Muhammad Asad's Journey: Jewish Convert, Islamic Scholar, Co-Founder of Pakistan | A Road to Mecca
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10,614 views Apr 18, 2025 #fulldocumentary #jerusalem #documentary
At the beginning of the 1920s, the Austrian Leopold Weiss embarked onto a journey to Jerusalem. Dissapointed with Zionism, he was instead fascinated by the Arab Bedouins. Since then, he traveled to the Middle East where he developed a career as a foreing correspondant for a German Newspaper, which took him to Saudia Arabia. Eventually, he left his Jewish roots behind, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Asad. Becoming one of the most significant Muslims of the 20th century, he worked as an advisor at the king’s court of Saudi Arabia, participated in the fundation of Pakistan, acted as Pakistan´s first ambassador to the UN, wrote extensively on Islam and at the end of his life translated and interpreted the Quran.
The film’s director follows Asad’s fading footsteps, leading out of the Arabian desert to Ground Zero, visiting Morocco and Spain where Asad died in 1992. Through the film we find a traveler, a scholar, an engaged Muslim, a thinker who wanted to act as a mediator between Orient and Occident. A ROAD TO MECCA – The Journey Of Muhammad Asad is a filmic travelogue that retraces Asad’s lifejourney in order to explore today’s relations between Muslims and the West.
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Chapters
▷ 0:00:00 - Intro
▷ 0:02:28 - Birthplace of Leopold Weiss, or Muhammad Asad's early life
▷ 0:05:01 - Conversation with Asad: Bridging the West and the East
▷ 0:09:12 - "Exclusivity of Judaism" and "Universality of Islam"
▷ 0:15:40 - "Muhammad Asad" Street: Honoring his legacy
▷ 0:18:33 - Jerusalem, life-changing experience
▷ 0:22:22 - Opinion among the Bedouins and the Jewish
▷ 0:26:56 - What Palestinian Muslims think of Asad
▷ 0:30:10 - Road to Mecca
▷ 0:32:39 - Pilgrimage airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
▷ 0:36:31 - Nafud Desert: Life with the Bedouins and camels
▷ 0:44:47 - Old Mecca: A room for open dialogues
▷ 0:46:40 - Censorship against Asad’s Islamic views
▷ 0:48:28 - Pakistan: Visons vs. Reality
▷ 0:56:51 - Co-founder of Pakistan
▷ 0:59:40 - "Nothing more controversial than women": Gender in Pakistani Islam
▷ 1:01:05 - Disappointment in Pakistan
▷ 1:03:05 - Asad as a politician, a scholar, and a father
▷ 1:08:57 - Terrorism
▷ 1:11:05 - A different interpretation of Islam
▷ 1:20:43 - Persona non grata: Asad's return to Europe
▷ 1:29:32 - The world after Asad
▷ 1:30:26 - Credits
#documentary #fulldocumentary #mecca #religion #jerusalem #saudiarabia
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Original title: A Road to Mecca - The Journey of Muhammad Asad
A film by Georg Misch
© 2008, Licensed by Autlook
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Chapter 1: Intro
0:00e
0:4545 seconds[Music]
0:5050 secondsJanuary 2006 2 million Muslims more than ever are on their pilgrimage to
0:5757 secondsMecca while in neighboring Iraq the US is still fighting their War on Terror at the same time a Palestinian
1:051 minute, 5 secondssuicide bomber kills 20 Israelis and in Europe right-wing extremists handled pork to refugees with
1:141 minute, 14 secondsa malicious intent to keep the Muslims amongst them hungry
1:261 minute, 26 seconds[Music]
1:331 minute, 33 secondsJanuary 2006 we are beginning a journey with our camera we head out to explore the front line between the Muslim world
1:411 minute, 41 secondsand the west and our guide to the present is a man from the past someone who already 80 years ago crossed all
