Arab Proverb Quotes

The notion that public lands should be available for the grazing of private herds of animals is very old. Note that the Roman law expressly forbade the collection of fees for grazing rights. The reasoning was that virtually all free Romans had animals that needed grazing and pasture land. So all citizens could take advantage of the public facility. As society became more industrialized and specialized, the percentage of citizens who could benefit reduced over time until there became less than 1 percent of citizens who could benefit from a asset that was paid for and maintained by all citizens. Then there was a rationale for charging user fees.

This is similar to proverbs in many other cultures.

This is one of the earliest codifications of grazing rights. Note that the free grazing privilege only applied to small herds. For more than 10 adult animals there were fees. The issue of grazing rights and fees is still debated. The principle was extended to smaller animals such as sheep and goats, but the maximums increased.

The Desert Panthers are the largest predator of the desert. The proverb advises being very tough with weaker enemies so that the stronger ones will perceive that you are tough and strong.

Flash floods in the desert are will known to all Bedouin, and each is very different from the others in its circumstances and consequence. The metaphor here is for all travail and disaster. Each is unique, especially to the victim.

In the original language the word Sham is used as a metaphor for beautiful. It represents a region of the Middle East known for its beauty.

This quotation is sometimes misunderstood by Westerners as implying that abstract justice is not as important as practical achievements. However, to the Bedouin, as to most Arab cultures, abstract justice is extremely important—as is reputation. The Western translation might be: “Don’t confuse getting justice with achieving material gain. Often you may not gain anything material, but you still must maintain your honor or reputation. This notion, as many Arab ideas, starts out as applying to individuals, and then generalize to families, clans, tribes, nations, and even Islam as a whole.

Ever since the invention and manufacturing of firearms, Bedouin Arabs have prized gun ownership highly. Gun ownership percentage is much higher than even the United States. Over time one or more guns appeared in every tent. With children about, the loaded gun has ever been a danger. Further, anger leads to gunplay in a society where guns are ubiquitous. Even for the gun owner, the additional time it takes to load a gun before using it is a safety valve that allows time for cooling off.

This is the Arab equivalent of the “hearsay rule” prohibiting hearsay as evidence.

Lev Davidovich Bronstein. There was even extensive Arab hostility to the Jews in Palestine before WWII and the Holocaust. Apologists for the Arab violence to the Jews have pointed to the creation of the state of Israel, the Arabs defeat in the wars with Israel and the fact that many Palestinians left their homes and could not return as the anger which fed the conflict. But as this quote shows they were attacking the Jews even before the second world war and the so called “reasons” for their violence.