The Image Of Mahatma Gandhi In Modern Arabic Literature

A huge body of literature has been produced on the life and contribution of Mahatma Gandhi in different languages of the world. The Arabic language is no exception. The Indian freedom movement under the leadership of Gandhi had a great impact on the Arab intelligentsia who nourished the nationalist momentum of the Arab masses. Greatly inspired by the Indian national movement for freedom launched on secular lines, the Arabs started paying attention to India's historical background of independence as well as to its vast moral and spiritual potentialities. The leaders of the rising Arab nationalism looked eagerly to India for inspiration, thereby marking the beginning of the restoration of the age-old Indo-Arab relations that had suffered a temporary setback following the falling of both India and the Arab world under foreign domination. The teachings and principles of Mahatma Gandhi attracted the attention of Arab intelligentsia and men of letters. In the course of time he became so popular in the Arab world that all his minor and major activities were sympathetically reported in the Egyptian press. Several renowned Arab journalists, writers and poets wrote articles, books and poetical compositions on different aspects of the life of Gandhi which cannot be neglected by historians while making an overall assessment of his life and personality. The present book is the first systematic attempt at illuminating his image as reflected in the voluminous modern Arabic literature produced on him in both prose and poetry.