Arab diaspora
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224799434
2008-07-10T13:45:18Z
Swedish fusilier
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{{Cleanup|date=September 2007}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2007}}
{{Wikify|date=September 2007}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Arab Diaspora<br/><big> العرب المغتربين </big>
|image = [[Image:Palestinian refugees.jpg|301px|]]
|caption = [[Palestinian diaspora|Palestinian Refugees]] kicked out of their Villages by Israeli Forces in 1948
|population = approx. 350 to 500 million<ref>[http://au.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576546/Arabic_Language.html Arabic Language - ninemsn Encarta<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|regions =
|tablehdr =
|regions =
{{{!}} style="width:100%; background:transparent; text-align:left;"
{{!}}width="88px"{{!}} '''[[Americas]]''' {{!!}} {{smaller|([[Arab Brazilian|Brazil]])}}{{·}} {{smaller|([[Arab Americans|United States]])}}{{·}} {{smaller|([[Arab Mexican|Mexico]])}}{{·}}{{smaller|([[Arab Haitian |Haiti]])}}
{{!-}} style="line-height:11pt;"
{{!}} '''[[Europe]]''' {{!!}} {{smaller|([[Arab British|United Kingdom]])}}{{·}} {{smaller|([[Demographics of France|France]])}} {{!!}}
{{!}}}
|tablehdr =
|languages = [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[English language|English]], among others
|religions = [[Islam]], [[ Christianity]], [[Judaism]], [[Druze]] among others
|related = [[Palestinian diaspora]] {{·}}[[Iraqi diaspora]]}}
[[Image:Arabs Diaspora.PNG|thumb|300px|Arabs in the World]]
'''Arab diaspora''' refers to the numbers of [[Arab]] [[Emigration|immigrants]], and their descendants, who voluntarily or as [[refugee]]s emigrated from their native countries and now reside in non-Arab nations, primarily in [[Western countries]] as well as parts of [[Asia]], [[Latin America]], [[The Caribbean]], and [[West Africa]], particularly in the [[Ivory Coast]] (home to over 100,000 Lebanese),<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/ivory-coast/72.htm Ivory Coast - The Levantine Community]</ref> [[Senegal]] (roughly 20,000 Lebanese), [[Sierra Leone]] (roughly 6,000 Lebanese today; about 30,000 prior to the outbreak of civil war in 1991), [[Liberia]], and [[Nigeria]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6908065.stm Lebanese man shot dead in Nigeria], BBC News</ref> Since the end of the civil war in 2002, [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] traders have become reestablished in Sierra Leone.
Arab traders have long operated in [[Southeast Asia]], trading in spices, timber and textiles. But an important trading minority in the region that goes largely unrecognised comprises the local descendants of Arabs. Most of the prominent [[Indonesians]], [[Malaysians]] and [[Singaporeans]] of [[Arab]] descent have their origins in the southern part of the [[Arabian Peninsula]], especially the coastal [[Hadhramaut]] region of [[Yemen]] and [[Oman]]. They are the [[Hadrami]]s. As many as 4 million [[Indonesians]] are of Hadrami descent and today there are almost 10,000 Hadramis in [[Singapore]].<ref>[http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/talib95.htm Hadramis in Singapore, by Ameen Ali Talib]</ref><ref>[http://www.worldbusinesslive.com/research/article/648273/the-worlds-successful-diasporas/ The world's successful diasporas], World Business</ref>
The [[Americas]] have long been a destination for [[Arab]] migration, with Arabs arriving in some countries at least as early as the nineteenth century, but even as early as 1492 with several Moors among Christopher Columbus' crew . The largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East is in [[Brazil]], which has over 12 million [[Demography of Brazil|Brazilians]] of [[Arab]] ancestry. Of these 12 million Brazilian Arabs, over 9 million are of [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese three times greater than that of [[Lebanon]]. Most other Brazilians of Arab descent are mainly [[Syria]]n. There are also large [[Arab]] communities in [[Mexico]] (about 400,000 Mexicans of [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] descent), [[Argentina]], [[Colombia]], [[Jamaica]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]], [[Trinidad & Tobago]], [[Ecuador]], and [[Venezuela]].<ref>[http://www.aljadid.com/features/ArabsMakingTheirMarkinLatinAmerica.html Arabs Making Their Mark in Latin America]</ref> [[Palestinians]] cluster in [[Chile]] and [[Central America]], particularly [[El Salvador]] and [[Honduras]] (between 150,000 and 200,000).<ref>[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200104/the.arabs.of.honduras.htm The Arabs of Honduras]</ref> The 300,000-strong Palestinian community in [[Chile]] is the fourth largest in the world after those in Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. In the [[United States]] there are around 3.5 million people of [[Arab]] ancestry. Most Arabs of the Americas are of either Lebanese, Syrian, or Palestinian ancestry and are mostly [[Christian]], with sizeable minorities of [[Jews]] and [[Muslims]], as well. <ref>http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics</ref>.
