Lebanese Paraguayans

Last updated
Lebanese Paraguayans
اللبنانيين في باراغواي
Total population
200,000 descendants [1]
Regions with significant populations
Ciudad del Este, Asunción
Languages
Spanish, Arabic
Religion
Majority: Christianity;
Minorities: Islam

The arrival of immigrants of Lebanese origin to Paraguay consisted of many people who have settled in this country, bringing their customs and way of life. Many were the reasons which prompted these people to leave their native Lebanon and migrate to several Latin American countries, with the aim to seek a better quality of life after the World War I and the Second World War. In modern day, the large amount of Lebanese immigrants to Paraguay reside in Ciudad del Este, alongside neighbor city Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, which has a large population of Lebanese immigrants. [2] Lebanon has an embassy in the city of Asunción, [3] whilst Paraguay has an embassy in the city of Beirut. [4]

Contents

History

1943–1960

After the First World War it passed to the hands of the French, from which it gained its independence on October 22, 1943, even though it declared its independence, the actions of the Second World War did not allow that this were fully effective until 1946. The intervention of Lebanon in the Arab-Israeli War 1948, its moral support to the Arabs in the Arab-Israeli War of Six Days (1967) and the arrival in the country of many Palestinians, have meant a constant hostility with neighboring Israel, first in 1970 and then in 1982, triggering the latter occasion in a bout in Beirut, which did not cease until the departure from Lebanon of Palestinian guerrillas. This situation resulted from immigration of many Lebanese in the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the century in search of a better perspective of life. With effort they managed to succeed in a different society from their culture. The immigration of the Lebanese to Paraguay can be divided into two eras: ancient and modern. Among the reasons which prompted the uprooting are included both the political reason, and also the economic one. The political reason responds to the need to escape the troubled relations that have emerged during the Ottoman Empire in the region. The economic reason lies in the many disappointments and poverty, the consequences of World War I. The strategic position of Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea has meant ongoing invasions. It was part of Syria and the Ottoman Empire until 1918. In a second term after the Second World War, where thousands of people, mostly men, took the decision to leave the mother homeland because of the havoc that the war had caused. In this journey towards finding a better future, they had to undertake long voyages in boats, often without knowing where they embark and disembark where it was even worse. In these trips they had to deal with many troubles, diseases and nostalgia. They were forced to withstand natural disasters of all kinds in the middle of the sea.

Arrival to Paraguay (1960–1970)

Their first destination was the harbour of Buenos Aires Argentina where they arrived without even speaking Spanish and without knowing its customs. But they did not take much to adapt and strive to rebuild a decent life, forming households and having children without forgetting their roots. They were organized in groups and communities, in order to find the best place to settle. Following trips by rivers or on trains until they came to Paraguay and then distributed in various places of the country where trade could be a prominent occupation. They settle in Asuncion, the country's capital, and also in Concepcion, Puerto Rosario, Villarrica, Itacurubi del Rosario, Encarnacion, San Estanislao, Pedro Juan Caballero, Caraguatay and other cities. Mixing with Paraguayan society and after much effort and work they could open shops, factories or cultivate the land. They dedicated not only learn the Castilian but also the Guaraní, they fought in the Chaco War, participated with their civilization and helped build the country. They joined their lives in marriage to men and women of Paraguay and respected the cultural identity of the country that hosted them. They taught their children the values of love for the two cultures, which created clubs and associations that still preserve their traditions. The last major contingent of immigrants arrived in Paraguay in the late 60s and early 70s.

1970–onwards

The majority of Lebanese-Paraguayans are Christians who belong to the Maronite Church, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Melkite Catholic. A scant number are Muslims. In addition to being of Lebanese descent, there are Paraguayans of Syrian and Palestinian origin as well. [5] From the 1970s, Sunni Muslim Arabs moved to the Ciudad del Este. This changed in the 1980s to Shia Muslim Arabs from South Lebanon.

In 2010, Ciudad del Este's INTERPOL office had captured a Lebanese man of 37 years, Moussa Ali Hamdan, accused of terrorism in the city centre of Ciudad del Este. He was under an order of capture by the United States of America. [6] It was also suspected that Hamdan financed terrorism. [7] [8] [9]

In 2011, a Lebanese man was arrested at the regional office of Interpol in Ciudad del Este because of identification problems, having been expelled from France. The man said that his name was Toufic Harb but his real identity is Zidane Khaleb. [10] He was captured at the Guaraní International Airport. [10]

In a 2012 article published on terrorists in Paraguay, Al Jazeera reported that Hezbollah "remained especially active" in the tri-border area of Argentina–Paraguay–Brazil. José Almada, a superior officer in the Paraguayan Special Operations Group (GEO) said that they had not uncovered any evidence of terrorist cells in Ciudad del Este. [11]

In 2014, ABC Color published an article in which the Lebanese community question the utilization of students of the Lebanese Educational Centre of Paraguay in Ciudad del Este, in acts of political movements linked to terrorist group Hezbolá. Members of the Lebanese community in the region expressed their disagreement with the way the institute is run. [12]

Surnames

Many Arabic surnames from Lebanon today stand out in Paraguayan society as political leaders, national authorities, businessmen, writers and people dedicated to the arts in general. Some of these surnames were modified to improve their pronunciation in Spanish but many retain their original identity.

