Chile – Page 43 – Latin Arabia

The Problem of Iquique

Latin Arabia Thought of the Day March 23, 2013January 18, 2025Chile, Iquique 0 Comment

Iquique, video promocional de ¡Viva Iquique! from ¡Viva Iquique! on Vimeo.

Video Opening Statement Trans: Long Live Iquique! The New Look of Iquique

By all accounts, Muslims are less that 0.025% in Chile, or around 4,000 in number out of a Chilean population approaching 18 million.

But an inordinate number of them seem to be around Iquique in Chile’s quasi-tropical¹ north.

Iquique (pronounced EE-KEY-KAY) is a famous beach resort. It has a cool tropical climate which hovers around 71ºF/ 16º C, give or take a few degrees all year round. A near perfect climate.

The metro area of Iquique has roughly about 220,000 people. About 30,000 of them are Arab in ancestry, or about 15% of the local population. While this is about three times (3x) higher than the Chilean average of 5% Arabs in the population, it is still not inordinately large. Many of those Arabs would be second- or third-generation Chileans who would probably not even speak Arabic by now, and might only be half Arab.

Now, Iquique is famous for other ethnicities. There are a lot of ethnic Croatians. Australians, and Scots have retired there. But, for the purposes of this site, we are interested in the Arabs.

For a while, Iquique was famous for money laundering operations being run by Lebanese-Paraguayans who were sympathetic to Hezbollah.

Feds Call Chile Resort a Terror Hot Spot (Jewish Daily Forward)
By Marc Perelman
Published January 03, 2003

IQUIQUE, Chile — The Bush administration has designated this windswept resort town and free-trade zone on Chile’s northern Pacific coast as a terrorist hot spot, second in South America only to the notorious tri-border region where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.

Indeed, American and regional officials say, Iquique — pronounced “ee-KEE-kay” — a booming free-trade zone created 30 years ago in what was once a sleepy fishing village, may be poised to compete with the tri-border area as a center of terrorism financing and support.

…

The tri-border area, with its 30,000-strong Arab community and reputation for smuggling and money-laundering, has been monitored closely by intelligence agencies during the last decade, especially following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The stepped-up law enforcement has contributed to the exodus of terrorism suspects to Chile.

Those operatives were often Shia Lebanese-Paraguayans who came from the Triple Point² of South America, where smuggling is quite common. After the heat got turned up on them, they moved from Paraguay to Chile. They laundered money and ran protection rackets. Profits were sent back to Hezbollah in Lebanon. This was a financial operation. There was no direct threat to Chile, which was why Chile was slow to act at first.

In truth, this was possibly facilitated by the high concentration of Arabs whom they could hide among (even though almost all those Arabs were Christian who may have been uninvolved and unaware).

Now it is 10 years later since that initial report. Has anything changed?!

It seems that the Chileans have cracked down considerably.

What was most interesting is the the activity in Chile was confined primarily to financial activities. There was no direct threat to Chile.

So, if you visit Chile, be assured that you are quite safe.

Meanwhile, there are religious changes coming to Iquique.

Built in 1999 – you may have to watch it on YouTube

Recently, a Mosque has been built in Iquique. To an American or European this might not strike anyone as noteworthy, but there were no mosques at all in Chile until the 1990s – and what few Musims there were had to practice at home.

Source: Islam in Chile
Wikipedia

Through the 1970s and ‘80s, there were no religious leaders or centers for praying. Muslims who maintained the faith met in the residence of Taufik Rumie’ Dalu, a trader of Syrian origin. In 1990 the construction of the Al-Salam Mosque began, the first of the country

There still may be only five or six mosques in the whole country, even today. Not a whole lot. There are now mosques in:

1) Santiago, Chile (the capital) (Click Here)
2) Viña del Mar, Chile (slightly north of the capital, lots of Palesitnians) (Click Here)
3) Iquique, Chile (In the north of Chile) (Click Here)
4) Conquimbo, Chile (In the north of Chile) (Click Here)
5) Temuco, Chile (in the south of Chile)

That seems to be it for all of Chile, though I may have missed some Islamic Aid Societies. There are more Islamic Institutions around Paterson, NJ.

Three of those towns: Viña del Mar, Coquimbo, and Iquique are (sub)tropical beach resorts, from which we learn that the Arabs settled in some of the best parts of Chile.

