A Christian, Fond of Imam Ali (A.S): Part 2

Q.: Professor! Please tell us about the first books, "Ali, the Voice of Human Justice".

G. J.: You may think that it is published by the help of Muslims! But it is wrong! While I was writing, the editor -in- chief of Alresale Magazine came and asked me to give it to him to make parts of it published in continuous issues.

I did not accept, but after watching his persistence on his demand, finally I gave him two parts of it.

Immediately, after its publication, the Bishop and hermits of Kermelyeh tribe (from Christian Marooni branch) said: "I myself will publish this book with my own financial resources", naturally I became very happy.

Q.: And then Muslims found you?

G. J.: No! Actually, first Christians learned about the book and came to me surprisingly and happily. They said: "you honor the Arabs!" They collected money to pay the cost of the book’s publication to me. I said: "I didn’t publish this book with my money and the chairman of Karmiye’s hermits did it.

They went to the chairman…..He said: "No, I did not do that. The money of its publication came from the priests and hermits who pray here. Go and give this money to poor people."

Much later he said to me: "I love Imam Ali and out of his blessings, our poor people also gained prosperity".

Q.: Professor! What did Muslims do?

G.J.: First, Ghasem Rajab –owner of a school in Baghdad- took the book and tried to distribute through the bookshops around the holy shrine of the Commander of the Faithful. Then, some shea brothers republished this book again and again.

Q.: Have you ever been to Najaf?

G.J.: No! I haven’t been there! But I went to Karbala two times for delivering speech. I did pilgrimage of Imam Ali’s son, Imam Hussein’s shrine.

Q.: Professor Jordac: Do you know Le Martin?

G.J.: I had found a book of Le Martin on your Prophet in a Paris bookstore which was very old and precious. Unfortunately, Muslims don’t search for these things. For example, no Muslim ever tried to translate the book “Ali and AlSourat Al-Ferinsiyyah” (Imam Ali and the French Revolution) into French. Is not the translation of such a book a service to Islam?

Should the Christians translate this book? Likewise, do not you think that the book “Imam Ali and Arabs nationality” which clearly states how Imam Ali started from  nationality issue without resorting to nationalism got to humanism,  deserve some research? I believe that Imam Ali’s status equals that of Jesus Christ.

I’m fascinated with his great humanistic personality. We were Christians and naturally we have no belief in Imam Ali’s Imamate. I was brought up in a Christian family, which has no belief in these things. But let me tell you a story of my life. My father was a mason. He sold his works to the other villages; he kept two stones (rocks) in the house and worked on them for two years. Then, after finishing his work, he hung them on the house’s entrance.

Q.: What was written on them?

Other links:

Hijab Stories: On My Way to the Mosque

How I Came to Islam (Part 1)

How I Came to Islam (Part 2)

How I Came to Islam (Part 3)