The Present Crisis

The Present Crisis

When I started this blog, about twelve years ago, it was more of a curiosity to me. I just wanted to explore the subcultural impact of Arabs in Latin America. I wanted to show the world the food, the music, and the dance that Arabs had brought to Latin culture.

AND IT WAS IMPRESSIVE!

However, there were times that events intruded into the exploration of the subculture. The continuing wars in Gaza always left a mark. But the present Gaza War is of an altogether different character.

Unlike much of the world, and much of the internet, my own sympathies tend to lie with Israel, but I am an American.

Latin America has tens of millions of citizens of Arab ancestry, and while almost all of those Arab-Latins are Christians, some have a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel view. Chile, for example, has a massive Palestinian population which is very politically powerful, very hostile to Israel, and very influential. Oddly, these Chilean Palestinians are 99% Christian, yet sympathetic to the Islamic cause of Palestine in the Mideast.

To be sure, I am NOT putting down Latin-Arabs, most of whom are nice, but the media focuses on the loud protestors. And the Christians in Latin America forget that their ancestors often left the Mideast due to Muslim persecutions against Christians.

Thankfully, as a rule, Latins of Lebanese Maronite Christian ancestry do remember the predations of Islam; and they tend to avoid an anti-Israel sentiment. They can be a moderating force among other Latin-Arabs.

One has to remember that the pro-Palestinian elements may be loud and organized, but in Latin America there is a growing base of Evangelical Christians who are very pro-Israel. These will not make the headlines … but they vote and politicians have to take that bloc into account.


Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023
Israel Receives Massive Support from Christians
(Can be auto-translated)

And what you have to also remember is that the general media often lies to you.

I am not saying Israel is perfect. WHAT NATION IS?!

But Hamas is a dark, vicious, terror group.

For example: This is floating on Twitter (X):

Some students in Argentina are pro-Palestinian. So what?!

The tweet does not tell the whole story concerning Argentina.

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, is very pro-Israel, but the tweet does not mention that. Neither does the tweet mention that a large part of Argentina’s elite is Jewish.

Unlike the rest of Latin America, Argentina had a massive wave of Jewish immigration. It has greatly affected their culture.

So a few pro-Palestinian students in Buenos Aires are insignificant.

Likewise, Brazil’s Presicent Lula may be against Israel, but he knows his position is weak. He got elected by a questionable vote. His opponent was Jair Bolsonaro, a strong pro-Israel supporter. Massive sections of Brazil are Christian-Zionist.

Just remember that, even in Latin America, Israel has its supporters.

So media reports from South America may be out of sync with the underlying public opinion. While you may see supporters for Gaza in South America on the media, remember that these reports may be biased.

Fuzzy Islamic History About Argentina

Fuzzy Islamic History About Argentina


Posted on YouTube: December 9, 2022
Note: There were some Muslim immigrants, but not a half million.

Muslims tend to exaggerate.

The largest immigrant strains were:

1) The Italians (who ended up speaking Spanish, because the Spanish got there first)
2) The Spanish
3) The French
4) The Germans
5) Arabs (most of whom were Christian, and usually the Muslims among them dropped out of Islam)
5) Other Europeans like the Ukrainians, and yes, British, Irish, and Scandinavians

Officially – on paper – there are lots of Muslims in Argentina: supposedly half a millions (by descent, not immigration). However, most of those Muslim Argentines tend to intermarry into a branch of Christianity, or drift into non-observance, or convert themselves.

Such people may not officially change their affiliation on paper.

This video explains it.


(The video is set to the right time.) This imam admits that the official figure
of half a million Muslims in Argentina is ridiculous.
Argentina assimilates/converts Muslims very well.
Posted on YouTube: September 22, 2015

Islamic clerics like to boast of higher numbers than they really have. If someone was born to Muslim parents, they are counted as Muslim even if they never attended a mosque, or if they converted out.

