Guarani People will embrace Islam and Tri Border Region

Guarani People will embrace Islam and Tri Border Region

Guarani are a group of culturally related indigenous peoples of South America. They are distinguished from the related Tupí by their use of the Guaraní language. The traditional range of the Guaraní people is in present-dayParaguay between the Uruguay River and lower Paraguay River, the MisionesProvince of Argentina, southern Brazil once as far as north as Rio de Janeiro, and parts of Uruguay and Bolivia.^[1] Although their demographic dominance of the region has been reduced by European colonisation and the commensurate rise of mestizos, there are contemporary Guaraní populations in these areas. Most notably, the Guaraní language, still widely spoken across traditional Guaraní homelands, is one of the two official languages in Paraguay, the other one being Spanish.^[2]

The language was once looked down upon by the upper and middle classes, but it is now often regarded with pride and serves as a symbol of national distinctiveness.^{[citation needed]} The Paraguayan population learns Guaraní both informally from social interaction and formally in public schools. In modern Spanish, Guaraní is also applied to refer to any Paraguayan national in the same way that the French are sometimes called Gauls.

Guaraní people today

Paraguay

Pai Tavytera people in Amambay Department, Paraguay, 2012

The Guaraní people and culture persist. Nearly all the forest tribes on the borders of Paraguay are Guaraní. Many are descendants of mission exiles. In Paraguay, Guaraní lineage predominates in the population and the Guaraní language is spoken in most departments to this day.

Bolivia

The Guaraní ethnic group in Bolivia lives in a region of the country near the Paraguayan and Argentine borders, including portions of Santa Cruz,Chuquisaca, Tarija Departments. This region reaches nearly as far north asSanta Cruz de la Sierra and includes portions of the Guapay, Parapetí, andƗtɨka Guasu (or Pilcomayo) River valleys.^[12] Bolivian Guaraní are represented by the Assembly of the Guaraní People.

There are three principal subgroups of Guaraní in Bolivia,^[13][14] marked by dialectical and historical differences:

• Around fifty thousand Ava Guaraní principally in the Andean foothills.Ava means man in Guaraní, and thus Ava Guaraní has become the name for numerous Guaraní ethnic groups in Paraguay and Brazil.^[15]
• Simba (Quechua: braid) Guaraní who live near the Pilcomayo River and have been identified by men maintaining a tradition of braided hair, although most young men no longer uphold this practice.^[16] They are sometimes called Guaraní katui (Guaraní: Guaraní par excellence)
• The Izoceño Guaraní or Tapɨi of Izozog who live in the region of Ɨsoso or Izozo on the Parapetí River

From the http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/islamist-terrorist-threat/

Islamist TeThe tri-border region—formed by the cities of Puerto Igauzu, Argentina; Foz do Iguazu Brazil; and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay—has a reputation for lawlessness and an historical presence of terrorist elements. For decades the region has been home to various smugglers, terrorists, drug traffickers, arms dealers, and organized crime figures from Russia, Japan, China, and Nigeria, among other countries. Terrorists from the Middle East have also been found in the area, particularly from Lebanon and Syria. Former FBI director Louis Freeh described the area as a “free zone for significant criminal activity, including people who are organized to commit acts of terrorism.”[1]

Approximately 630,000 people live in the tri-border area, of which roughly 25,000 are Arabs or of Arab descent.[2] The dynamics of the area make it a haven for the outlaws who live and work among its law-abiding citizens. Political corruption allows the multitude of criminal activities and illegal markets to overlap with legitimate economic activities. Paraguay has been especially culpable in maintaining lax security and border controls in the area, helping to fuel a huge underground economy. The Brazil-Paraguay border can be crossed on foot, often with no documents, which helps to propagate illegal activities.

Terrorist Threat in the Tri-Border Region