Unromantisches Morgenland, aus dem Tagebuch einer Reise

The Unromantic Orient  (translated by Elma Ruth Harder) written by Leopold Weiss who later converted to Islam and become Mohammad Asad. He's a legendary to some of us who knew his life story. I've written a short intro on the dokumovie (documentary movie) about his journey to Mecca in my previous post.

Don't be fool by the title of the book nor the cover of this diary. It's more than just a diary, it has more informations than I've ever thought before just like I read "The Real Malays" by Sir Frank Swetenham.

It's about his view on Arabs, about the Palestine-Israel fate, the Balfour , the French conquest of Lebanon, about crusaders of the past, about gospel, glory, and gold, about Zionist, about the Arab's league, about Independence.

Understanding Arab is a bit hard for me eventhough I met them everyday and interact with them everytime i'm in the uni. We all have sceptical and trying to fight the stereotypes that people are labeling them. People who feeds us with what they want us to believe.

They do not know grief as what Muhammad Asad mention in his book. It is true from my two Arab friends from Yaman. If they're stuck in their projects or if they heard someone stuck in their work, they will say something comforting like " Don't worry. InsyaAllah (If Allah wills), Allah will help you. You'll work it out oneday. InsyaAllah." They will say that in a very,very comforting and easy and confidently.

There are many intersting facts about Arabs in this book that I've never cross before. They have their own witch doctor, the "Schechs" and they have Druze too.

The Schechs treated sick animals by piercing them with glowing irons to drive out the sickness in them. Sick people? They "burned" them also especially those who're mentally ill.

He also mention in his book that there was this fruit called Sabara which is the fruit of wild cactus. If you know how to pull of the prickly malicious skin, an orange coloured fresh appears and it is wonderfully concentrated, tasting cool and sweet.

This is a good book not just to understand a bit on Arabs mind and lifestyle but the best thing about this book for me is to be able to read through every pages and my mind can't stop wondering the years and the atmosphere of Palestine before this era.

:)

Muhammad Asad

excuse my english.

this is an old post of mine, just today got the time to post it in this blog.