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'Ajamis in Lebanon: The Non-Arab Arabs?

Author(s): Roschanack Shaery-EisenlohrSource: Middle East Report, No. 237 (Winter, 2005), pp. 40-41Published by: Middle East Research and Information ProjectStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30042474

Accessed: 05/02/2010 22:06

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'A jami s i n LebanonT h e Non-Arab A r a b s ?R o s c h a n a c k Shaery-Eisenlohr

t sMuharram,hemonthf hemartyrdomf mamussein,ndtheemale-runhusseiniyyanWest eirutspackedith omenI dressednblack.s he oundsfLebanesendraqirabicdialects,swell sPersian,illhe allwaysf his hi'iommunitycenter,he emaleeligiouserformerqari'a)ignalshathe itualprogrammajlis)ill eginhortly.he san raqi,ndwhilehereadsromerhickotebook,womantandingextohereadshesameextnPersianorhosen he udienceho onot nderstandArabic.omef hese omenreraniansho ave arriedntoraqiShi'iamiliesfPersianescenthoettlednLebanonftereingexpelledromraqyhe eposedaathistegime.Underhepretextfpurgingraqfdisloyalitizens,he e-gime xpelledargeumbersfIraqihi'auringhreeeriodssince 975. theime fborderisputesithrann1975,t hebeginningf he ran-Iraqarn1980 nd gainn1990-1991duringheraqinvasionfKuwaitndheubsequenthi'ipris-ingn outhernraq,addamussein'sovernmentorcedhi'aout fIraq, ainlyoIran,yria,ordanndheGulftates. hedisplacedf1975 nd 980ncludedhoseraqihi'afPersianoriginommonlyeferredoas'Ajamis.anyf hem oundpnLebanon,hereheyaveonstructeddistinctraqihi'identitythatetshempartromothheLebanesehi'ahoompriseroughly0percentf he opulationndhe ranianshoervein he slamicepublic'sutreachnstitutions.The aathistegimeabeledheAjamiss piesorran,xclud-inghemydefinitionrom ainstream,unni rab-dominatedIraqiationalism.hexiledraqihi'a,owever,aveonstructedalternativeisionsf raqiationalismhatownplayifferencesbetweenunnisnd hi'is,swell s hose etweenraqihi'aclaimingocalArabescentnd hose fPersianackground.Theyakeriden he acthatheyre hi'isromraq,earersofthe raqihi'i itualsnd raditionshatheyonsiderostauthentic,ertainingn heiriewo he and f hemostacredShi'iolyites, herehe eyventsn arlyslamicistoryead-ingo he mergencefShi'ismnfolded.InArabic,he erm'ajamefersopeopleho onot peakArabicrwhoseirstanguages notArabic,nparticularer-sianpeakers.t he ameime,AjamisadesignationsedoreferopeoplefPersianescent.mongrabs,hewordanbederogatory,eferringo hose hopeak rabicna manner

