of Berisso – Islamic Mutual Aid Society of Berisso
At (0:25), the girl in the red dress looks Ukrainian. At (6:40), the girl in the blue dress looks positively Celtic.
How many of these so called Muslim Arabs even look Arabic?
How many are just culturally affiliated, with no religious connection?
How many are Christian non-Arabs, who just wanted to take up Arab dancing?

Argentina is almost unique in Spanish speaking Latin America in that the Arab immigration was so large and stable that it did produce a somewhat noticeable Muslim community. (Brazil to a lesser extent, but it was Portuguese speaking) Yet, even in Argentina and Brazil, the Muslims never rose above a small minority within their Arab ethnic communities.

Even in Argentina, the trend was for the Muslims to assimilate to non-observance, and often intermarry into Christianity.

Most of the other countries Christianized the Muslims who did come in, making for extremely small Muslim communites prone to coversion over time.

The difference is that in Argentina and Brazil, the Muslim communities are small, while elsewhere in South America they are incredibly small.

For ex: Nominally, in Argentina: (Muslims are about 10-20% of the Arab ethnic population. In practice considerably smaller).

In Chile: (Muslims are less than 0.5% of the Arab ethnic population).

Overall, taking the whole nation into account …

About 1½% of Argentina is Muslim (Nominally! In practice, much less).
About 0.025% of Chile is Muslim, and most of those are new arrivals, or converts who may re-convert back out.

Muslims in Argentina are noticeably small.  In Chile, they are microscopically small.

However, the Islamic Mutual Aid Society of Berisso is one Islamic group that did put down roots in Argentina. (The link is to their website in Spanish).  They were founded in 1917.

This was pre-Iranian Revolution, pre-Saudi funding; and may be one of the few genuine expressions of original cultural preservation not tainted by the Islamic extremism.

The Islamic groups now forming in Latin America are often expressions of Saudi or Iranian manipulation.  [For ex: the recently built obscenity of the King Fahd Mosque in Buenos Aires, was financed by the Saudis, and draws very few Argentine Muslims. Almost all attendees are recent immigrants. The Saudi-financed Mosque’s behavior has been very unpopular with Argentine Arabs.]

Berisso is a suburb about 13 miles/20 km southeast of Buenos Aires.  Oddly, Berisso has a double s, which is not found in Spanish; and is a name of Italian origin.  The town was founded by Italian immigrants.

Berisso is notable for its immigrants with many of it citizens tracing their roots to  Italian, German, Portuguese, Arab, East European, Irish, Lithuanian, and Jewish immigrants. [And you though Argentines were primarily Spanish Gauchos! – Actually, Italians may now outnumber the Spanish in Argentina where the Spanish is now spoken with an Italian accent in Buenos Aires.]

How many of these dancers are still practicing Arab Muslims, I do not know.

Please look at the above video in this post. Notice how many of the girls look like pale skinned Slavs or Nordics. At (6:40), the girl in the blue dress looks positively Celtic. How many of the swarthier girls are actually Latin?

As we have seen, in Latin America, Arab culture has broken out of the ethnic envelope, and is now embraced by non-Arabs. Also, the rate of intermarriage is very high.

If you doubt this, the video was posted in 2011, by someone with the Surname of Gonzalez, which is a Spanish name of Visigothic (Ancient Germanic) origin.

I am sure some Islamic aspect survives in the group; but I suspect a lot of it functions as a cultural relic for those who have a Muslim ancestor; but are now either Christian, confused, or unsettled as to what they are.

I included this to show that in Latin America, the Muslim groups, while culturally powerful, are religiously neutered. This is not a Salifist, or Wahabbist group.

Latin America usually converts Muslims; and even where it fails to convert, willl often culturally soften the Muslims. Do you see burqas in that group?

Latin America is – and has been – doing something right that the West needs to emulate.

FYI.

A Maronite Visit to Northern Uruguay

Latin Arabia Belly Dance, Education, Lebanese, Maronites, Translated 0 Comment


Forgive any errors in translation, but this video shows the enormous footprint
of Arabs – in this case Lebanese Maronite Catholics – in Latin America.
(Original Source)

This involves the vist of the World Union of Lebanese Communities’ representatives to 5 major Lebanese communities in Northern Uruguay.

What I did find interesting is that they claim there are 90,000 Lebanese in Uruguay while Wikipedia asserts there are only 70,000.

Again, as noted, the Arabs in South America are woefully under-counted. Also note the Christianity of Latin America Arabs.

Of particular mention in the video is the fact that there are 15 million Lebanese outside of Lebanon. Almost all of these expatriate Lebanese are Christian. About 11 million of them live in Latin America. Right now, only about 1/3 of Lebanon is Christian. Were all those 15 million to return to Lebanon, Lebanon would be over 80% Christian.

What is not mentioned is that a good portion of the Lebanese Christian exodus was ethnic cleansing by the Muslims.

This was a Maronite Catholic group. Almost all the Lebanese in Uruguay are Christian, if not all.

Maronites are a sect affiliated with Roman Catholicism, but where the local priests are allowed to be married before they are ordained. They are particularly noted for Marian (Mary) devotions.

Chile’s Palestinian Radicalism-03

Latin Arabia Education, Opinion, Palestinians, Thought of the Day, Tourism 0 Comment

Chile has half the world’s Palestinian Christians.