Source: Islam in Argentina – Pedro Breiger

Arab immigration to Argentina was quite considerable in the late 19th century, after World War I and up to the mid-20th century , having become its third most important immigration wave. Of these immigrants, 40% are estimated to have been Muslims or children or grandchildren of Muslims.

Forty percent of Argentina’s Arabs had one Muslim ancestor, yet Argentina’s Arabs are only about 10% Muslim today, if even that. Even then, most Argentine Muslims are not practicing at all. This means a steady translation over to Christianity, whether by conversion, intermarriage, or just simple neglect.

That is the real ongoing situation concerning Islam in Argentina … and in the rest of Latin America.

The religion that IS growing in Argentina is Evangelical Christianity.

On top of that, Argentina has just elected a president sympathetic to Israel.

The basic pattern in South America is basically this.

A) The vast majority of Arabs who immigrated to Latin America were Christians (often fleeing some form of Muslim persecution).

B) Those Muslims who did arrive usually intermarried with Christians, converted to Christianity, or had their children raised Christian.

C) Those who remained Muslim were often not practicing. Until recently, there was nothing in Latin America which facilitated an Islamic lifestyle.

D) Until the 1980s-90s, when Arab oil subsidies floated in, Islam in Latin America – which was incredibly small to begin with – almost died out.

E) So the numbers for Muslims in South America are often inflated, not taking into account those who dropped out.

F) The rise of Evangelical Christianity is winning the spiritual battle in Latin America.

AND NEVER FORGET — The statistics for Muslims can often be horribly exaggerated.

There are small cells of Hezbollah; but while worrisome, they are few in number, often just drug smugglers raising cash for their cause.

Meanwhile, Argentina has blacklisted Hezbollah, because of attacks on Argentine soil. And the border region of Brazil, Argentine, and Paraguay (the Triple Frontier) was worrisome for a while, but the FBI and Mossad went down there and helped the locals clean it up. Again, it was mostly smuggling to raise cash.

However, Islamic penetration into the general population is very small.


3 January 2024 – Edited: Made corrections. Improved writing.

Argentina Will Host Jewish Version of Olympics

Argentina Will Host Jewish Version of Olympics

While a lot of Latin America is condemning Israel for the war in Gaza, Argentina has just elected a president who converted to Judaism, and is a fan of Israel.

Talk about contrasts.

So, the Jews of Latin America are holding their Maccabi games in Argentina.

What are the Maccabi games?

They are a sort of Olympic games for Jews.


Posted on YouTube: May 30, 2012

Source: A scaled-back Israeli delegation is headed to the Pan American Maccabi Games in Argentina
The Forward
by Jacob Gurvis
December 18, 2023

(JTA) — With the Pan American Maccabi Games set to begin in Argentina next week, an Israeli delegation of more than 200 athletes was planning to join 5,000 Jewish participants from across the world who will compete in 30 sports.

But, as with practically every facet of Israeli society, Oct. 7 changed their plans.

Now a pared down group of 74 Israeli athletes will head to Argentina for the 15th edition of the international tournament. Forty-five of them live in communities close to the Gaza Strip, the area attacked on Oct. 7, according to a press release from the Maccabi World Union, the global governing body that puts on the quadrennial Maccabiah Games in Israel and other international tournaments.

What this means is that Latin America is split in its sympathies. Indeed, even countries are split in their sympathies.

Argentina Has Elected a Very Pro-Zionist President

Argentina Has Elected a Very Pro-Zionist President


Posted on YouTube: November 21, 2023

Javier Milei is considered Argentina’s version of Donald Trump. He is very right wing, and very pro-Zionist. He plans to move the Argentina Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

And this election took place in the middle of the 2023 Gaza War?!

Though there are more Arabs in Argentina than Jews, but the Jewish demographic is not small (for a Latin American nation) and still very influential, while the Arab demographics in Argentina tilt to the pro-Western Lebanese Maronite (Catholic) stock. This would not have happened in Chile, where the Arab demographic tilts towards the Palestinian stock.

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