As indicated in Panel 20, Maronites began their cultural activities shortly after arriving in the United States in the late 19th century. In fact, despite being a small community, those born in Lebanon were visible across the diverse landscape of the U.S. Within just two decades of the first Maronite immigrant's arrival, intellectuals from this community carved out a cultural and artistic space in a challenging, competitive, and often discriminatory environment. Nevertheless, Maronite literati made significant contributions to the cultural and artistic landscape of the United States.

Hailing primarily from Mount Lebanon, these immigrants brought their heritage, traditions, and resilience, along with a rich intellectual and artistic energy that profoundly enriched the American cultural mosaic—creating a legacy that continues to resonate both in the United States and internationally. Notable early immigrant figures include Gibran Khalil Gibran (Kahlil Gibran), Ameen Rihani, Afifa Karam, Naoum Mokarzel, Salloum Mokarzel, Philip K. Hitti, Saliba Douaihy, Rev. George Aziz, and Rev. Paul Hage. Through their works, they helped shape the multicultural fabric of the U.S., infusing it with Lebanese and Levantine imagery, mysticism, humanism, and artistry.

It is essential to note that it is inconceivable to discuss Maronites, Lebanese, Lebanese-Americans, Syro-Lebanese, Syrians, Arabs, Arab-Americans, or Middle Easterners in the United States without highlighting Gibran’s The Prophet. This work ranks as the third most-sold book by any author worldwide, after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, with over nine million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Notably, the book has been recited at countless weddings and funerals and is quoted widely across disciplines, appearing in literature on professional training, personal challenges, health issues, and even in advertisements for counseling, medical services, and wellness products. This widespread influence underscores its enduring cultural significance in the United States (Metres, 2018).

Among the contributions of these immigrants and their descendants, Gibran’s The Prophet stands out as an icon of "holistic poetry" (Melhem, 2002). Published in English in 1923, it became a phenomenon by 1957 when it sold its millionth copy ("History.com Editors," 2022). Furthermore, the book has been translated into over 110 languages, including indigenous languages such as Zulu, Telugu, Faroese, Bikol, and Papiamento.

This widespread acclaim is attributed to its themes of spirituality, mysticism, humanism, and timelessness. Melhem (2002) posits that “Gibran largely succeeds in creating a modern, quasi-religious myth.” In a striking development, at Barnes & Noble in New York, The Prophet is categorized under "Eastern Religions," not "Poetry." Thus, America takes pride in Gibran’s work, which “outsold all American poets from Whitman to Eliot” (Shahīd, 2000).

Another major contribution is Ameen Rihani’s The Book of Khalid, written in English in Lebanon and published in New York in 1911. As a milestone, this work is regarded as the first philosophical novel by a Lebanese-American and Middle Eastern writer in English. Bushrui (2013) asserts that the book “illustrates the author’s concern for reconciling the culture and values of East and West,” while warning against “the dangerous effects of materialistic values on humanity’s spiritual and social development.” Such concerns were integral to the U.S. debate on materialism that began in the late 19th century (Rapp, 2015).

In addition, according to Fine (2011), The Book of Khalid had an “enormous influence on the State Department, the concrete development of U.S.-Arab relations, and American thinking about the Middle East in the 1920s and 1930s.” Translated into French, Arabic, Russian, Italian, and Mandarin, it remains relevant today, particularly in its engagement with issues of freedom, democracy, revolution, imperialism, and liberalism.

Naoum Mokarzel was a Maronite intellectual whose initiatives—such as Al-Hudā newspaper, The Syrian-American Press, and The Lebanese Renaissance Association—along with his writings and activism, pursued four main objectives: alleviating the impact of World War I on his homeland, advocating for Lebanon’s independence, documenting the experiences of Lebanese and Levantine Americans in the U.S., and assisting compatriots in integrating into American society while retaining their cultural identity. Moreover, in 1909, Al-Hudā published Al-Muhājir al-Sūrī: Mā Yajibu an Yaʿrifahu Wa Yaʿmal Bih (The Syrian Emigrant: What He Must Know and Do) in New York City to educate Levantine immigrants about their rights and obligations in the United States. Mokarzel also ran campaigns urging young Arab men in the U.S. and abroad to join the U.S. armed forces to support their new country and liberate their homeland, while encouraging immigrants to purchase "American Liberty Bonds" to support the war effort (Zeidan, 2021).