evaluatedsincorrect,ndbyextensionabelinghem s for-eigners,ssimilatinghemo Persianss a historicalother"ofArabs.evertheless,Ajamis also he elf-descriptionfaPersian-speakinghi'imerchantommunityhatmigratedromSafavidersiaoBaghdad,hich as eld y he afavidsrom1508-1533nd 622-1638.hePersianulamand eligiousstudentshomovedrom ajarranoKarbala'ndNajafn heeighteenthenturyre lso onsideredartf hisAjamiom-munity.nact,t he urnf he wentiethentury,pproximatel75percentf henhabitantsfKarbala'erefPersianriginndspoke ersian.fterhe reationfmodernraqn1921,manycontinuedo ivenBaghdad,arbala'ndNajaf,nd venpreadtootheregionsnIraq.n1924,he raqi ationalityaw asintroduced,bligingheseAjamisoeithercceptraqiationalityor eavehe ountry.HostilityowardsraqisfPersianescentncreased,o thatbyhe nd f he raqi onarchyn1957,nly2percentf hepopulationfKarbala'erenownobeofPersianrigin.heidentitynd ightsf hese ersianigrantsnd heirescen-dantsemainedbone fcontentionetweenranndraqormost f he wentiethentury.owever,ithhe xceptionfoneepisoden1975,twasnotuntilhebeginningf he raq-IranWarn1980hatargeumbersf Ajamiserexpellednanorganizedannerromraq. hey ereorcedodepartithindays, ithoutheirelongings.Some'Ajamisho ameoLebanonsrefugeesn he 980sand 990s id obecausef heiries o Ajamiradersho adsettlednLebanonn he 950snd 960s. thers,ustike therIraqihi'a,ameoLebanono eeksylumhroughheUN,ndsawLebanonsa transitointoa Westernountry.sof2001,theUNHigh ommissionerorRefugeeseported,828raqirefugeesnLebanon,ost f hemhi'a.heseumberseflectonlyhose hoppliedorUNefugeetatusnd othosetayingillegallyn he ountry.fterhe 003USnvasionf raq,ccord-ingo heBeirutailyl-Safir,henumberfIraqisnLebanonroseoabout0,000.he ebanesetate as ftenrrestednddetainedheseefugeesnderlaw reventingoreignersromillegallynteringebaneseerritory.nDecember001, ebaneseauthoritiesven eportedbout00UNHCR-registeredraqirefugeesoSyria,hose uthoritiesn urn eportedhemoIraq,herebyiolatingrticle1of heUNRefugeeonventionwhicholdshattateshouldotpenalizesylumeekersorillegalntry.

Roschanack Shaery-Eisenlohr is a lecturer n the Department of Asian and NearEasternLanguagesnd Literaturest WashingtonUniversityn St. Louis.She conductedfieldworkin Beirut in 2000 and 2002-2003.

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InorderoprotectheseAjamisnd therraqihi'isylumseekersnd efugees,team f Lebaneseumanightsctiv-ists allinghemselvesheAdHocCommitteeor heSupportofNon-PalestinianefugeesndAsylumeekersas oundedinSeptember000. heyeek n nd o he rbitraryrrest,e-tentionnd eportationf heseefugees,ho ften iden hesouthernuburbsfBeirutndn hePalestinianefugeeamps.Samirarad,London-trainedebaneseawyernd memberfthe ommittee,as epeatedlyeenrrestedyLebaneseecurityfor upportingheseraqisnd or oicinger oncernsbouthumanightsiolationsnLebanon.Amongheraqihi'isndAjamiscameoknow,herexistedasense festrangementrom othranianfficialnstitutionsnLebanonnd rom ebanesehi'a,ordifferenteasons. hilesome f he lder'Ajamiamiliesave aintainedommercialiestoIran,swell s inkso he ranianovernmentndhe ranianreligiousliten he ield f slamicublishing,ost'AjamisredisappointednhowittleraniannstitutionsnLebanon,ithheirvastinancialesources,areboutheirate.Mostf heAjamismethinkf raqs heiromeland,nd onevermentionedranasan ventuallacefreturn,espiteheir ersianrigins.t sworthotinghatowerndmid-rankingAjamiullahsfficiateaspreachersuring uharramnd therpecialccasionsnIranian-influencedosquesnd usseiniyyasnLebanon.peak-ingArabicnan raqiialect,hich anyebanesehi'aonsidertobemost uthenticnd ppropriateor heseccasions,hese'Ajamiullahslso tandor raniannterestsn heArab orldformanyebanesehi'a.Forheirart,Ajamisnd therraqihi'iseel certainoralsuperiorityver ebanesehi'a. neAjamiomanecalledershock,ponrrivingnLebanonn he 960s,tbeingonfrontedwithomanyignorant"hi'a.Lebanesehi'i oman,now-inghathisAjamiomanad omerom arbala',skederoteacher bit boutMuhammadnd atima."he'Ajamiomanwas akenbackt he isrespecthisLebaneseomanhowedfor heProphetnd is amily,otusingonorifics,utpeak-ing"asf heProphetuhammadnd atimal-Zahra'ere ernext-dooreighbors!"Believinghatheiritualsnd eliefsremoreuthentichanthose fLebanese,ecause,sthey utt,IraqishaverunkthewaterfKarbala',"raqihi'is redoublyisappointedywhathey iew sthe ack frespectnd ttentionrom eba-nese artiesndnstitutions.eacto,he ocial nd haritableorganizationsfHizballahr heparty'sormerpiritualeadSayyid uhammadusseinadlallahre pen nlyothosewhoollowhepartyine rarehe ollowersmuqallids)fFad-lallah.nhe yes fmanyAjamisnd therraqihi'a,hiletheir ebaneseo-religionistspeakfpan-Shi'iolidarity,nrealityheres noconcernor heplightfIraqihi'isesidentin Lebanon.he raqis ainlyonsiderrandyatollahliSistaniheirmarja,he earnedlericrom homhey cceptguidancenspiritualnd thermatters,utheyeceivenly