Common surnames are:

Aboud, Aid, Armel, Arar, Rossi, Atat, Ayala, Azar, Barchini, Buzarquis, Canan/Kanan, Nader, Cofure, Curi/Kuri/Juri, Daher, Damus, Diaz, Dibb, Elias, Esgaib/Zgaib, Esquef/Skef, Fadlala, Fadul, Farah, Garcia, Ghobril, Giral, Gosen/Gosn/Ghosn/Hosen, Haddad, Haitter/Haidar, Harare, Host, Ismael/Ysmail, Kalfat, Mohur, Maluff, Mancos, Mende, Musi, Ouchana, Rahi, Resck/Risk, Rosas, Sabag, Safua, Sardi, Seif din, Serrano, Yambay/Yampey, Yanho, Yauhari, Yore, Yunis.

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Paraguay</span>

Paraguayan foreign policy has concentrated on maintaining good relations with its neighbors, and it has been an active proponent of regional co-operation. It is a member of the United Nations and has served one term in the UN Security Council in 1967-1969. It maintains membership in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. It also belongs to the Organization of American States, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Rio Group, INTERPOL, MERCOSUR and UNASUR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asunción</span> Capital and most populous city of Paraguay

Asunción is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the northwest separate the city from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and from Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the Central Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ciudad del Este</span> City in Alto Paraná, Paraguay

Ciudad del Este is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km east of Asunción, the capital, and is adjacent to the border with Brazil, to which it is connected by the Friendship Bridge on the Paraná River. It is the largest city within the Triple Frontier region, which borders Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil and Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. The Itaipú Dam, one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world, is near Ciudad del Este, as is the Iguazu Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foz do Iguaçu</span> Municipality in Sul, Brazil

Foz do Iguaçu is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. Foz in Portuguese means the mouth or end of a river and Iguaçu in Guarani or Tupi comes from the words "y", meaning "water" or "river", and "guasu", meaning "big".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportivo Luqueño</span> Association football club

Club Sportivo Luqueño is a Paraguayan football club, based in the city of Luque on the outskirts of the capital Asunción. It currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División, the country's top tier of football, where it has won thrice, in 1951, 1953 and 2007-A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club Libertad</span> Paraguayan football club

Club Libertad is a Paraguayan professional football club based in Asunción that currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División. The club plays its home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta; which holds 10,100 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraguayan Football Association</span> Governing body of association football in Paraguay

The Paraguayan Football Association, is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal and beach soccer, as well as and the Paraguay national football team. It is based in the city of Luque, near the capital city, Asunción. Football is the most popular sport in Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Ciudad del Este</span> Place in Paraguay ----

The Greater Ciudad del Este is a metropolitan area in Paraguay consisting of most of the Alto Paraná Department. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in Paraguay, after the Gran Asunción, and has more than 500,000 inhabitants. In Spanish, it is referred to by various terms, including the Gran Ciudad del Este, Area Metropolitana de Ciudad del Este, and Metro Ciudad del Este.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Silva</span> Paraguayan footballer (born 1984)

Antony Domingo Silva Cano is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Categoría Primera A club Nacional and the Paraguay national team. He also holds Italian citizenship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraguayan cuisine</span> Set of dishes and culinary techniques of Paraguay

Paraguayan cuisine is the set of dishes and culinary techniques of Paraguay. It has a marked influence of the Guaraní people combined with the Spanish cuisine and other marked influences coming from the immigration received by bordering countries such as Italian cuisine and German cuisine. The city of Asunción is the epicenter of the distinctive gastronomy that extends in current Paraguay and its areas of influence, which is the reason why is considered the mother of the gastronomy of the Río de la Plata. It is worth clarifying that in the Paraguayan society, the exchange of knowledge between mestizos, creoles and cario-guaraní people occurred before the Jesuit missions.

