Kawkab Amirka Newspapers, كوكب أمريكا

Title

Kawkab Amirka Newspapers, كوكب أمريكا

Subject

Arabs--United States
Arab American Newspapers
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers

Description

Biographical/Historical Note

Kawkab Amirka, كوكب أمريكا [Star of America] was the first Arabic-language newspaper published in the United States. It was published in New York City from 1892 to 1908. Originally released as a weekly newspaper, in 1898 it was increased to a daily periodical. The roughly 300,000 copies per issue were circulated to subscribers around the world. The newspaper claimed an audience that spanned from North to South America and across the Ottoman Empire and Arab-speaking world. 

Kawkab Amirka was founded with the goal of "bringing its eastern and western readers into closer and more intimate relations." The paper published articles from correspondents in Turkey, Egypt, India, Persia, Syria (modern day Syria and Lebanon), and the Barbary States of Morocco, Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis. Though it circulated in the Ottoman Empire as well as in the United States, in its first issue it stated its intent to express the "true interests" of the early Arabic-speaking diaspora, which included "the 150,000 Ottoman subjects scattered throughout Europe, North and South America." To this end, the newspaper was primarily published in Arabic. However, many of the article titles were rendered in English, and many of the issues included articles in English. English-language newspapers in New York City often pulled from Kawkab's reporting for news from the Levant.

According to historian Elizabeth Booshada, it has traditionally been believed that the paper was founded by brothers Ibrahim [A.J.] and Najeeb Arbeely [Arbili], and that the paper's first editor was Najeeb M. Diab. However, Lillian George Shoucair [Choucair] has argued that her father-in-law Said Shoucair, who was living in America as a political exile due to his criticism of the Ottoman Empire, was both the founder and the first editor of the paper, and that the Arbeely brothers merely provided financial support. In addition to their involvement in the newspaper, the Arbeely brothers went on to have distinguished careers. Najeeb worked at Ellis Island, interviewing and assisting new Arabic-speaking immigrants and Ibrahim, following in the tradition of his father Dr. Joseph Arbeely, was a physician.

The paper is broadly representative of an Orthodox Christian view, and directs itself to an audience with similar beliefs. Like Shoucair, the Arbeely brothers had fled the Ottoman Empire after criticizing the Sultan. However, the paper took a predominantly neutral, or even complimentary, tone towards the Ottoman Empire. Nonetheless, the paper was associated with the Young Turks movement in the Ottoman Empire at various times during its publication. 

Scope/Contents Note

The Kawkab Amirka Newspapers collection includes all of the surviving issues of the periodical. The dates range from April 15, 1892 to February 28, 1896. Topics include early Arab immigration, diasporic identity formation, religion, and politics.

To access the fully searchable digitized issues of the newspaper, search the Khayrallah Center's Arabic Newspaper database.

Creator

N.J. Arbeely
A.J. Arbeely
Said Shoucair
Najeeb M. Diab

Source

Library of Congress

Publisher

Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

Date

1892-1896

Contributor

Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2017-2018. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2018.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023.

Rights

The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.

Language

Arabic
English

Identifier

NS 0003

References

Kawkab Amirka [Star of America, كوكب أمريكا] Volume 01, Issue 01, Kawkab Amirka Newspapers, NS 0003, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies Archive, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Elizabeth Booshada, Arab-American Faces and Voices: The Origins of an Immigrant Community (Austin: University of Texas Press), 2003.

Provenance

Kansas State Historical Society

Alternative Title

Kawkab America

Collection Tree

This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections.

Newspaper Collections
Kawkab Amirka Newspapers, كوكب أمريكا