A newly published book corrects the distortion of facts, made by some western orientalists, about the Arab nation

The deeply-rooted Arab nation, hailed throughout history by many prominent scholars and historians known for their objectivity in their writings, has been exposed to deliberate distortion attempts led by western orientalists such as the American orientalist Gustave von Grunebaum.

In his new book “Arab Countries and Entities in the Levant before Isalm”, Dr. Khalf Al-Jarad, a Syrian writer and journalist, presented an intensified study for the historical, geographical and linguistic discussions about the Levant concluded by most specialized researchers and historians who are known for their honesty neutrality and objectivity. This book, which was published by the Syrian General Organization of Books, provided a different outlook to those presented by the writers who are biased towards the orientalists’ ideas which have links to colonialism and Zionism.

Dr. Al-Jarad’s study is an attempt to correct a set of historical, cultural and ideological concepts and fallacies included in many biased and malicious studies on the Arab region in general and the Levant in particular.   

 The study is based on dozens of old references as well as on contemporary writings and archeological excavations in the cultural heritage-rich Levant. It sheds light on the particularity and distinction of this region, noting the continuous feverish discussions and approaches that contradict this study and aim at distorting the facts about Levant.

The 345-page study was divided into four major research works titled (The Geography of the Arabian Peninsula and the Location of the Levant in it), (The Question of Arab Relations…Semitism), (The Old Arab immigrations to the Levant and Iraq and their Cultural Manifestations and (The Arab Countries and Entities in the Levant before Islam and their most Prominent Cultural Achievements).

Syrian writer, researcher and journalist, Dr. Khalaf Al-Jarad, was born in Hasakah in 1950. He obtained a PHD in Philosophy in 1980 from Leningrad University in the former Soviet Union. He worked as a researcher at the Strategic Research and Studies Center at Damascus University, an Editor-in Chief of “Tishreen” Daily, Director General of Al-Wahda Establishment for Press, Printing and Publication and Syrian Ambassador to China. 

Al-Jarad, who has written 19 books, including translations, is a member of the Arab Writers’ Union.

Hamda Mustafa