Asociación de Atletismo del Alto Paraná is a track and field athletics club based in the city of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. The club is affiliated with the Federación Paraguaya de Atletismo. The majority of the club's participations and achievements are for Marathon and Long distance running. The AAAP also organizes many marathon events within Ciudad del Este and Hernandarias, and also competes in marathons in neighbor city Foz de Iguazu in Brazil. At national level, the Asociación de Atletismo del Alto Paraná is the best athletics club in Paraguay along with Club Sol de América and Paraguay Marathon Club.

Pedro Garay is a Paraguayan long-distance runner from Minga Guazú in Alto Paraná.

The 2016 Campeonato de la Victoria or 2016 Torneo de la Victoria will be held at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee in Luque, organized by Federación Paraguaya de Atletismo. It will be the 66th edition.

Oscar Raul Paulín Delarrosa is an Argentine–Paraguayan former association footballer and current coach who directs Sportivo Ameliano in the Paraguayan Tercera Division.

The 2018 División Profesional season was the 84th season of top-flight professional football in Paraguay. The season began on 2 February and ended on 8 December. Cerro Porteño were the defending champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Grand Paraguay 2022</span> 5th Miss Grand Paraguay competition, beauty pageant edition

Miss Grand Paraguay 2022 is the fifth edition of the Miss Grand Paraguay beauty contest, held at Hotel Guaraní in Asunción on 7 May 2022, and was beamed live to a virtual audience worldwide via the pageant YouTube channel named MGM Producciones as well as the national digital television network Unicanal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraguay national badminton team</span> National badminton team representing Paraguay

The Paraguay national badminton team represents Paraguay in international badminton team competitions. The national team is controlled and organized by the Paraguay Badminton Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Ángel Zahzú</span> Argentine football manager

Miguel Ángel Zahzú is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper.

References

  1. ↑ Más de 10 millones de libaneses empujan el crecimiento social y económico de América Latina Archived 2018-08-24 at the Wayback Machine . Infobae, 24 Juny 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Mezquita musulmana en Foz de Iguazú". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  3. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2016-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2016-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ John Tofik Karam, "On the Trail and Trial of a Palestinian Diaspora: Mapping South America in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1967–1972" http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9070730 Archived 2015-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Interpol prende libanês acusado de terrorismo no centro de Ciudad del Este - POLICIAL - AquiAgora.net". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  7. ↑ "LA INTERPOL DETUVO EN CIUDAD DEL ESTE AL LIBANÉS MOUSSA HAMDAN, SUPUESTO FINANCISTA DEL TERRORISMO – Articulos – ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  8. ↑ "Libanés reclamado por EE.UU fue detenido en Paraguay". Emol.com. 2010-06-15. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  9. ↑ "Paraguay detiene a libanés buscado por EE.UU. | AméricaEconomía - el sitio de los negocios globales de América Latina". 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  10. 1 2 "Libanés con doble identidad está preso en Interpol". Ultimahora.com. 2021-11-25. Archived from the original on 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  11. ↑ "Chasing Islamic 'terrorists' in Paraguay". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  12. ↑ "Consideran que Colegio Libanés aplica un "régimen tipo talibán" – Interior – ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  13. ↑ "Ángel Antar". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  14. ↑ HighBeam
  15. ↑ "Serios indicios de abuso de poder político en demanda promovida por un diputado – Política – ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  16. ↑ "Diario HOY | Bader Rachid Lichi: "La ANR hoy parece un ñakyrâ pire"". Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  17. ↑ "Enrique Salyn Buzárquis en ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  18. ↑ "Hilos del poder en el Jurado – Interior – ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  19. ↑ "Santa Cruz revela amenazas de Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb – Nacionales – ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  20. ↑ "¡Disfrutá del mejor Tango! En vivo Andrea Valobra, Maestro Oscar Fadlala y bailarines en vivo. Entrada + plato principal + postre. Las Brisas Steak House. - ClasiparYA!". Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  21. ↑ "Nelson Safuán". Archived from the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  22. ↑ "Portal Guarani – OSCAR NELSON SAFUÁN". Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  23. ↑ "Livescores – Soccer – Scoresway". Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  24. ↑ "FIFA". Archived from the original on 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  25. ↑ "Soccer - Scoresway - Results, fixtures, tables and statistics". Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  26. ↑ "Soccer - Scoresway - Results, fixtures, tables and statistics". Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  27. ↑ "Copa America - Paraguay vs Colombia - Soccer - Scoresway - Results, fixtures, tables and statistics". Archived from the original on 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  28. ↑ "Pedro Fadul, el candidato a la presidencia de Paraguay que llegó a la política por Schoenstatt Schoenstatt Vivo". Archived from the original on 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  29. ↑ "Portal Guarani – QUEMIL YAMBAY". Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  30. ↑ "Juan José Zapag en ABC Color". Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.