The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the [[Lebanese Civil War]] and the [[2006 Lebanon War]]. In October 2006, shortly after the war between [[Hezbollah]] and [[Israel]] had concluded, the [[Edinburgh Middle East Report]] ran an article covering the [[brain drain]] from Lebanon's universities.<ref>[http://emeronline.blogspot.com/search?q=brain+drain Lebanon's Brain Drain] by Tim May. [[Edinburgh Middle East Report]] Online. Winter 2006.</ref> Increasing numbers of Lebanese students are travelling abroad to further their education in safer environments.
As of June 21, 2007, the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees estimated that over 2.2 million [[Refugees of Iraq|Iraqis]] had been displaced to neighboring countries, with up to 100,000 [[Demography of Iraq|Iraqis]] fleeing to [[Syria]] and [[Jordan]] each month.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/20/damon.iraqrefugees/index.html Iraq refugees chased from home, struggle to cope]</ref><ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0829163920071008?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews U.S., West seen skirting Iraqi refugee crisis]</ref><ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/11/03/un_nearly_100000_flee_iraq_monthly/ "U.N.: 100,000 Iraq refugees flee monthly"]. Alexander G. Higgins, ''[[Boston Globe]],'' [[November 3]], [[2006]].</ref> As a result of growing international pressure, on June 1, 2007 the Bush administration said it was ready to admit 7,000 [[Refugees of Iraq|Iraqi refugees]] who had helped the coalition since the invasion. According to [[Washington D.C.|Washington]] based [[Refugees International]] the U.S. has admitted fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees since the invasion, [[Sweden]] had accepted 18,000 and [[Australia]] had resettled almost 6,000.<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21835052-2703,00.html US in Iraq for 'another 50 years'], [[The Australian]], [[June 2]], [[2007]]</ref>
In [[France]], the [[Benelux]] countries, [[Spain]] and much of the rest of [[Europe]], the Arab communities are of [[North Africa]]n origin, particularly [[Algeria]] and [[Morocco]], and are mostly [[Muslim]]. In [[Marseille]], Arabs make up 25% of the total population. About 80,000 Iraqis live in [[Sweden]], forming
the country’s second largest immigrant group.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6355127.stm Sweden urges EU to take in Iraqis]</ref> An estimated 1,000,000 [[British Arab|Arabs live in the]] [[United Kingdom]] representing 1.7% of the country's population, the vast majority of these originate from the Middle East (250,000 [[Iraqi Britons|Iraqis live in the UK]]) and Egypt (some 150,000). There is also a medium sized Arab community in [[Australia]] (home to roughly 400,000 Arabs, mostly [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]]), where Arabic is the fourth most widely spoken second-language. The number of Muslim and Christian Arab Australians are roughly equal with a slight upper hand to Christians. See Australian population: ethnic origins.[http://elecpress.monash.edu.au/pnp/free/pnpv7n4/v7n4_3price.pdf]
== Challenges ==
There are no exact figures of how many Arabs live in diaspora (expatriates). There are many challenges facing Arabs in diaspora, especially in the post 9/11 world:
First: Suspicion of Arabs and Muslims has reached almost a paranoid proportion. Racism towards Arabs has reached new heights.