1:481 minute, 48 secondsborders between countries cultures and
1:521 minute, 52 seconds[Music]
1:571 minute, 57 secondsreligions Leopold Weiss a Europe who went forth to discover Islam became a friend of Arab Kings played an important
2:062 minutes, 6 secondsrole in the creation of Pakistan and wrote an acclaimed new translation of the
2:162 minutes, 16 secondsQuran Leopold WI a Jew who took the road to Mecca Leopold wise who became
2:242 minutes, 24 secondsMuhammad Assad this gentlemen actually liit Frosty ground temperature-
Chapter 2: Birthplace of Leopold Weiss, or Muhammad Asad's early life
2:332 minutes, 33 seconds18° C and partly cloudy wish but our journey starts far away
2:422 minutes, 42 secondsfrom the deserts of Arabia in Leopold's birthplace at the Eastern edge of the former austr Hungarian Empire
3:163 minutes, 16 secondsMOS histor relig
3:403 minutes, 40 secondsfore
3:583 minutes, 58 secondsfor mus no
4:074 minutes, 7 secondsyou that's is Islam
4:134 minutes, 13 seconds[Music]
4:544 minutes, 54 secondsp
4:584 minutes, 58 seconds[Music]
Chapter 3: Conversation with Asad: Bridging the West and the East
5:025 minutes, 2 secondsI was originally Jew but I had no religious inclination as such but living
5:095 minutes, 9 secondsin the desert and traveling through the desert brings one closer to God it was
5:165 minutes, 16 secondsthe feeling of absolute loneliness facing God and uh the feeling of
5:245 minutes, 24 secondsinsignificance in the midst of Nature and dependence on one Central Power I
5:335 minutes, 33 secondswent to the head of the Muslim Community and I told him I want to become a Muslim
5:415 minutes, 41 secondswhat shall I do he said it's very simple give me your hand and I gave him my hand he said repeat after
5:505 minutes, 50 secondsme Muhammad which I did since you are a Muslim now le Abu Muhammed ass
6:286 minutes, 28 secondsuh for
7:257 minutes, 25 secondsI myself was born as a European when I was 13 years old I agreed that Muslims
7:317 minutes, 31 secondsare barbarians and that Islam is a false thing and so because I was B breed it
7:387 minutes, 38 secondswas bred into me in my school times from my childhood it was much later when I
7:457 minutes, 45 secondsstarted moving about in a Muslim world and coming to know something about Islam
7:537 minutes, 53 secondsthat I recognize how false these ideas were
8:218 minutes, 21 seconds[Music]
8:288 minutes, 28 secondssome manig at judism Noe
9:019 minutes, 1 second[Music]
Chapter 4: Exclusivity of Judaism" and "Universality of Islam
9:159 minutes, 15 seconds1914 Leopold's family fleas to Vienna escaping from the approaching first world war this is an adventure that
9:239 minutes, 23 secondsliberates the rebellious teenager from his Orthodox Jewish Hometown amongst the agnostic
9:299 minutes, 29 secondsassimilated vienes Jews he quickly loses interest in his faith and soon rejects all
9:409 minutes, 40 secondsreligions we arrive in Vienna in 2006 just when right-wing politicians are fighting against the construction of a
9:489 minutes, 48 secondsnew mosque
9:509 minutes, 50 seconds[Music]
10:1410 minutes, 14 secondsman St br
10:5810 minutes, 58 secondsProtestant
11:1411 minutes, 14 secondsfor famia
11:1711 minutes, 17 seconds[Music]
11:5811 minutes, 58 secondsm mus
12:5212 minutes, 52 seconds[Music]
12:5812 minutes, 58 secondsAllah for
13:5813 minutes, 58 secondsLu
14:1714 minutes, 17 secondsforers only begin only end
14:2714 minutes, 27 secondsis group
14:4014 minutes, 40 secondsF and FK the pr
15:0215 minutes, 2 secondsfar whether man or the vi
15:1215 minutes, 12 seconds[Music]
15:1615 minutes, 16 secondsthere is
15:3215 minutes, 32 secondsVI interational Center B