Most Palestinian-Chileans have ancestors who arrived long before 19301, thus making them ineligible for any claim that they were victims of the Nakba. I estimate that only 10,000 or so would even take up the option of the right of return even if it were presented to them.

Yet, even though they are now 3rd and 4th generation Chilean, they have kept up a degree of contact with the homeland. Many, not all, have some relatives – or distant relatives – who are in Judea and Samaria (the contested areas, what the world calls the West Bank). Many are now intermarried with Italian-, German-, Spanish-, and Basque-Chilean stocks, so their ethnic affiliation, while there, is attenuated.

These are among the elites of Chile, and probably among the elites of all of South America, especially concerning the Arab-South American community.

Yet, they are starting to be radicalized. Until the 1980s, except for a few minor political actions, they were not involved in Mideast politics.2 They were busy chiefly with assimilating and amassing wealth, two projects at which they excelled.

But no one can watch daily TV reports of street fighting which may involve distant relatives and not be concerned. Over the years, even as they assimilated even more, they have become more and more anti-Israel.

With their clout, and the cachet of Palestinian identity, Palestinian-Chileans could pull a lot of South American Arabs into their camp. This would not be so good for Israel; if Israel allows recent Iranian and Saudi influences to go uncontested. South America is emerging and too important now to ignore.

Brazil is now the sixth largest economy in the world. Chile is now first world. Argentina has been borderline first world for about 100 years, never managing to cross the line but always approaching it. Uruguay is almost middle class.

The Palestinians of Chile, who are half the world’s Palestinian Christians, and the largest Palestinian colony outside the Mideast have the potential to do great damage or great good for Israel’s case. Israel should not be ignoring this.

The Palestinian-Chileans’ position as elites in South America commands attention.

The first thing Israel should do is realize that whatever happens to the Christians in Judea and Samaria (the contested areas, what the world calls the West Bank) will get back to Chile. Not every Palestinian-Chilean has close relatives in the Mideast anymore, but enough do that any bad news from the Mideast will rifle throughout their community in Chile.

In order for Israel to win support from Palestinian-Chileans, it is necessary for Israel to go easy on the Christians in Judea and Samaria. Israel should differentiate the Christians from the Muslims. This does not have to be proudly broadcast to the world, but it can be communicated quietly to the Christians in both Judea and Samaria; also to their distant brethren in Chile.

Israel ought to remind the Palestinians in Chile that many of the Arabs of South America are descended from those who fled Muslim tyranny; whether the tyranny of Turkish rule, or the slaughters of Christians, which has occurred more than once, both requiring outside intervention to save the Christians3.

Israel must bring up this history when dealing with South American Arabs. They need to be reminded that Islam not Zionism is their traditional enemy.

While Israel is doing nothing, Saudi and Iranian propaganda are coming in and having a devastating effect. The Christian Palestinian community, which should not be supporting Islamist causes, is now supporting Abbas. Groups with Islamic connections are now speaking at Syrian Orthodox Churches in Chile.

Israel should contact the increasingly important Paletinian-Chilean community and cut a deal with them. They will enfranchise their Christian cousins in Judea and Samaria, and give them building permits, in return for a united front against Islam. There are only about 167,000 Arab Christians in Judea and Samaria according to the Wikipedia; which admits this is a high estimate, and the real number is lower. Israel could afford to admit them to Israeli nationality. It would produce a world of good will in Latin America.

This would be a quid pro quo of sorts. Palestinians in Chile would support Israel in exchange for the enfranchisement of their cousins left in the contested areas of the Holy Land.

The Palestinian-Christians might accept it. They have to be aware that no matter who is in charge in the contested areas, the Chritians will be a minority. Better to be a minority under a Jewish state than minority under an increasingly Islamic Palestinian state.

These Westernized Christian Arabs of South America could present an alternative face of the Arabs to the world. The Muslim Arab world would then be faced with alternative definition of what it means to be Arab. Islam might lose its cachet.

Are Arabs backwards, women destroying lunatics; or are they progressive, rich elites? The difference is Christianity. Though unstated, the Arabs might reconsider the wisdom of Islam, which is what Israel would want.

Israel should consider reaching out to the Palestinian-Christian in South America, and view them as a potential ally rather than an opponent.

Palestinian Radicalism-01
Palestinian Radicalism-02
Palestinian Radicalism-03

1See Wikipedia:Arab Chileans “61% of the Arabs arrived in our country did between 1900 and 1930. Over 60% of Arabs who came were between 10 and 30 years old”

Note: I have seen that number go as high as 81% of Palestinians arrived before 1930. (Click Here) What this means to Israel is that only a small portion of the community can lay claim to being Nakba refugees. Probably only one-fifth of the Palestinians in Chile can lay claim to being refugees, or near descendents of the refugees, of the Nakba. Of these, 90% are probably doing so well in Chile, that they would not choose the option of returning even were it presented to them.

2The Stephen Roth Institute for the Studay of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism, wrote in 2001-2, about Chile’s Palestinians, “Until the outbreak of the first intifada there was no evidence of Palestinian antisemitic or anti-Zionist activity.”

3The French intervened in the 19th century. The Israelis intervened in 1982. In both cases, the Christians were on the verge of extinction.

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