Second: Another delicate issue for the Diaspora Arabs is the relationship with motherlands and/or fatherlands. These challenges depend on which generation of Arab immigrants we are talking about. Usually, the first generation are caught between a love for the motherland that on hand increased by leaps and bounds following immigration and fueled mainly by nostalgia and a certain degree of “culture shock,” and resentment stemming from feeling driven out by unfavorable circumstances.
Third: After an initial period of “shock,” the first generation Arab immigrants start the slow process of acculturation/assimilation. Enclavism is evident in Australian Arab culture, where most Arab immigrants associate only with other Arab immigrants and avoid assimilation or even acclimatisation, with even Australian born Arab's being unable to speak English at a native level.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
==Notable persons==
Prominent members of the Arab diaspora include;
*[[Abdalá Bucaram]] (Lebanese origin), former [[List of heads of state of Ecuador|President of Ecuador]]
*[[Alberto Dahik]] (Lebanese origin), former Vice President of Ecuador
*[[Andres Dauhajre]] (Syrian origin), prominent Dominican Economist
*[[Antonio Saca]] (Palestinian origin), current President of [[El Salvador]]
*[[Carlos Alfredo Fatule]] (Palestinian origin), famous Dominican showman
*[[Mohamed ElBaradei]] (Egyptian Origin), General Director of the [[IAEA]]
*[[Julio Hazim]] (Lebanese origin), Important Dominican Businessman
*[[Jacobo Majluta]] (Lebanese origin), former President of Dominican Republic
*[[Salvador Jorge Blanco]] (Syrian origin), former President of Dominican Republic
*[[Nathalie Handal]] (Palestinian origin), renowned Haitian born poet, playwright, writer, and literary researcher
*[[André Apaid]] (Lebanese origin), high profile Haitian businessman
*[[Samir Mourra]] (Lebanese origin), Haitian businessman and [[Haitian general election, 2006|2006 Haitian presidential candidate]]
*[[Antoine Izméry]] (Palestinian origin), Former wealthy Haitian businessman and pro-democracy activist
*[[Paulo Maluf]] (Lebanese origin), [[politician]], former mayor of [[São Paulo]] city and former governor of [[São Paulo]] state in Brazil
*[[Jamil Mahuad]] (Lebanese origin), former President of Ecuador
*[[Carlos Menem]] (Syrian origin), former [[President of Argentina]]
*[[Said Musa]] (Palestinian origin), current [[List of Prime Ministers of Belize|Prime Minister of Belize]]
*[[Edward Seaga]] (Lebanese origin), former [[List of Prime Ministers of Jamaica|Prime Minister of Jamaica]]
*[[Ralph Nader]] (Lebanese origin), 2004 US presidential candidate
*[[Gilberto Kassab]] (Lebanese origin), current [[List of mayors of São Paulo|mayor of São Paulo ]]
*[[Jaime Nebot]] (Lebanese origin), current [[Alcalde]] of [[Guayaquil|Guayaquil, Ecuador]]
*[[Edward Said|Edward Saïd]] (Palestinian origin), US [[intellectual]]
*[[Julio Cesar Turbay]] (Lebanese origin), former [[List of Presidents of Colombia|President of Colombia]]
*[[Elias Zerhouni]] (Algerian origin), current Director of [[National Institutes of Health]] ([[United States]])
*[[Schafik Handal]] (Palestinian origin), Salvadoran born [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front|FMLN]] leader
*[[Carlos Ghosn]] (Lebanese origin), Brazilian born businessman, CEO of [[Nissan]] and [[Renault]], former CEO of [[Michelin]].
