Arab Haitians
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Port-au-Prince | |
| Languages | |
| French, Haitian Creole, | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arabs, Palestinians |
In Haiti, exists a small yet visible number of Haitians that are of Middle-Eastern stock or trace their origins to Arab descendants. Lebanese and Syrians make up most of the Arab Haitian community, however there also is a significant Palestinian contribution as well. Arab Haitians are commonly considered as part of the upper class within Haitian society, yet they maintain their own unique presence separate from the very influential and much larger mixed-race and white Haitian populace. For years, they have been shunned by the poor black Haitian because of their association with the "elite". Arab Haitians are prominent in Haiti's business sector and consequently, a small percentage of them reside and do business in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Middle-class Arab Haitians often are the owners of many of the city's supermarkets.
The first Arabs to arrive in Haiti reached the shores of the Caribbean country during the middle to late 1800s[1]. During the time, Haiti's business sector was dominated by German and Italian immigrants.[1] Many of them migrated to the countryside where they peddled and were economically very informal. World War I, which took place when Lebanon was part of the Germany-allied Ottoman Empire, triggered a Lebanese migration to the Americas, with Haiti receiving a very small number of Lebanese immigrants.[1] Haiti received a score of Palestinian refugees during the Arab-Israeli War[1] during the 1940s; Haiti at this time had a noticed marked Arab presence.
References
- ^ a b c d "Arab Haitian History", heritagekonpa. Accessed October 22, 2007.