Palestinians have been in Chile since 1890. Until recently, the vast majority of Palestinian immigrants to Chile were Christian Palestinians, who hailed from four historically Christian towns: Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Bethlehem, and Beit Safafa (now in the eastern half of Jerusalem) – though Bethlehem has lost its Christian majority in the meantime.
That Christian pattern of immigration seems to be changing as of late.
Now, a considerable number of the immigrants to Chile are Palestinians of Muslim extraction.
Lest anyone fear that newer Muslim Palestinian immigrants will cause a seismic shift is Chile’s religious demographic, be at ease. Remember that South America is undergoing a massive Evangelical Revival.
There is a very good chance that some of these recent Muslim immigrants to Chile – or some of their children – will become Evangelical Christians.
Islam is still extraordinarily small in Chile: Less than 1/10th of 1%.
Islamic clerics in South America have a tendency to greatly exaggerate their numbers. But reliable sources I have seen put the numbers around 1 out of 4,000 Chileans is Muslim, or possibly less.
For those interested in peace in the Mideast, moving 60,000 Palestinians to Chile from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) – even if they were Muslim – would be demographically insignificant to Chile, and would still keep the Muslim demographic well under 1%.
Chile has a population of 18,000,000. So 60,000 Muslims would constitute one-third of 1% of Chile’s numbers.
Chile is 14% Evangelical (roughly 2.5 Million and growing). They would quickly proselytize the Muslims.
This is a possible solution for the Mideast. South America assimilates Arabs.
Here in America, kids adopt the colors of the New York Yankees, or the Dallas Cowboys, their sports heroes.
In Chile, they adopt the colors of Club Deportive Palestino (Palestinian Sports Club) or as the Chileans abbreviate it, CD Palestino. Notice the black, green, white, and red jerseys (the Euros say kit) of CD Palestino, it is the same colors found on the Palestinian flag.
The kids are rooting:
TINO, TINO, PALESTINO!
CD Palestino was originally formed in 1920 in Osorno, Chile. By the 1950s, it had become a professional soccer team. Originally, it took its players from members of the Palestinian-Chilean community; though in time, it opened up its ranks to others.
Its home turf, now, is a municipal stadium in Metro Santiago [Chile’s capital] called La Cisterna, which seats about 12,000. That may not sound like a lot to American ears, but Chile has roughly 1/20th the population of the United States, so proportionally the team is equivalent to an American sports franchise.
This is not some minor squad. In 2015, CD Palestino made it to the playoffs of South America’s Copa Liberatadores (Liberators’ Cup), a major transnational soccer tournament in Latin America.
Over the decades a whole subculture has evolved around this team.
Posted by Latin Arabia on YouTube: August 4, 2012
Because the Palestinian-Chilean community is hostile to Israel, the team has become embroiled in Mideast politics, which is kind of odd if you think about it, being 8,000 miles away from the Mideast.
The Chilean team has a strong following among the local Palestinians in the Mideast territories. Moreover, members of CD Palestino have visited the territories, with some playing on Palestinian teams as well.
(An archive) posted by AP on YouTube: December 23, 2016
Right now, the team is trying to bring soil from Palestine in order cover their field – as a symbol that Palestine is in their hearts. I kid you not. (See video below)
Posted on YouTube: December 13, 2017
Posted on YouTube: October 26, 2017
There was an Arab version of the above video, but it was taken down, after I linked to it.
So instead, I will link to this Arab video which is about CD Palestino. The Palestinians love this team. I do not speak Arabic, but the video gives some history. It mentions that the team was founded in 1920. It mentions the jersey controversy where the team replaced the number 1 with a map of Palestine, erasing all of Israel. Clearly, this team is politicized; and in doing so, has won the affections of the Arab world, while earning the displeasure of the Jewish community.
Posted on YouTube: January 21, 2014
As anyone can see, CD Palestino is a politically charged team.
The Palestinians of Chile are roughly 99% Christian, and very prosperous; but they are highly radicalized against Israel. They have used their power to influence the rest of Chile. Hence, you see non-Arab children above shouting, “Tino, Tino, Palestino!”
Right now, as part of their campaign to bring the soil of Palestine to their playing field (the Euros call it pitch), they have this webpage up.
Screenshot: In English – Our Field, Our Land – Or you can go to the English version of the page (Click Here)
“Our Field. Our Land.”
