Palestinians in Chile: Difference between revisions
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==Community organisations== |
==Community organisations== |
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The ''Club Palestino'' is one of the most prestigious social clubs in Santiago; it offers swimming, tennis, and dining facilities to its members. There is also a [[soccer]] team, ''el Palestino'', whose uniform is in the traditional Palestinian colours red, green, and white.<ref name="Holston">{{citation|periodical=Américas|last=Holston|first=Mark|date=2005-11-01|accessdate=2009-07-29|url=http://www.articlearchives.com/south-america/chile-santiago-chile/914068-1.html|issn=0379-0975|title=Orgullosos palestinos de Chile}}</ref> |
The ''Club Palestino'' is one of the most prestigious social clubs in Santiago; it offers swimming, tennis, and dining facilities to its members. There is also a [[soccer]] team, ''el Palestino'', whose uniform is in the traditional Palestinian colours red, green, and white.<ref name="Holston">{{citation|periodical=Américas|last=Holston|first=Mark|date=2005-11-01|accessdate=2009-07-29|url=http://www.articlearchives.com/south-america/chile-santiago-chile/914068-1.html|issn=0379-0975|title=Orgullosos palestinos de Chile}}</ref> |
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The situation in the [[Middle East]] has caused tensions even thousands of miles away between the [[Israel]]i and Palestinian communities in Chile.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.emol.com/noticias/internacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=337345|periodical=El Mercurio|date=2008-12-29|accessdate=2009-07-29|title=Palestinos e israelíes en Chile: La situación en Gaza es una "pena"|first=Leslie|last=Aguirre|first2=M. Francisca|last2=Prieto}}</ref> For example, the president of the Cámara de Comercio (chamber of commerce) of the ''Barrio Patronato'', himself a Palestinian descendant, in 2006 organised a protest regarding the [[2006 Lebanon War]]; [[Lebanese flag|Lebanese]] and [[Palestinian flag]]s were widely seen in the neighbourhood's streets at that time.<ref name="LaCuarta">{{citation|periodical=La Cuarta|url=http://www.cuarta.cl/diario/2006/08/09/09.03.4a.CRO.PATRONATO.html|date=2006-08-09|accessdate=2009-07-29|title=Palestino lucha por la paz desde Patronato: Carlos Abusleme chantó banderas en honor a los caídos del pueblo libanés}}</ref> On another occasion, outside the ''Club Palestino'' and again in front of the ''Colegio Árabe'', someone wrote on the sidewalk "''Árabe=terrorismo''" ("Arabs=terrorism") and "''Palestina no existe''" ("Palestine does not exist").<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.diarioeldia.cl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24437&Itemid=127|title=Palestinos inquietos por rayados ofensivos|periodical=Diario el Día|accessdate=2009-07-30}}</ref> |
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==In literature== |
==In literature== |
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Revision as of 22:33, 2 March 2010
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Santiago, La Calera | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity[1] |
The Palestinian community in Chile is believed to be the largest Palestinian community outside of the Arab world.[2] They form nine-tenths or more of the population of Arab origin in Chile.[1] Estimates of the number of Palestinian descendants in Chile range from 350,000 to 500,000.[1][3][4] The effects of their migration are widely visible.[1]
Migration history
The earliest Palestinian migrants came in the 1850s during the Crimean War; they worked as businessmen and also in agriculture. The climate of Chile closely resembled that of their homeland, allowing them to prosper. Other migrants arrived during World War I and later the 1948 Palestine war.[1] By origin they primarily came from the cities of Beit Jala, Bethlehem, and Beit Sahour.[5] Most of these early migrants were Christians. They typically landed at Argentine ports, and crossed the Andes by mule into Chile.[6] Aside from these migrants of previous decades, Chile has also taken in some Palestinian refugees in later years, as in April 2008 when they received 117 from the Al-Waleed refugee camp on the Syria-Iraq border near the Al-Tanf crossing.[7] All of those refugees were Sunni Muslims.[4]
Religion
Many members of the Palestinian community in Chile follow the Christian religion, and in fact the number of Palestinian Christians in the diaspora in Chile alone exceeds the number of those who have remained in their homeland.[1] One early Palestinian church in Santiago, the Iglesia Ortodoxa San Jorge, was founded in 1917.[8]
Community organisations
The Club Palestino is one of the most prestigious social clubs in Santiago; it offers swimming, tennis, and dining facilities to its members. There is also a soccer team, el Palestino, whose uniform is in the traditional Palestinian colours red, green, and white.[1]
In literature
A number of Chilean novels have featured Palestinian characters and discussed the experience of Palestinian immigrants in the country, such as El viajero de la alfombra mágica by Walter Garib, Los turcos by Roberto Sarah, and Peregrino de ojos brillantes, by Jaime Hales.[9]
Notable people
- Edgardo Abdala, footballer
- Carlos Abumohor, businessman and investor
- Roberto Bishara Adawi, footballer
- Daud Gazale, footballer
- Raúl Hasbún, Roman Catholic priest
- Roberto Kettlun Beshe, footballer
- Miguel Littin, movie director and screenwriter
- Luis Musrri, footballer
- Álvaro Saieh, businessman
- José Zalaquett Daher, lawyer
- Leonardo Harum Amaro, footballer
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Holston, Mark (2005-11-01), "Orgullosos palestinos de Chile", Américas, ISSN 0379-0975, retrieved 2009-07-29
- ^ "Los palestinos miran con esperanza su futuro en Chile sin olvidar Gaza e Irak", El Economista, 2009-02-11, retrieved 2009-07-29
- ^ Córdova Rojas, Alejandra (2002-10-02), "500,000 descendientes de primera y segunda generacion de palestinos en Chile", La Ventana (in Spanish), retrieved 2009-09-19
- ^ a b "Chile: Palestinian refugees arrive to warm welcome", ADN Kronos, 2008-04-08, retrieved 2009-09-19
- ^ Samamé 2003, p. 52
- ^ Cerda, Claudio (2009-01-13), "In remote Chile, Palestinians pray for cease-fire", Reuters, retrieved 2009-08-02
- ^ Henríquez, Andrea (2008-03-31), "Chile recibirá a refugiados palestinos", BBC World, retrieved 2009-07-29
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LaCuartawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Samamé 2003
Sources
- Samamé, María Olga (2003), "Transculturación, identidad y alteridad en novelas de la inmigración árabe hacia Chile", Revista Signos, 36 (53): 51–73, ISSN 0718-0934
External links
- Escritores chilenos de origen arabe
- Fundación Palestina Belén 2000-Chile
- Federación Palestina de Chile
- Unión General de Estudiantes Palestinos de Chile
- Comerciante palestino en Patronato, an article from the Corporación del Patrimonio Cultural de Chile