The Arab
by
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It was a typically dismal, rainy, early fall day in the outskirts of London, where a rather large hall was filled to capacity with bright, young faces. They were about to be addressed by a scholarly looking gentleman who was at this moment occupying the lectern. It was appropriate that he should impart that appearance, as he was headmaster of the school that these young people were attending. The hall became quiet as the headmaster called for their attention. He began to speak to them. 'Young ladies and gentlemen, as you know, it was decided many years ago that because of the enormous influence that the one we have come to call 'The Arab,' exerted on the world many years ago, and because we know that such a one shall arise in the earth one day in the future, that every graduating class should be told his story before they go on to whatever they have chosen to do with their lives. This story is usually told by an historian who is an authority on this era. Sometimes we are fortunate to get someone who actually lived during the period to tell us what he remembers about it. However, we are indeed blessed to have with us someone who not only lived in that time, but actually knew most of the great leaders of that day, including 'the Arab.' In fact, he was close enough to 'the Arab' at one time to be considered his friend. He was a reporter for the old Independent News Agency that had its' headquarters here in London at that time, and as such was present at many of the newsworthy events of the day. There is no man on earth more qualified to tell us the story of 'the Arab' than the man I now introduce to you. Please welcome Mr. David Haskell.' A tall, slender man of considerable age comes toward the lectern, yet he wears his age lightly, as a badge rather than a burden. He moves with a sureness of pace that belies his years and speaks of a certain amount of strength yet remaining to him. He waits while the polite applause of welcome dies down, and then, in a firm yet gentle voice, begins to speak. 'I thank you for your kind welcome, and I hope to repay you by not being too boring in telling you the tale of 'the Arab.' I'm sure that most of you are familiar, at least in a general way, with his story. Yet you cannot fully understand that story without understanding the condition of things on the earth in those days. You have all grown up in a world where war is a forgotten art, where poverty, hunger, sickness and crime, have never been a problem. The world that we lived in then must be as foreign and as distant to you as an alien world on some far-off planet. The world that I knew then was a world filled with rebellion, lies, murder, graft, poverty, and greed, lots of greed. It was a world that could watch on their television sets little children starve to death before their very eyes, while they threw away food that had some minor blemish on it. They watched other children being butchered by men who hated them for what they were born, not anything that they had done. Their response was to complain that there should be less violence shown on television! It was not that they did not care about the problems, it was just that the problems were so vast that they were overwhelmed by them and did not see any way to solve them. It is this sense of helplessness that I want you to keep in mind as I tell you the conditions that existed in the world that led up to the time of 'the Arab.' The people of the world that I was born into desperately wanted all the things that you have been freely given, and therefore, take for granted. Yet these things were not achieved by you, they were given to you. The world had all but lost hope that these things could ever be. Remember this and do not judge too harshly the people of the world that I am about to tell you of.'
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About the Book
The year is 2123 and the world has changed greatly from the one that existed in the 20th century, and not for the better. America is no longer a world power, the dollar is no longer the world's standard unit of currency, and the world is still trying to recover from a world wide economic disaster. Every aspect of life has undergone major changes, including the Christian religion, which has suffered a serious loss of credibility since Christ failed to return at the beginning of the 3rd millennium.. Wars have changed, and continue to change, the face of the world map. The worst of these wars are to be found in the Muslim world that is still trying to recover from two major wars with the Jews in which they suffered major defeats. The Muslims lost all that they had gained during the end of the 20th century and now no longer have access to the Holy sites in what is left of Jerusalem. The Muslim world is suffering from a lack of both unity and leadership such as they have not known for many years. Into this void comes a man of charisma and mystery, who holds out the promise of order and peace to a world that desperately needs it. This man holds out this promise not only to the Muslim world, but to everyone, everywhere. To the world at large, he offers the economic stability and prosperity that can only come with world wide peace. To the Jews, he offers to end the conflict between themselves and the sons of Ishamel forever. To the Muslims, he offers a return to the Holy sites of Jerusalem without conflict. To the Arabs, he offers a return to the glories of the reign of Salah al-Din, known to the West as Saladin the Great. Could this be the Mahdi that Islam has been waiting for? This man that comes to be known as.......The Arab. A novel of a world that may really come one day.....and a warning.
About the Author
Harry Argo was born in 1938 in the mid-west, trained as a surveyor by the U.S.Airforce, educated as a chiropractor, ordained as a minister, and started his own propane gas business with a partner. He has taught in both synagogues and churches and has traveled the world extensively, including a voyage around the world with his family on a yacht that he built himself. He has smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, built airports, and delivered yachts. He has both lived and worked in many places in the world including Africa and the Middle East. He now lives in Florida with his wife, who has been with him in most of his adventures.