Suleiman Mousa

Suleiman Mousa was born to a Christian family in the village of Al Rafeed, in 1919; the village overlooks the Yarmouk River and is located 20 km north of Irbid. The early death of his father, an unwealthy man with a passion for reading and writing, came as a shock to him, his mother and sister while Mousa was just six years old.[2] Leaving them little but a cane basket containing several books, his mother took up the task of securing the family's needs. They lived a simple and spontaneous life as part of the village that depended mainly on agriculture for its survival.[8]

After receiving his elementary education from religious scholars, Mousa moved to a small school known as Al Ta'ifa for three years. As were his mother's ambitions, he was then sent to a governmental school in Al Husn (الحصن), where he resided at his relatives' until May 1934, when he was unable to continue into high school due to the family's limited income. A few months later, at the age of sixteen, he took up the profession of teaching at the School of Irbid.[8]

Suleiman Mousa, 1946

In 1936 he traveled to the city of Haifa in Palestine where he first began working. After returning to Irbid and resuming his profession as a teacher for a brief period, he decided to make the journey to Jaffa (يافا) by train, which interconnected it with Damascus and was part of the Hejaz Railway built by the Ottoman Empire.[9] This journey had a significant impact on his cultural life as it was then that he started borrowing and purchasing books and novels from neighbouring libraries and fulfilling his passion of reading. He gradually learnt English using dictionaries, and published many articles in Palestinian newspapers as well as several short stories in 1938. As time progressed, he found himself leaning closer towards books of literature and poetry and his fascination in history developed.[8]

He returned in 1939 to Al Rafeed where he continued working in the field of education before becoming an employee in the Iraq Petroleum Company in Mafraq. In 1943 he fulfilled a substantial commitment and married Georgette Nuseir whom he had met on a visit to Nazareth.[10] Mousa spent fifteen years in Mafraq and his publications were put close to a halt due to the inappropriate and illiterate environment he went through although he managed to publish a few short stories, articles and translations.

A major transformation in his life occurred when Mousa moved to Amman, the Jordanian capital, and began working in the Jordanian Broadcasting Company in 1957, turning to the work of the publications service and the Ministry of Information and Culture until 1984. During that period, he was the editor of the Jordanian magazine ‘Resalat Al Ordon’ (1966 to 1967). Later on, Suleiman Mousa spent more than four years as a cultural adviser in the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), from 1984 to 1988.[1]

T.E. Lawrence: An Arab View, the only book that shows the Arab perspective on Lawrence of Arabia.

Of the articles written by Suleiman Mousa in Jaffa that sparked widespread attention was an article published by the name "Lawrence on the balance" (لورنس في الميزان) in Al Adab (الآداب) magazine (November 1955) which discussed the book written by Richard Aldington called Lawrence of Arabia: A Biographical Inquiry, which had appeared in Britain earlier that year. The idea of writing a book discussing the matter in an integrated manner from an Arab's perspective was based on the success the eight-page article received.[1]

Five years later, the first Arabic edition of the book was published by the name T.E. Lawrence: An Arab View (لورنس والعرب: وجهة نظر عربية) followed by the translations into English in 1966, French in 1973 and Japanese in 1988.[15] The book was translated into English by Dr. Albert Boutros,[16] a professor of English at the University of Jordan. Many Arab and Western references were used for its writing. Mousa was visited by senior Western writers, including professors Colin Wilson and Jeremy Wilson. To this day, his book remains the only one that shows the Arab viewpoint. It has left a deep impact on all researchers interested in Lawrence. Hence, the book has won global reputation, and became a reference to researchers about the subject of Lawrence and the Great Arab Revolt.

Being taught in Arab and foreign universities including the University of Oxford in Britain is a sure sign of the success and attention this book has drawn. It was Professor Eugene Rogan from the University of Oxford who had remarked in a July 2000 speech:

Suleiman Mousa drew the attention of Western readers when he published his famous book ‘T.E Lawrence: An Arab View'. Indeed, the professors in the history of the Middle East in Western countries consider Mousa's books valuable research material. The book Days unforgotten: Jordan in the 1948 war is considered the best book written in Arabic about the 1948 war ... I hope that Western researchers continue expressing their gratitude to Suleiman Mousa for the credit he has provided them with. Beginning with his landmark history of Jordan, written in 1985 ... and running through a long list of books and scholarly articles written in Arabic and English, the Western historian of the region seldom embarks on a new subject without finding that Suleiman Mousa has been there first. In this sense, we are all students of Suleiman Mousa ... And so, on behalf of my Western colleagues, I wish to extend this word of appreciation to the great master of Jordanian history.

Suleiman Mousa, in addition to being a recognized researcher who achieved a breakthrough intellectually and in the Arab World, was also a local ‘people's’ author.[17] He wrote in four major themes: Biographies, history of Jordan, history of Arab revolution and writings in literature and short stories, in addition to the translations of Arabic and several simplified books written for young people. Mousa relied on many diverse Arab, British and foreign sources.[18]

Mousa (right) with Hussein bin Talal (middle), then King of Jordan

He went to the Public Record Office in the United Kingdom in 1974 and spent four months researching documents relating to Jordan. Therefore, his works are considered indispensable references for many students and researchers.

Mousa won many awards in recognition of his contributions to Jordanian and Arab history including: The Order of Independence in 1971, King Abdullah I Award for research in Islamic civilization in 1988, the State Incentive prize in 1990, the Order of Al Hussein distinguished first class in 2007 and Medal of the Arab Author after his death in 2008.[19]

Library of Suleiman Mousa at Al Hussein Cultural Center of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).

On 11 November 2009, a library dedicated for the history of Jordan under the name of Suleiman Mousa,[22] located at Al Hussein Cultural Center of the GAM, was inaugurated on behalf of the former Mayor of Amman, Omar Maani.[7]

The library is divided into several sections, one for the titles related to the history of Jordan in Arabic, English and French. Another is allocated for books and personal possessions of Suleiman Mousa,[22] as well as some documents he had been collecting during his work in writing, which his family donated to the library. At the inauguration, City Deputy Manager for Cultural, Social, and Sports Affairs, Haitham Jweinat, referred to the uniqueness of the new library, and said that it will be open for all interested readers and researchers, noting that the GAM had taken the time to equip it with many facilities, including an internet local area network (LAN) and the availability of international magazines and newspapers.[7][23]

The library regularly receives visitors from schools and universities to introduce them to Middle Eastern history through documentaries, photos and library resources.[22] Several scientific seminars and conferences have already taken place at the library. Its goal is to become one of the important developmental and economical projects in Jordan, and the place to launch books related to Arab history and the history of Jordan.[7][23]

• Cameos: Jordan and Arab Nationalism
• Land and People: Jordan, a Historical Sketch, 1921-1973

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