Bolivia: An Arabic Nation? Exploring Cultural Roots

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country in South America. It is a multiethnic and multilingual country with 36 official languages, including Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. While Arabic is not an official language, there is a notable Arab community in Bolivia, primarily descended from immigrants from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, with smaller numbers from Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan. The majority of Arab immigrants to Bolivia were Christian, though some were Muslim. Today, there are only around 2,000 Muslims in Bolivia, which has a population of approximately 12 million.

Bolivia's official languages

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America with a diverse linguistic landscape. The country has 36 official languages, including Spanish and 35 indigenous languages.

Spanish is the predominant language, with 70% of the population speaking it as their mother tongue. It has been the official language since the Spanish colonisation of Bolivia. However, the country also has a rich indigenous linguistic heritage, with several dozen native languages. The most commonly spoken indigenous languages are Guaraní, Aymara, and Quechua.

The 2009 Constitution recognises the importance of preserving indigenous languages, listing 36 specific languages as official, some of which are extinct. The Constitution also mandates that the Bolivian government and departmental governments use at least two languages in their operations, one being Spanish and the other determined by the needs of the territory.

The National Education Reform of 1994 introduced all 30 indigenous languages alongside Spanish in schools. However, many urban schools failed to implement this reform. During President Evo Morales' tenure, the education ministry opened various centres where indigenous languages were taught.

While Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Bolivia, it is worth noting that the country's linguistic diversity extends beyond Spanish and indigenous languages. Immigrant languages like Plautdietsch, a German dialect spoken by the Mennonite community, and Portuguese, spoken near the Brazilian border, also have a presence in Bolivia.

Arab immigration to Bolivia

Bolivia has experienced far less immigration than other South American countries. During the 20th century, small groups of Jews, Arabs, Mennonites, and Japanese arrived in the country, with the total number of immigrants never exceeding 1% of the population.

The vast majority of Arab immigrants to Bolivia came at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly from what are now Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, with some Iraqi, Egyptian, Moroccan, and Jordanian families also settling in the country. Of these immigrants, around 80% were Orthodox or Catholic Christians, and 20% were Muslim. This is because Arab ethnic-religious minorities were systematically persecuted and oppressed by the Ottoman Empire, which controlled much of the Middle East until World War I.

Arab immigrants to Bolivia largely settled in the departments of Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Cochabamba, which have experienced greater economic development than other parts of the country.

While there are around 70,000 Bolivians of Arab descent today, only around 2,000 identify as Muslim, with most Arab-Bolivians being Christian.

Arab Bolivians and religion

Bolivia is a multiethnic and multilingual society, with the majority of the population made up of indigenous and Old World immigrants and their descendants. The country has 36 official languages, including Spanish, Aymara, Quechua, and Guarani. Bolivia is constitutionally secular and guarantees freedom of religion.

The majority of Bolivians are Catholic, with a smaller portion actively participating in the religion. Indigenous Bolivians have blended Catholicism with their traditional religious beliefs, such as the unification of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and the Virgin Mary.

The Arab community in Bolivia is primarily made up of immigrants from what are now Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, with some Iraqi, Egyptian, Moroccan, and Jordanian families. They began arriving in Bolivia at the beginning of the 20th century, fleeing religious persecution by the Ottoman Empire. About 80% of these immigrants were Orthodox or Catholic Christians, while 20% were Muslim.

The Arab community in Bolivia has tried to form an ethnic organization around their Arab ancestry, with a particular emphasis on youth. While the community maintains its Arab heritage, it has largely converted to Roman Apostolic Catholicism due to the absence of other Christian sects in the country at the time of their arrival.

Today, there are approximately 70,000 Bolivians of Arab descent, constituting about 0.58% of the country's population. Despite the majority of Arab immigrants being Christian, the presence of mosques and Islamic centers in cities like Santa Cruz and La Paz indicates a small but established Muslim community within Bolivia.

Islam in Bolivia

Bolivia is a predominantly Christian country, with a small minority of Muslims. Arabic is not one of the country's official languages, but it is spoken by some in the region.

Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in Bolivia, due to the secular nature of the country's constitution. The Muslim population is estimated to be around two thousand, or 0.017% of the total population.

The first official Sunni mosque in Bolivia, the Yebel An Nur Mosque, was founded in 2004 in La Paz. The mosque remains self-funded and maintains close ties with the Sunni Bolivian Islamic Center of Santa Cruz. The As-Salam Mosque, also in La Paz, receives both Sunni and Shia followers.

Imam Ayman Altaramsi, a doctor and the religious leader of the As-Salam mosque, estimates that there are about 2,000 people who practice Islam in La Paz. He also notes that 95% of the people who visit the mosque are Bolivian converts, generally between the ages of twenty and forty. The Islamic Association of Bolivia, which Altaramsi volunteers for, organizes sessions where women come together to discuss Islam.

The Centro Islámico Boliviano (Bolivian Islamic Center) was created in 1986 by Imam Mahmud Amer Abusharar, who arrived from the Palestinian territories in 1974. In 1994, the first mosque in Bolivia was constructed in the city of Santa Cruz.

Arab-Bolivian relations with other countries

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America with a population of around 11 million people. It is a multiethnic and multilinguistic country with 36 official languages, including Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani. Bolivia has traditionally maintained normal diplomatic relations with most countries in the region, except Chile, with whom relations have been strained since Bolivia's defeat in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) and the subsequent loss of its coastal province of Atacama.

Bolivia has an embassy in Cairo and Egypt has an embassy in La Paz. Relations with the Arab world include:

• Libya: Bolivia and Libya established diplomatic relations on August 13, 2008.
• Morocco: Relations are conducted through their respective embassies in Madrid, Spain, and Lima, Peru.
• Egypt: Diplomatic relations were established on November 9, 1959.
• United Arab Emirates: Diplomatic relations were established on October 21, 1987.
• Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic relations were established on November 9, 1959.
• Algeria: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Kuwait: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Oman: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Qatar: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Bahrain: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Tunisia: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Jordan: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Lebanon: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Palestine: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Syria: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Iraq: No information on the current state of relations was found.
• Yemen: No information on the current state of relations was found.

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