THE REAL ARAB

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 682, 7 November 1933, Page 7

THE REAL ARAB

SIMPLE, YET SHREWD A STRANGE MIXTURE OF MIXED HUMAN QUALITIES. DEMAND FOR JUSTICE. The uncompromising shadow of the Arab lies aeross the centuries froin those early .days when Arah seamen sailed. to China in search of commerce. For fifteen centuries the Arab has been known and feared in the East Indies, and the mark he has left therq is deep, writes H. W. Williamson in the Daily Mail. The Arah is a queer mixture of philosophy and passion, of careless honhomie and deadly purposefulness. He Blends self-indulgence with Spartan discipline in a fashion peculiarly his own. First of all with the Arab comes his pride of race. His is a nohle heritage, and pride in it is imbibed with hs earliest food. He carries himself with that supreme confidence which ■ belongs only to princes, and his sensitiveness to possible slight or injury seem to the outsider a little overdone. Incidentally, his ideas about genetics are by no means confined to his splendid horses. A Strang'e Mixture. Cast your mind back for a moment over the "Arahian Nights" and recall the astonishing mixture of amorous dalliance and calculated cruelty displayed in ahnost every story. The' genuine Arab is there shown in all his little weaknesses and mighty strength. Tenaeity. of purpose is one of the outstanding characteristics of the' race. A eolloquial proverb, offcen in the mouths of the people, says, "Patience is a rnost excellent quality; its rewards are igreat and sweet." The foreigner wfeo, bsaring no m lice, has supposed time to cover up ■old hurts and enmities, has been shocked into startled remembrance after long years of contented oblivion by the vengeance of the unforgetting Arab. Insults and wounds may not he avenged at the time they are suffered, but inevitably there will corne a settling day. Mohammed himself enjoined his followers not to forget "the justice of requital." And Arab memories are good. Simple Yet Shrewd. The Arab, whercver he is found, is essentially a simple Ibeing. It would be sux*prising, indeed, if the desert should produce a complex personality; that doubtful privilege is resc-rved for overcrowded cities. The foreign observer, amazc d at the cxtreme poverty of numerous Arabs, a poverty which goes hand-in-hand with a cheerful generosity unknown to richer men, seeks the answer to such a puzzle. He is met with another proverb: "Contentment is the key of repose. in the desert resignation is the best companion." I have met and talked with Arabs in many odd places, but never have I found them at a loss in word or deed. They have acute minds, sharpened hy diihcult circumstances and much reflection in loneliness. If they brood over their troubles and fancied slights it is not surprising when one considers that ordinary human intercourse in the Hedjaz or in Yemen may mean meeting another human being about twice in a wcek. Great Students. I have found the Arab remarkably self-sufficient. He is a great student, for as he is taught from childhood, "To be ignorant is death to the living," he must know all he can aibout those things which surround him and make up the life of his people. To have to admit to an inquisitive stranger than he did not know would he intolerable. This self-sufficiency, however, rarely becomes unpleasantly obtrusive, but it does give the Arah that simple dignity which seems to be his birthright. This same dignity makes the Arab a very pleasant and eonfident companion in strange places. Although the proverbial lore of the Arabs— like that of most other nations — contains numerous admonitions against exeesses of all kinds, the Arab is as given to- extremes as any other people. "Moderation in everything as a precious "ideal" has frequently to be quoted to a desert dweller. Mohammed knew his people and their weaknesses well when he laid down stringent rules governing the entry of the Faithful into Paradise. The need for extreme discipline was reeO'gnised in the institution of the month of Ramladan— the month of abstinence. Between sunrise and sunset no True Believcr will eat a mead or drink anything other than water. Such long-drawn-out olbservance of a strong religious taboo, however leads to indulgence in numerous exeesses between sunset and sunrise, How often do Arabs faee the month following Ramadan with worn-out bodies and even wearier minds! So many then discover that in very truth "the fruit of rashness is repentence." Sense of Justice. The Arah has, a deep-seated sense of justice, and if he feels he has been robbed by a single hair's-breadth of his rightful dues he will not rest until things are put right. To be strictly fair, he is as much interested m the principle involved as in the smaller matter of material satisfaction. He has a tidy mind capable of docketing dehits and credits with amazing accuracy. This may he proved by any who will deal generously with him, for xio foreigner has ever exceeded an Arab in generosity, while many_ have mourned the day they tried to "squeeze" one. Aralbia was one of the great civilising forces of the ancient world — she even forced her script on Bantus and Malays, while we still use her numhers — tand although she has been outstripped in the race in recent centuries she still at intervals shows somethinig of her old vigour. And whenever national jealousies tread on her susceptibilities she will stir again and murmur: "Such as you do, so will you find in your turn."