modest onetaryndn-kindupportrom istani'sfficenBeirut.istanioes otmaintainchoolsnd ospitalsnBeirut,and is ollowersanmakeseneitherfHizballah'sacilitiesnor fFadlallah's.neAjamiomanhose usbandrgentlyneedednoperationecallsow hewentoFadlallah'sfficeonlyoberebuffedmpty-handed,venhoughhe awhisat-tacheholdingundlesf$100billsnhishandsnaFridayafternoon."er usbandventuallyied.Faced ithhese ifficulties,Ajamisnd therraqisnLeba-non ave uiltheirwnocialetworks,fwhichheWest eiruthusseiniyyasoneocus. ommemorationsf he irthdaysf heProphetuhammadndmembersfhis amilyakelaceere,asdocelebrationsfweddings.longithhe nstitutionalizemeetingst hehusseiniyya,hichheyhare ithLebaneseandranians,Ajamiomen eetnaregularasisn he omeofone f heir umberorQur'aneadingsnd ommemorativperformances.AnothermportantnstitutionorAjamissatinyestaurantnBirl-'Abid,heavilyebanesehi'ieighborhoodnhe outhernsuburbsfBeirut.he wnersanAjamiomanho adivedinKarbala'or 8yearseforeeingxpelledn1981.Whilehecatersor hehusseiniyya,he ranianulturalenternBeirutand therhi'i-runnstitutions,he onsidersermain orknthe estaurantndhemissionfherife obehelpinghe raqiShi'ioor.n way,er stablishmentunctionssaone-personNGO,multi-purposeocialnd itualenter.It s aplace hereld lothesre ollectedobedistributedamonghe isadvantaged,hoserievancesre egularlyivenahearing,ndmoneyor elativestill nIraqs collected.healso ccepts onetaryontributions,hichhe hen oles utaccordingo her wn ssessmentfrecipients'eeds. he sknownormatchmakingetweenraqihi'imen ndLebaneseShi'iwomen,nundesirablerrangementormany ebanesefamilies,saccordingoLebaneseaw eitherhehusbandorthe hildrenf uchmarriagesill e ligibleorLebaneseitizen-ship. he estaurantsaregulareetingointormanyAjamisand therraqihi'a.'Ajamis'hi'identity,reciselyaddam'sustificationor heirfigurativenditeralxpulsionrom Arab"raq,s for hemheprooff heirraqiness.raq,or heAjamis,s anotherayorefero he hiefolyites fShi'ism.nheiryes,swell,eingIraqiiveshemprivilegedositionn he hi'i orld. anyraqiShi'ametomparedre-invasionraqiocietyositivelyo hemulti-confessionalocietyfLebanon,ointingoSunni-Shi'iintermarriagesan xamplefhowverydayectarianifferencesinIraqremuchess vident.heylamedaddamussein'sregimeorowingectariannd thnicissension.hewaysnwhich'Ajamisavereatedn raqidentitypposehe ominanttrendnSaddam'sraqodefinehe ountrysexclusivelyrab.Thexamplef'Ajamiraqishows,n act,owthnicategoriessuch sArabrPersianre ategoriesfpoliticalracticendare ot ecessarilysefulsanalyticalools. a

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