Viña Del Mar, Chile’s biggest beach resort
Islam cannot compete with bikinis and booze

However, if we look at it rationally, we see there is more to hope about than to fear. Northern Chile will NOT become part of the Caliphate. Five mosques for 4,000 people does not indicate a flood. What it may indicate is that some outside money is coming in; and that may be a cause for worry, but that is about it.

Remember, these Muslims (what few there are) are concentrating in areas full of good looking women with bikinis on the beach. Islam will not long hold up under those pressures.

In the end, Chile is also undergoing an Evangelical Revival. We can expect many of those Muslims, or their children, probably end up being Christian in a few decades.

Have some faith!

¹Iquique is sort of tropical, but it has one of the oddest climates on the planet. It rarely goes below 60ºF / 16ºC in winter, or above 86ºF / 30ºC in summer. This is caused by two competing natural energies. The tropical sun wants to turn Iquique into a jungle, but just offshore is the cold Humboldt Current which brings cold water up from Antarctica and moderates the heat.

The bizarre consequence is that Iquique is about 71ºF / 22ºC all year round +/- 10ºF / 6ºC depending on whether it is winter or summer. The tropical sun evaporates just enough water from the ocean that the humidity is about 70% all year, but the sun almost never evaporates enough water that it rains. Iquique is one of the driest places in the planet, but you can get mists near the shore. It is one of the nicest climates on the planet, and should be hotter; but the cold offshore current keeps Iquique in a sort of cool tropical climate.

The water at the beach might be warm; but a mile offshore where the Humboldt Current kicks in, it can get quite cooler.

²The Triple Frontier is a border area in South America where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet. It is famous for drug smugglers, counterfeit luxury items, and terrorists, as well as cheap goods.

Posted on YouTube: Jan 12, 2017
Caution: From a Chinese source

There is a city, Ciudad del Este (on the Paraguayan side), which is a free market zone, and is notorious for shady dealing. Paraguay has weak smuggling laws. Ciudad del Este is a Wild West sort of place where anything goes.

Hezbollah operatives have been caught in the Paraguayan side.

It is believed that in 1994 the Iranians ran a squad out of the Triple Point which was responsible for the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Center in Chile.

The USA, and South American nations, are trying to control the area; but the jungle makes it impossible to completely get a handle on smugglers; though some progress has been made.

September 2, 2020 – Made mobile friendly, replaced a dead video, and made some edits.
January 18, 2025 – Edited: Updated a citation. Made corrections.

The Schizophrenia of Chile

Latin Arabia History, Jewish, Palestinians, Thought of the Day, Translated March 23, 2013June 26, 2013Chile 0 Comment

The Jews of Chile

Chile is odd.

It has been rather hospitable to both Jews and Arabs.

Jewish Virtual Library – Chile

Some [Jewish] refugees – 879 in number – who reached Chile after the outbreak of World War II were accepted on condition that they settle in the south and not move to the capital.

When one adjusts for population, 879 refugees would have been like the USA accepting 14,000 Jews. They sent them to the south of Chile, to build up the land.

Jewish Virtual Library – Chile

In all, between 10,000 and 12,000 Jews were able to enter Chile in 1933–40. The two last ships, Augusto and Virgilio, arrived in January 1940 with a few hundred Jews who were moved to the south in a special train under military custody. An attempt to bring 50 French Jewish children to Chilean Jewish families who promised to adopt them was made in 1943 but failed.

In certain instances the Chilean government protected Jewish refugees of Chilean origin or Chilean citizens in zones occupied by the Nazis, to prevent their deportation to concentration camps. On a few occasions the foreign minister and the Chilean ambassador to Germany, Tobías Barros Ortíz, threatened to imprison German supporters of the Nazis who resided in Chile if Chilean citizens in Germany were detained.

When adjusted for Chile’s small population [only 18 million today], this is an enormous number. They did this when the rest of the world was refusing Jews.

EL SÁBADO GIGANTE
The most watched TV show in history. It’s hosted by Don Francisco, the Chilean born son of Jewish refugees.

Probably the most famous product of this exodus was Don Franciso (nee Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld) of El Sábado Gigante, who was born in 1940 Talca in the South of Chile soon after his Jewish refugee parents arrived. The show is the longest running TV show on the planet, and may have the biggest regular audience as well. It is shown in the United States, Spain, and all of Latin America.