Apparently, the Palestinians in Chile do not recognize Israel at all. As noted here on Latin Arabia (Click Here), the team once wore a jersey (kit) that erased Israel, and claimed all of Palestine on a map on the back of their jersey. They were fined, and told to stop wearing the Jersey.
But they still sell the offending jersey. (Click Here). The map on the back claims all of Palestine. Nothing is left for Israel.
The question should arise: Why would a 99% Christian community field a team which has a mosque prominently displayed on their sports site?
What is clear is that in the past few years, the fame of CD Palestino has spread across the planet, so much so that they now have an English language version of their website. Among those who hate Israel, wearing a CD Palestino jersey (kit) has become a bit of a political statement.
As CD Palestino boasts they have become: (Más Que Un Club)More than a club!.
That is a real understatement.
The Palestinian-Chilean Community is highly radicalized against Israel, and their soccer team is a lightning rod for this. This is almost unknown in the USA; but, whether you disagree or agree with their anti-Zionism, this is a very politically important soccer team.
September 1, 2020 – Had to replace a dead video, clean up links, and made some edits. May 26, 2024 – Had to correct a date underneath a video.
The name of the documentary (this is a teaser) is Cuatro Colores (Four Colors) based on the four colors of the Palestinian flag [red, green, black, white], and the four colors of the soccer team, Palestino, in Chile.
NOTE: The translation in the film says: Club Deportivo Palestino. “Deportivo” just means Sports. It should have been translated: Sports Club Palestino,or more accurately, Palestinian Sports Club.
The Palestinian community in Chile is:
1) Very Prosperous
2) Very Powerful
3) Politically connected
4) Radicalized against Israel
In the 1920s, Palestinian-Chileans founded their own soccer team. By the 1950s, it was a professional team in Chile. The Palestinian-Chilean community has used their successful professional soccer team for political ends.
In 2014, the Palestino Soccer team caused a major controversy when they issued a sports jersey – the Euros say kit – which had a map on the back of their jerseys that erased the state of Israel. Needless to say, worldwide, the Jewish people were furious. (Click Here)
The team was forced to withdraw the jersey.
But this is the nature of the Palestinian community in Chile; and the nature of the soccer/football team they support.
The fans call themselves “Baisanos,” based on the Spanish word for fellow countrymen: “Paisano.” The Palestinian immigrants to Chile would recognize other Palestinian immigrants, and call them, “Paisano,” a fellow countryman – from Palestine, as it were.
Except that Arabs cannot pronounce the letter P, and so “Paisano,” became “Baisano.”
Their descendants and fans of the Palestino soccer team picked up the mispronunciation as a term of endearment, and call themselves, “Baisanos.”
This would be curious enough, but they also recently picked up another term: Intifada, as this fan picture demonstrates.
Los Baisanos – Chilean Soccer’s Intifada
I have no idea if the upside down star (between Los and Baisanos) has any hidden meaning
It can mean evil – but I am not sure if that was their intent
So, the soccer team has become a symbol of radicalized anti-Zionism, not only in Chile, but around the world.
Though chiefly unknown here in the USA – we Americans do not follow soccer – the Palestino soccer/football team has become somewhat of a worldwide phenomenon. It is followed by the Palestinians in the contested areas in the Mideast as if it were a local team. Members of the Chilean team often visit the contested areas regularly.
Over time, the CD [Club Deportivo/Sports Club] Palestinojersey has become somewhat of a fashion statement for those of an anti-Israel mindset.
The funny thing is: In Chile, the Palestinians are relatively rich, compared to other Chileans. This radicalization has occurred among the elite of Chilean society, and that is what makes it an interesting phenomenom. Another odd thing is that 99% of Palestinian-Chileans are Christian, not Muslim, making this even more fascinating to observe, especially since the Palestinians in the Mideast have often embraced Islamic tendencies.
This team is starting to make waves. Its politicization is starting to make the news. The team, and the Palestinian community in Chile, are having disproportional effects on the opinions of many South Americans.
Want to Join Club Palestino?!
Posted on YouTube: February 23, 2017
Club Palestino is in the heart of the Santiago, Chile, Metro area, only 13 km from the Moneda Palace.
Take a look at that video. Smack in the middle of Chile’s capital Metro Area. [Actually, an adjacent suburb, Las Condes]
Las Condes is home to Chile’s wealthy and elite. The locals call the shopping district in Las Condes: “Sanhattan,” to compare it to Manhattan. Yet, the Palestinians have their own Central Park in the middle of Las Condes.