* [[Mário Zagallo]] (Lebanese origin),Brazilian football coach and former player
*[[Charles Elachi]] (Lebanese origin), the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
*[[Mohamed Al-Fayed]] (Egyptian origin), Businessman, owner of London's [[Harrods]] and the [[Hôtel Ritz Paris|Ritz]] Palace in Paris.
*[[Nadhmi Auchi]] (Iraqi origin), Businessman, founder and Chairman of [[General Mediterranean Holdings]].
*[[Azzedine Alaia]] (Tunisian origin), prominent [[fashion designer]].
*[[Tarak Ben Ammar]] (Tunisian origin), international movie producer and distributor.
*[[Carlos Slim Helú]] (Lebanese origin), Mexican businessman. He was listed as the richest man in the world by Forbes.
*[[Salma Hayek]] (Lebanese origin), Mexican actress.
*[[Shakira|Shakira Mebarak]], (Lebanese origin) Colombian singer and musician.
*[[Rachid Taha]] (Algerian origin) [[Raï]] musician now living in [[France]]
*[[Khaled (musician)|Khaled]] (also of Algerian origin) Raï musician now living in [[France]]
*[[Yazid Sabeg]] (Algerian-born) businessman now living in France
*[[Tariq Ramadan]] (Egyptian origin), Swiss [[intellectual]]
*[[Migati Amdjat]] (Jordanian origin), member of the Serbian National Party. The first ever foreign member of Serbian Parliament.
==See also==
{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}
*[[Afro-Arab]]
*[[Arab Americans]]
*[[Arab Brazilian]]
*[[Arab British]]
*[[Arab Britons]]
*[[Arab Mexican]]
*[[Arab Haitian]]
*[[Arab Jews]]
*[[Syrian Jews]]
*[[Arab Singaporean]]
*[[History of Arabs in Afghanistan]]
*[[Chaush]] ([[Yemeni]]s in [[South India]])
*[[Yemeni British]]
*[[Baghdadi Jews]] ([[Iraqi Jews]] residing in [[India]])
*[[Egyptians]]
*[[Egyptian British]]
*[[Iraqi diaspora]]
*[[British Iraqis]]
*[[Islam in Argentina]]
*[[Islam in Honduras]]
{{col-break}}
*[[Islam in South America]]
*[[Lebanese British]]
*[[Lebanese Australian]]
*[[Lebanese American]]
*[[Lebanese-Canadian]]
*[[Lebanese Jamaican]]
*{{fr}} [[:fr:Diaspora libanaise|Lebanese diaspora]]
*[[List of Arab Americans]]
*[[Palestinian diaspora]]
{{col-end}}
==External links==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6081416.stm Niger's Arabs to fight expulsion]
*[http://www.mari.org/JMS/october98/The_Lebanese_of_South_Africa.htm The Lebanese of South Africa]
*[http://leb.net/~aljadid/features/ArabsMakingTheirMarkinLatinAmerica.html Arabs Making Their Mark in Latin America]
*[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200104/the.arabs.of.honduras.htm The Arabs of Honduras]
*[http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm The Arabs of Brazil]
*[http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/14/int14.htm Descendants of Arabs thriving in S. America]
*[http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/talib95.htm Hadramis in Singapore]
*[http://www.worldbusinesslive.com/research/article/648273/the-worlds-successful-diasporas/ The world's successful diasporas]
*[http://onedroprule.org/about1751.html Latin-American Arabs]
*[http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n06/gils01_.html Out of the Hadhramaut]
*[http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0056.htm The Arrival Of The Lebanese]
*[http://www.washtimes.com/world/20050711-092503-1255r.htm The Washington Times, Arab-Brazilians]
*[http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/310 Arab Immigrants in Latin American Politics]
*[http://www.lebanesecommunity.org Lebanese Community in Egypt]
*[http://www.irishlebanese.com Lebanese Social and Cultural Community in Ireland]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Arab]]
[[Category:Arab diaspora]]
[[ar:الشتات العربي]]
[[zh:阿拉伯人大流散]]