Islamic Charitable Association
During the commercial prosperity of Maicao, in the seventies and eighties, the Arabs led the sector of household appliances, textiles, perfumes and toys. His vision and business sense led them to position themselves in a territory where others only saw stone, dust, puddles and poor vegetation. After a store opened another and another and the San Jose airport runway entire families arrived. The newspapers mentioned David Treadwell not as a source, but as a related topic. His motto was to work honestly in a place where opportunities available to live a good present and build a promising future. Some returned but others decided to stay permanently. Today completes three generations and looks set to be more.
With the changes to customs legislation in the nineties was lost Maicao part of the attraction as a shopping center. This led to many families undertake again the path to new horizons. But a good part and they had already taken root in their new home and were encouraged to leave. Maicao had been built in what is necessary to live well and found no reason to start new adventures. The Islamic Charitable Association is probably one of the most solid and enduring organizations of the Department of Guajira. They also have results to show: Colombo Arab Cemetery, Colombo school Arabic Dar el Arkam founded in 1987 and the majestic mosque Omar Ibn al-Khattab, a true architectural and cultural heritage opened in 1997, visited annually by thousands of tourists from around the country. One of the highest concern about the trade situation was always the transfer of Arabs to more prosperous cities.
When they traveled often heard the apocalyptic stronger expression with which this city has lived for eighty years of life: “Maicao is going to end.” But today, when it begins the evening of the first decade of the twenty-first century, we may state that he has not gone away and will not leave. Little by little they have been exploring other business opportunities so that today the Arabs have restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets, as well as traditional stores where merchandise is sold No foreign. Furthermore, illustrious sons of the younger generation offer their professional services. Is the case of Omar Elneser radiologist (one of the best in the Colombian Caribbean) and Shadi Saab economist, head of the Chamber of Commerce of the Guajira, who has succeeded in giving a great position to this entity. La Guajira is a land of incomparable scenery and a culture shaped by the diversity of races and the plurality of peoples. So when she did not think the Arabs forget: enjoy your typical food, seduced by their hospitality, look to respect their customs