This mixing of Jews and Palestinians has had the oddest effect on Chile. There are about 15-60 Thousand Jews depending on the sources. Yet, Chilean society is overall sympathetic to them. On the other hand, Chile has 500,000 Palestinians, who are middle class to rich. They cannot be ignored either.

This produces a schizophrenia in Chilean society, policy, and government attitudes towards the Mideast.

In 1947, the Palestinians were able to persuade the Zionist friendly president, Gabriel González Videla, to have Chile abstain from voting for a paritition of Palesitine, which would have created Israel.

Jewish Virtual Library – Chile

In 1945 a Pro-Palestine Committee was founded in Santiago, and its prominent member, Senator Gabriel González Videla (later president of Chile), was among those who sponsored the organization of the International Christian Conference for Palestine, which took place in Washington in 1945. In spite of his past record of goodwill toward Jewish aspirations, as president Videla gave in to the internal pressure of the Arab community (100,000 citizens of Arab descent lived in Chile at that time and were known for their financial and political influence) and instructed his delegation to the UN General Assembly to abstain from voting on the resolution to partition Palestine in 1947. Senator Humberto Alvarez, second-ranking member of this delegation, resigned in protest against that decision.

Arabs are now 800,000 in Chile, with Palestinians alone being roughly 500,000 today. Almost all the Palestinians are Christian, but they are radicalized against Israel. But even as far back as 1947, they had enough wealth and clout to throttle Chile’s pro-Zionist sympathies at the UN.

To get a sense of how schizophrenic this is:

In 2006, according to the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, Chile had the most Jewish government in the world outside Israel, but …

Most Jewish gov’t outside Israel – in Chile

Following the Israeli government, the newly elected Chilean cabinet is the most Jewish government in the world, with three Jewish ministers, one deputy minister serving in government

… what the article does not say is that there were an equal number of Arabs in the government.

This produces some bizarre occurrences coming out of Chile.

Further compounding this schizophrenia is the massive growth of Evangelicals; many of whom who support Israel.

The Evangelicals of Chile

So you have Chile which produces the largest radicalized population of Arabs in South America, but it is also extraordinarily friendly to Jews and Evangelicals.

Chile is now a first world nation. The Switzerland of South America, yet when it comes to the Mideast, the government is torn between two completely opposite groups.

In 2011, Chile recognized Palestine; and what a fight that was.

Chile Recognizes Palestinian State

The government’s resolution also noted that both Jewish and Palestinian communities have been key to Chile’s social, cultural, political and economic development for many years, working in harmony that should serve as a model for their both the Israeli and Palestinian states. It’s a message that Pinera plans to make personally during a visit to the Middle East in March.

What the above article does not mention is the Pinera put a lot of conditions on the recognition. For ex: The Chilean declaration did not mention the ’67 borders as the borders of Palestine, like the other South American countries did.

As time goes by, the demographic weight, and wealth, of the Palestinian community seems to be asserting itself. This will be interesting to watch.

Let’s hope they make the right decisions.

Thoughts on Palestine by a Palestinian Chilean

Latin Arabia History, Palestinians, Thought of the Day March 22, 2013September 2, 2020Chile 0 Comment

Middle East Monitor

Ramona Wadi
Wednesday, 28 November 2012 17:45

…

Can you narrate the origins of the Palestinian community in Chile?

There were three important migrations of Palestinians to Chile. The first registered migration occurred in 1880, although it is noted that those who arrived prior to this, in 1850, quickly returned to Palestine. The era was that of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which exercised its power over Arab nations and imposed higher taxes on the income of non-Turkish subjects of the empire, making life very difficult. With this migration, the doors of South America were open to Palestinians. Their preferred destinations in the region were Chile, Peru and Bolivia – notably because of the similarities in climate, landscape and the perceived opportunities offered by a developing country which had just celebrated its 100 years of independence. The migration intensified during the World Wars for reasons well understood. The Turks sent Arab youths, as young as fifteen, to the battle front. The parents, in an attempt to prevent probable death, sent their sons to ‘conquer the world’ through travels, with the intention of joining their offspring and returning to a normal family life once they became established in another country. These families were mostly Christian families who suffered discrimination at the hands of the Empire. Migrants from Syria and Lebanon also faced the same problems.