Additionally, Al-Hudā and Levantine associations fought vigorously for citizenship rights and sought reclassification from “Asian” to “white” in court cases, most notably the George Dow case of 1914. Winning this landmark case significantly advanced the community’s status in the U.S., benefiting both Levantine immigrants and others. As a result, the ruling not only changed the racial classification of Levantines but also positively impacted their socioeconomic prospects and those of their descendants. It established a precedent for granting “white” racial status to Levantine immigrants, thereby providing access to rights that had previously been denied (Hourani, 2019).

Salloum Mokarzel, Naoum’s brother, carried on the legacy of Al-Hudā after his brother’s passing. Moreover, he also founded, edited, and published Al-Majallā al-Tijārīyah al-Sūrīyah al-Amīrīkiyyah (The Syrian-American Commercial Magazine) in 1918. In 1926, he launched The Syrian World, an English-language monthly aimed at first-generation Levantines born in the United States. The magazine sought to educate this generation about their cultural heritage while reinforcing their connection to it (Bawardi, 2014).

Beyond literature, journalism, and activism, Maronite immigrants significantly contributed to American academia. One such example is Philip K. Hitti, a pioneering scholar in Arab studies, who exemplifies this impact. Teaching at Princeton University, he was instrumental in establishing the university’s Near Eastern Studies program and became a leading authority on Arabic culture in the United States (Cook, 1978). Notably, his seminal work, The History of the Arabs, introduced Western audiences to the history and culture of the Arab world, fostering greater understanding between East and West and illustrating the broader contributions of Maronite intellectuals to American higher education.

Music, in particular, functioned both as a powerful expression of cultural identity and as a bridge to mainstream American society. For example, singers and musicians entertained Levantine communities, later expanding to include other Middle Easterners and audiences interested in Arabic music, during both private and public gatherings. Breaux (2019) highlights the significant role of religious figures in the history of recorded Arab American music, noting that Rev. George Aziz, a Maronite priest who served in Maronite churches in Buffalo, New York, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, “was one of the earliest Arab American singers to record for Arab-language customers on Columbia Records as part of Columbia’s Ethnic Series on 14 May 1914.” Another Maronite priest who made notable contributions to the recording of sacred music is Rev. Paul Hage (Boulous El Hage Boutrous). Serving in Maronite churches in Buffalo and New Castle, Pennsylvania, Rev. Hage, along with collaborators, recorded a rare five-disc, 10-side, 78 rpm set titled Church Hymns-Maronite Rite in 1955, among other works (Breaux, 2023). Indeed, for many immigrants at the time, recording their music and disseminating it through companies like Columbia Records provided a means to reach a wider audience, ensuring their voices resonated beyond their immediate communities.

What is particularly notable is the rapid economic progress achieved by these early immigrants, which enabled their first- and second-generation American-born children to experience significant upward social mobility across various sectors. For example, Danny Thomas, one of the most famous Lebanese-American entertainers, made a name for himself as a comedian, actor, singer, and philanthropist; Dr. Shafick George Hatem, who devoted his medical career to eradicating venereal diseases and leprosy in China, was known as Dr. Ma Hai-teh or Ma Haide, meaning "virtue from overseas." Others include George Garfield Nader Jr., a Golden Globe-winning actor; D.H. Melhem, born Diana M. Vogel, a poet, novelist, and editor; and Richard Anthony Monsour, known as Dick Dale, a pioneering rock guitarist who incorporated Middle Eastern scales and experimented with reverb in surf music. Moreover, thousands of Maronite descendants have risen to prominence in fields such as medicine, politics, music, filmmaking, finance, and the arts, underscoring the community's substantial contributions to American life. This high per capita success rate reflects not only individual achievement but also the broader impact of the community on the cultural and intellectual fabric of the U.S. Early immigrant writers and artists, despite facing significant biases, encountered a socio-cultural environment that, nonetheless, offered a margin of freedom of expression. This opportunity enabled them to flourish, contributing to the rich tapestry of American culture. As migration to the U.S. continues among Maronites, their ongoing successes and contributions remain an enduring presence in the public sphere, enriching the nation's diversity and cultural landscape.

