The Lebanese Club has a long history in Uruguay. It goes back to 1905, when Uruguay set out to outlaw Asian immigration, which would have prohibited Arab immigration. By that time, yes, even that early, the Lebanese and Syrian community in Uruguay was large enough to intervene and get an exemption for Syrians and Lebanese.
The point is: Even as early as 1905, there was a powerful Arab community in Uruguay.
A PERMANENT CHAIR OF ISLAM in a Catholic University in a very small secular country with almost NO Muslims?!
There are only around 400 Muslims in the whole country1.
Where is the money for this department coming from?
Uruguay is very unusual in South America in that it fought religious vs. secular wars over a century ago. The seculars won; and forced a complete separation of Church and State. In fact, Uruguay may be the most secular country in the Western Hemisphere.
Uruguay banned crucifixes in hospitals by 1906, and eliminated references to God and the Gospel in public oaths. Divorce laws were also established during this time.
Its premier University is the Catholic University, but the people are generally secular. Catholic in name only.
There are 20-25,000 Jews in Uruguay compared 400 Muslims. A ratio of 50 or more to 1.
It is true that the Catholic University has a permanent Chair of Judaism, as well; but with 20-25,000 Jews in Uruguay, they could support such a chair.
Who is supporting an Islamic Chair? WHO?!
If anyone doubts outside money is not going in to South America, this is the proof.
Why on earth would Uruguay, a small country of only 3.5 Million people, with only 400 Muslims, have a PERMANENT CHAIR OF ISLAM at a Catholic University?!
1There are 70,000 Lebanese Christians, though; but they are Catholic or Maronite Catholic, NOT Muslim. This video (Click Here) at (1:19) asserts the number is as high as 90,000 Maronite Christians; but the point is: They are Christian of one stripe or another, NOT Muslim.
1 January 2024 – Edited: Had to remove dead image link and fix a dead website link.
Celebrating Lebanese Independence in Downtown Montevideo, Uruguay
The Lebanese are about 2% of the Uruguay’s population, but they have already produced a Vice-President, Alberto Abdala.
Almost all are from Maronite Catholic stock.
Again, as noted, depending on the country, Maronite Catholics are often 45-65% of the Arab ethnic community in Latin American countries. (Chile and Honduras are noteable exceptions)
In Uruguay, Maronites are almost all the Arabs.
Where the Maronites predominate, they are a moderating influence.
When they came to Latin America, because the Maronites are a branch of Roman Catholicism, they fit in well with Catholic Latin America.
When they came to Latin America, some Maronites spoke French, which is a Latin language similar to Spanish and Portuguese making the transition easier.
Historically, Lebanese Maronites have intermarried with the Crusaders, Romans, etc. making them partly European in genetics. They tend to be fairer, and have slightly higher rates of fair eyes than most other Arabs. Outwardly, they could pass for European.
They considered themselves an outpost of Western Civilization in the Mideast. They felt closer to the French than neighboring Arab Muslims.
Maronite Catholics often considered themselves Phoenician not Arab, even though they speak Arabic.
This has caused friction with the Lebanese Muslims who do consider themselves Arabic.
So the Maronite Catholics blended in well with South Americans, and all the other Arabs had to play catch up with them.
They are very moderate concerning Mideast politics. Where they predominate, there will not be much anti-Israel polemics.
In Chile, where Palestinian-Christian predominate among the Arab community, Arab ethnic politics can get ugly.