The second migration occurred during the British Mandate for Palestine, which was contrary to the agreements between Palestinians and General Allenby who promised Palestinians their independence if they fought against the Turks. My grandfather was part of this migration to Chile in 1925. The mandate caused widespread discontent amongst Palestinians due to the entry of European Zionists; also British laws were harsh in relation to Palestinians.

The third migration happened after the Nakba Catastrophe in 1948. Palestinians were dominated by Jordanians and Israelis, making life extremely difficult especially for those with large families. My father’s family completed their migration in 1951, returning only sporadically to Chile to visit relatives who stayed behind. There was a fourth migration, not as large as the previous, which took place in 1967 upon the total occupation of Palestine

Mauricio Abu-Ghosh was detained in Isael, and refused entry
to the Palestinian Territories in 2012.

The article goes on to describe the speaker as Mauricio Abu-Ghosh, a first generation Palestinian Chilean with ancestral roots in Beit Jala. Mr. Abu Ghosh is also President of the Palestinian Federation of Chile.

He has apparently come to the attention of Israeli authorities who have detained him when he has tried to end the Palestinian territories.

I do not fault him for not being Zionist. I suppose that would be too much to ask of a Palestinian, whether Christian or Muslim. But he should at least acknowledge that the Christians have been persecuted by Muslim as well.

Middle East Monitor

Ramona Wadi
Wednesday, 28 November 2012 17:45
…

We also do a program on Radio Universidad de Chile, which runs every Sunday at 7pm – an hour of analysis, news and interviews. As can be seen, the Federation is growing and we will continue spreading the just cause of the Palestinians.

What has to be noted is that Mauricio Abu-Ghosh is Christian. Beit Jala was a Christian town. He was careful to downplay the aspect of Christianity, but he should not have avoided the issue.

Make no mistake about it. The Palestinians of Chile are becoming radicalized. Chile is the elite capitalist workhorse of South America. The Palestinians are the elite of Chile. If this is not contested, it will have a disastrous effect for the West.

The Moderating Effect of the Lebanese

Latin Arabia Other, Palestinians, Politics, Thought of the Day March 22, 2013May 11, 2017Argentina, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Chile 0 Comment

Congreso Mundial Juventud Libanesa – JUCAL 2012 [World Congress Lebanese Youth]
Juventud Unida Cultural Argentino Libanesa. [Lebanese-Argentina Youth Cultural Union]
Vivir el Libano en Argentina. [Living Lebanese in Argentina]
Buenos Aires Octubre 2012

That video was posted in October 2012. This is the website of the Lebanese-Argentine Youth Cultural Union: (Click Here)

There are 1-1/2 Million Lebanese in Argentina. Most are Maronite (affiliated with Roman Catholicism) Christians. They have an enormously moderating effect in South America wherever Arabs have settled.

From what I have seen Lebanese Maronites are as not concerned as much about Palestinian issues as other Arabs are. Some are downright hostile to Palestinians. The Lebanese tend to be more concerned about becoming assimilated Westerners, evincing a love of Lebanese cuisine, music, and dance, yet maintaining a sort of quasi-Arab identity.

There are chiefly nine (9) reasons for this:

1) For centuries, the Maronites had been oppressed by Druze overlords. Lebanese Maronite Christians were almost exterminated by Muslims in the 19th century. The French Army had to intervene to prevent a genocide. (Click Here).

2) The Palestinian refugees were a major issue in the Lebanese Civil War. The Lebanese Maronite Forces and the Palestinian forces both committed massacres against each other’s communities.

3) Israeli intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, in 1982, may have prevented a major defeat of Lebanese Christians. The Christian leader Bashir Gemayel even considered an alliance with the Israelis. Some Maronites consider the Israelis to be the savior of Lebanese Christians.

4) Many Lebanese Maronites do NOT consider themselves as Arabs per se – though they speak Arabic, now. They consider themselves Phoenicians, who were overrun by the Arabs in the 7th century, but who remained distinct from the Arabs/Muslims (Click Here). The philosophy is called Phoenicianism; and I have seen Maronites get furiously angry if they are called Arabs.

5) Until the 18th century, many Maronites spoke Aramaic – a language of the Bible – not Arabic, which indicates how distinct they were from surrounding Arabs. Once they did learn Arabic, many spoke it better than the Arabs, by virtue of a Christian education.

