Arab in Chile

Introduction / History

According to tradition, true Arabs are descendants of Abraham and his son Ishmael. Before the 20th century, the word "Arab" was applied to the Bedouin/tribal-based society of the Arabian Desert. Other Arab groups are ethnic groups that have lived in their ancestral lands for millennia. Arabs are not a singular people; their origins are complex and intermingled with many peoples and genealogical lines. The Levant Arabs settled all over the Arabian Peninsula and later migrated to North Africa. They are spread from Israel to Kuwait and as far east as Iran. "Levant" is a broad term that includes several groups of Arabs: the Jordanian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Chaldean, and Syrian Arabs. Each of these speaks a different form of the Arabic language. There are also the Peninsular Arabs whose ancestry is from the Arabian Peninsula, which makes up the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. Their Arabic differs from that of the Levant Arabs and are less likely to migrate to other parts of the world. A small number of Arabs are in various Latin American countries such as Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica.

The first Arabs came to Chile in the late 1800s from the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that the number of people who came to settle in the country fluctuated between 8,000 and 10,000 people, of which about 50 percent were of Palestinian origin, 30 percent Syrian, and the remaining 20 percent Lebanese. Most were Christians who were driven out by Muslim persecution. They were traders in the textile industry. They entered Chile’s commercial sector and became part of the middle class, despite the language differences with the Spanish-speaking majority. Later, as an Arab colony, they went into banking, agriculture, and mining.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Arab community in Chile is middle-class and business-oriented. They maintain their attachment to Arab culture inChile, with the development of Arab food restaurants, sociability spaces such as the Patronato neighborhood in Santiago, and the Arab clubs spread throughout the cities of Chile. They have numerous organizations to maintain their culture and language.

Not all are in the business sector; some have contributed to Chile as athletes, artists, scholars, and inventors. The new generations have increasingly mixed with the Chilean population of diverse origins. It can be said that two out of every three young people of Arab origin are children of a non-Arab father or mother.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Arabs in Chile are mostly traditional Christians. There are traditional forms of Christianity in much of the Levant region. Some are Roman Catholic, and there are some Evangelicals among them. The number of Arab Muslims in Chile is growing due to the translation and dissemination of writings through the Internet by the Muslim community.

What Are Their Needs?

Evangelical pastors have been influential in popular sectors of Chile. Its hierarchy coexists harmoniously with the Catholic Church, and they have even participated for popularly elected positions, but Christ followers need to take the gospel to Arab Muslims in Chile. They can be salt and light to these neighbors who rely on the law rather than the only Savior.

Prayer Points

Pray that the Diaspora situation in Chile will provide Arab Muslims the chance to embrace the only Savior.
Pray for Arab Christians will disciple others and teach them to do the same.
Pray for Arab family leaders to have dreams of the victorious and righteous Christ and share their experiences with many others.
Pray for spiritual hunger and a willingness to give all to Christ among the Arabs in Chile.
Pray that the testimony of the pastors and ministers of the church may bring the non-believers to the feet of Christ.

Text Source:   Joshua Project