Faculty Research Day 2016: Warren Bratter

Faculty Research Day Warren Bra2er Department of Romance Languages

Research Project !

Given the current state of poli<cal discourse in the United States on immigra<on in general and Middle Eastern immigrants in par<cular, I wish to systema<cally research the following immigra<on related issue.

Within the na<onal imagina<on of the United States is the idea that immigrants, regardless of their country of origin, their religious aďŹ&#x192;lia<on, or socio-economic status, will be transformed into Americans, new ingredients in the mel<ng pot that is our na<onâ&#x20AC;Ś

This research project proposes to compare and contrast the social and poli<cal paradigms of ďŹ rst genera<on Middle Easterners in the United States and La<n American na<ons in the realms of na<onal economies, poli<cs and society in general. Both areas of the Western Hemisphere have historically experienced immigra<on from Middle Eastern countries during the same historical periods; that is, at beginning in the last two decades of the 19th century and con<nuing to the present day.

ABOUT COHA PUBLICATIONS TOPICS & REGIONS SUBSCRIBE COHA LATINO EVENTS INTERNSHIPS SUPPORT US

By Warren Bra)er Senior Research Associate COHA

South of the United States border, there are millions of ci<zens who trace their heritage to the Middle East. However, whether Brazilian, Chilean, Honduran, or Venezuelan, the point and counterpoint between La<n Americans of Middle Eastern ancestry, and those residing in the United States could not be more sharply drawn.

In the United States, Donald Trump, various governors, and other Republicans fulminate against the incompa<bility of Middle Easterners and our society. In La<n America, on the other hand, Middle Easterners have helped shape the modern economies, poli<es, and socie<es of the countries where they are ci<zens.

Since 1978, within the Portuguese and Spanish speaking worlds in the Americas, nine first genera<on sons of Middle Eastern immigrant parents have been freely elected and re-elected Presidents of their respec<ve Spanish-speaking countries. Many others have served and con<nue to serve as Vice Presidents and Cabinet Ministers in both the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking world.

Addi<onally, the wealthiest man in the world is Carlos Slim, a first genera<on Mexican of Lebanese immigrant parents. Miguel Facussé, a first genera<on son of Pales<nian immigrants to Honduras and José Said Saffie, also a first genera<on son of Pales<nian immigrants and a Chilean, are but two of the many prominent Middle Eastern immigrants to La<n America who occupy the most prominent posi<ons among the economic elites of their respec<ve countries…...

EXCERPTS FROM INTERVIEW WITH MUSA SAID, EX-PRIME MINISTER OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRY OF BELIZE, AND A FIRST GENERATION PALESTINIAN IMMIGRANT TO THAT NATION Dear Professor Bra2er,

Please find my responses to your ques<ons to the best of my knowledge, informa<on and belief.

1. My father, Hamid Musa, was born in the village of El Bireh near Ramallah West Bank Pales<ne. My mother was born in Belize.

2. My father was a student when he lec home and came to Belize to follow his father who had lec Pales<ne a few years before. This would have been around 1930-33 3. They both came by boat first to Mexico and then to Belize (Bri<sh Honduras at the <me) 4. They se2led in Belize City although acer my father married by mother Aurora Gibbs Musa they moved to San Ignacio in the Cayo District of Belize.

5. My dad told me he chose Bri<sh Honduras because at that <me Pales<ne was administered under a Bri<sh mandate 6. As far as I know neither he nor his father got any financial help to leave Pales<ne.

Neither did they have any rela<ves from Pales<ne living in Belize. In fact when my father came to Belize there were only a few families in Belize of Pales<nian heritage, one such family was Shoman.

But there were a number of Lebanese families who spoke Arabic…

EXCERPTS OF MY E-MAIL EXCHANGE IN SPANISH WITH DANIEL ANTONIO SABA DE ANDREA, A FIRST GENERATION PALESTINIAN-PERUVIAN AND THE FORMER LONG TIME PRESIDENT OF PERUPETRO, PERU’S NATIONAL OIL COMPANY. From: DANIEL ANTONIO SABA DE ANDREA dsaba@pucp.pe

Encantado Profesor Bra2er. Aquí le paso las respuestas a su cues<onario.

Saludos cordiales

¿En qué pueblo de la Pales1na nació su abuelo? A muchos de los argen1nos, brasileños, chilenos, hondureños, y salvadoreños, a quienes he echado entrevistas hasta las fechas me han contestado a esta, Beit Einun, Beit Sahur, Beit Safafa, Beit Jala, y Belén. q Tanto la familia de mi madre como de mi padre nacieron en Belén en los Barrios de alFarahiyeh(padre) al-Anatreh(madre) ¿Cómo se ganaba la vida su abuelo y otros familiares en la Pales1na de antaño? q Mi abuelo paterno se ganaba la vida como mercader de telas. No era ambulante ni buhonero sino propietario de una pequeña <enda en la zona turís<ca de El Pesebre de Belén. Lo mismo con mi abuelo materno. ¿Cuándo emigró de la Pales1na? q Llegó en 1912. Pues, en realidad era fruto de pura casualidad de arribó a estas orillas puesto que no llegó directamente aquí. Desconocía por completo las divisions polí<cas y de la geograqa del con<nente. No optaron por el Perú. Fue empujado por circunstancias imprevistas…

PARTIAL LIST OF FIRST AND SECOND GENERATION MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICIANS HOLDING HIGH RANKING GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL POSITIONS (2016)

Wisam Abou Harb Wali Halabi (periodista de VTV)

Abdel El Zabayar Samara (Diputado del Parlamento de Venezuela)

Amin Obayda El Aissami Maddah (ejecu<va de INTEVEP)

Anuar Halabi Harb (Presidente del Banco Nacional de Crédito para la región

central)

Eduardo Saman Namel (Ex-presidente del INDECU, actual ministro para el

Comercio)

Elias Rafael Eljuri Abraham (Presidente del INE)

Fadi Kabboul Abdelnour (Ministro Consejero para Asuntos Energé<cos de la

Embajada)

Feras El Aissami Maddah (Corporación Merideña de Turismo)

George Kabboul Abdelnour (BARIVEN - PDVAL)

Ghazi Ated Nassereddine (Ministerio relaciones exteriores)

Haiman El Troudi Douwara (Ministro del Poder Popular para la Planificación y

Desarrollo)

Haitam Sabek El Hani (Director General de los Servicios de Vigilancia y

Seguridad Privada del Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores

y Jus<cia)

I HAVE INTERVIEWED SAAD ALMASMARI, HEAD OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HAMTRAMCK, MICHIGAN AND SEVEN OTHER LEADING FIRST GENERATION MIDDLE EASTERN ELECTED OFFICIALS OF SIMILARLY LOCAL JURISDICTIONS (These interviews are not yet available for a2ribu<on)

Hamtramck, tradi<onally a town of immigrants, many from Poland and Germany, now has three Muslim council members.

Hamtramck residents last Tuesday elected Yemeni-American Saad Almasmari and re-elected Bangladesh na<ves Abu Musa and Anam Miah. They join Bangladeshi member Mohammed Hassan.

“(The Muslim majority) is a point of pride for the ethnic communi<es and it’s a point of interest for people, but I think once the news cycle blows over, we’ll just get back down to business as usual,” said the mayor, who first took office in 2006.