6) Historically, the Maronite Church affiliated with Rome, not the Eastern Churches. Their religious orbit was to the West, not the East.

7) Their religious affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church, and political connections with the French, gave them a Western mindset that was lacking in other Arabs. Though Arabic speaking by the 19th century, a few also spoke French. French contacts, such as priests, tended to prefer the Maronites over the other locals; and for all intents and purposes treated the Lebanese Maronites as if they were Europeans with a funny language. This gave the Maronites a leg up, not only over the Muslims, but also the Syrian Orthodox Christians, who tended to have a stronger Arabic center.

8) The Maronites love wine/arak (alcohol), and will eat pork and shellfish. They are not bound by Muslim, or Jewish food laws. This further distinguishes them.

9) While there are other Lebanese Christians, most tend to be of a Christian Orthodox persuasion, with a historical Eastern/Arabic outlook. Contrast this with the Maronites, who boast of being the ancient Phoenicians who settled Italy, Sicily, Spain, and who made it out to the British Isles. They seem themselves as all but proto-Westerners. So they have little or no problems assimilating into a Western culture. It is their destiny. It is where there ancestors went … to the West.

So the Lebanese tend to assimilate very well into the Western world. Almost seamlessly.

The Lebanese Christians tend to be moderate to Western in their views regarding the Mideast; and can, at times, be pro-Israel. This does not mean they are necessarily thrilled with Israel; but they have enough bad experiences in their history fighting Muslim forces that they tend to shy away from getting as involved in the Palestinian cause.

Some Maronites are downright hateful of the Palestinians. Some consider the Palestinian refugees to have started the Lebanese Civil War, and to have destroyed Lebanon. The Palestinians often share an equal, but counter-aversion, to the Maronites; and consider the Maronites to have started the Lebanese Civil War. But sides committed atrocities.

I have noticed that Argentina’s and Brasil’s Arabs tend to be less hostile to Israel than Chile’s Arabs.

Why?

Because Argentina’s and Brazil’s Arabs are top heavy with Lebanese Maronites, while Chile’s Arab’s are top heavy with Palestinians.

This is noticeable when studying the Arabs of South America.

To see this in effect, look at these former logos on two similar websites.

FEARAB – Argentina
(Note : the Website is now down)

FEderación de Entitades Arabes (Federation of Arab Groups) – Argentina

Notice the Argentine flag. Notice that one of the changing images is of a Gaucho

The Arab-Argentine society laid emphasis on the Gaucho. They are emphasizing and embracing an assimilated Argentine/Western identity.

Now look at a former logo on the Chilean Site!

FEARAB – Chile
(Note : the Website has changed its logo)

FEderación de Entitades Arabes (Federation of Arab Groups) – Chile

Israel is erased from the map!

The Arab-Chilean society laid emphasis on the struggle against Israel.

Why the difference?

Chiefly because 60% or more of the Arabs in Chile are Palestinian.

In Argentina, the opposite is true where roughly half the Arabs in Argentina are Lebanese, and the number of Palestinians is far smaller. The Lebanese also predominate among Arabs in Brazil.

So in Argentina, the Western leaning Lebanese set the agenda, while in Chile the Palestinians set a different agenda.

The Latin-Maronites seek assimilation, while the Latin-Palestinians retain an ethnic identity of struggle (even though the Palestinians in Chile are Christian).

This is all the more amazing when one realizes that Christian Palestinians have been in Chile in large numbers since 1890. What distinguishes them is that Christian Palestinians tend to be Syrian Orthodox Christian, which is an Eastern Church, while Maronite Catholicism is affiliated with Rome in the West. So, the Christian-Palestinians retain their Arab identity, while the Maronites are all but wannabe Westerners.

From their insistence on Christianity, to affiliation with Rome (rather than the local Eastern Churches), to their alliances with the French, to their friendly dealings with Israel, the Maronites are so Western that their Muslim neighbors have fought them on more than one occasion as traitors to the “Arab nation,” which ironically has a germ of truth, as many Maronites do not consider themselves Arabic, but Phoenician.

So Westernized Maronite Lebanese are NOT a Myth.

In Latin America, they blend in without a hitch. Where Maronites predominate in the Arab community, they smooth the Westernization of the Arab community. In Chile, their moderating influence is weak, by virtue of a smaller demographic.

May 11, 2017 – Edited – Massive changes, and updated links.

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