The Arab Community Might Be The Inspiration For Crazy Rich Asians The Young family from Crazy Rich Asians might be affluent, but it has nothing on Singapore’s Arab community, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, the community owned up 50% of land in Singapore. But how exactly did these Crazy Rich Asians amass their wealth? 1. They were rich industrialists Source The Young family might be “one of the top ten wealthiest families in Asia”, but the Singaporean Arabs were called “one of history’s most successful Diasporas”. Attracted by Singapore’s status as a free port they came to Singapore in droves, from a region of Yemen called Hadhramaut. Early migrants were also fleeing famine and economic hardship at home. Sir Stamford Raffles himself expected an influx of Arabs after founding Singapore in 1819. He dictated the creation of an Arab district in the city to a housing committee in 1822: The Arab population would require every consideration. No situation will be more appropriate for them than the vicinity of the Sultan’s residence… By the 1930s, Singaporean Arabs dominated trade, commerce and shipping, operating the largest ships and fleets in the region. The small community of 1,939 was now […]
7 years ago