Mahjari writers—including journalists, essayists, novelists, poets, and artists—persisted in their cultural narratives despite dismissive critiques from local writers in both North and South America. Ironically, these critiques confirm that Mahjari works gained attention; to critique is to engage, indicating that these local voices, however reluctantly, were listening. Yet, despite their visibility among co-ethnics and in their homeland, the extent of Mahjari writers' influence on the cultural scenes of their host countries remains underexplored.

Although Mahjari writers were visible in their communities, the full extent of their impact on the cultural landscapes of their host countries is largely unexamined. We can catch glimpses of this influence; in the U.S., The Prophet was among the 1,322 books selected by the Council on Books in Wartime for distribution to American soldiers during WWII (Kalem, 2014). Its words echoed in President John F. Kennedy's famous phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” (Raphel, 2016). Later, the book gained cult status in the counterculture of the 1960s (Colton, 2019), with passages frequently recited at weddings and funerals. In Latin America, Mahjari themes of migration, identity, love of homeland, cultural resilience, and family significantly influenced the region’s literature. In Colombia, for example, these themes resonated in the works of authors like Gabriel García Márquez, whose Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude, 1967) and Crónica de una muerte anunciada (Chronicle of a Death Foretold, 1981) explore similar motifs. These Mahjari contributions, laid a foundation for global cultural discourse, leaving a partially acknowledged legacy that calls for further exploration in the fields of ethnic and immigration studies and literature (Missaoui, 2015).

Photo Credits

Fig. 21.1: Book Cover of The Prophet (First Edition), published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1923, New York, USA. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.2: A Page from the original manuscript of Gibran's unfinished work The Garden of the Prophet, written in his own hand. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.3: A Page from a manuscript in Kahlil Gibran's handwriting Titled Jesus, the All-Encompassing Spirit. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.4: A Manuscript page in Kahlil Gibran's handwriting: A Tribute to a Woman Friend. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.5: A drawing sketch by Gibran [A Dance with a Centaur]. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.6: A sketch by Gibran depicting [Motherhood]. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.7: A sketch by Gibran [Modesty]. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.8: A sketch by Gibran [Melancholy]. Courtesy of the USEK Library Archives, reproduced with permission from the Gibran Museum, Becharre, Lebanon.
Fig. 21.9: Ameen Rihani to William Jennings Bryan about the situation of the Democrat party (1902). Courtesy of the Ameen Rihani Museum, Qornet El-Hamra (Lebanon).
Fig. 21.10: Syria-Mount Lebanon League of Liberation committee asking the American Secretary of War permission to join the Legion d’Orient and fight against the Ottomans, 1917. Courtesy of the Ameen Rihani Museum, Qornet El-Hamra (Lebanon).
Fig. 21.11: The Majestic Lebanon, conference given by Ameen Rihani in Brooklyn, N.Y., 1937. Courtesy of the Ameen Rihani Museum, Qornet El-Hamra (Lebanon).
Fig. 21.12: The Near East in Revolt, conference given by Ameen Rihani in New York, 1929. Courtesy of the Ameen Rihani Museum, Qornet El-Hamra (Lebanon).
Fig. 21.13-14: Mokarzel, S.A. & Otash H.F. (1909). The Syrian Business Directory [for the United States] ... in both the Arabic and English languages, New York.
Fig. 21.15: Hitti, P. (1957). History of Syria: including Lebanon and Palestine. (Second revised edition). London: Macmillan Company.
Fig. 21.16: Hitti, P. (1965). A Short History of Lebanon. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Fig. 21.17-19: Sader, J. (2015). The Art of Saliba Douaihy. (Ed. by A. Daou). Beirut: Fine Arts Publishing: 68, 70-71.
Fig. 21.20: Aziz, G. Sabeho Elrab b/w Samawty Yabatoulatt, (recording, 1914) 78 RPM. Columbia E Series 1867, # 39380/#39381. Photo taken from Richard M. Breaux, George Aziz: The Pioneering and Rare Recordings of a Maronite Priest, © Midwest Mahjar, October 26, 2019: https://syrianlebanesediasporasound.blogspot.com/2019/10/george-aziz-pioneering-and-rare.html
Fig. 21.21: El-Hage Butros, B. Church Hymns: Maronite Rite (recording, 1955), 78 RPM. Courtesy of USEK Library Archives.

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