Chapter 5: "Muhammad Asad" Street: Honoring his legacy
16:2416 minutes, 24 secondsCity yeah upset
16:3916 minutes, 39 secondsthis
17:2217 minutes, 22 secondsfor yeah as
17:5617 minutes, 56 secondsyeah this is the
18:0518 minutes, 5 secondsthere this
18:1918 minutes, 19 seconds[Laughter]
18:2518 minutes, 25 seconds[Music]
Chapter 6: Jerusalem, life-changing experience
18:5518 minutes, 55 seconds1922 an uncle invites Leopold to visit him in Jerusalem but what starts out as a family visit
19:0219 minutes, 2 secondsturns into a lifechanging journey Leopold read the Arabian Knights
19:0919 minutes, 9 secondsas a child and his romantic expectations are now being fulfilled by the real Arabs he meets he enjoys their
19:1619 minutes, 16 secondshospitality and is Enchanted by their traditional lifestyle with a passion of an Explorer
19:2519 minutes, 25 secondshe starts to travel all over the near East and the result result is that despite his Jewish background Leopold
19:3119 minutes, 31 secondsincreasingly feels that Zionism causes great Injustice against the Palestinian Arabs back in Jerusalem he gets into
19:4019 minutes, 40 secondsheated arguments with the leaders of the Zionist movement and despite being in the Jewish homeland he's further away
19:4619 minutes, 46 secondsfrom his ancestors religion than ever before
19:5319 minutes, 53 secondsminutes 80 years later our flight to Tel Aviv is canell several times because of heavy fighting between hisbah militias
20:0120 minutes, 1 secondand the Israeli Armed Forces
20:2020 minutes, 20 seconds[Applause]
20:4220 minutes, 42 seconds[Music]
20:5020 minutes, 50 seconds[Music]
20:5420 minutes, 54 secondsfor
21:2721 minutes, 27 secondsall
21:4321 minutes, 43 secondsH so we we in this case we have the 8 m wall and I have to tell you something which is very very interesting you know
21:5121 minutes, 51 secondsthe wall is very photogenic but it will it will not leave a lot of ecological
21:5921 minutes, 59 secondsdamages the thing is that many people consider Muhammad Assad as somebody who can tear down walls between nations between societies and between religions
22:0822 minutes, 8 secondsI know about the generally I know the the story uh some Jews some Jews left
22:1722 minutes, 17 secondsthe Jewish side and moved to the other side but in a way you are Assad's opponent because you are the father of
Chapter 7: Opinion among the Bedouins and the Jewish
22:2322 minutes, 23 secondsthis new wall here yeah I convinced shaon that we are losing the Jewish
22:3122 minutes, 31 secondsmajority we need immediately to separate ourself and to become back Jewish
22:3722 minutes, 37 secondsState and the idea was and then when he became prime minister the second time the same night he called me home Arnon
22:4622 minutes, 46 secondsplease bring me your disengagement map my map was a strategic map that in fact
22:5322 minutes, 53 secondsif I can summarize Jews here Arabs there this was the idea
23:5423 minutes, 54 secondsthis is the beds from from anata Village no no only it will be for Luna parks and
24:0224 minutes, 2 secondsuh for exhibitions otherwise it's going to be hopefully part of the high-tech Society or he will keep a better intent
24:1224 minutes, 12 secondsfor for tourism it's like Indian reserve not a way of life anymore no way
24:3924 minutes, 39 secondsfor speech fore
25:0025 minutes[Music]
25:1625 minutes, 16 seconds[Music]
25:2725 minutes, 27 secondsoh foreign spee
25:3325 minutes, 33 secondsforeign spee
26:1726 minutes, 17 secondsyou are doing a wonderful job by trying to bring his personality to this very unpleasant picture and we can analyze if
26:2726 minutes, 27 secondshe is a person a figure that we can follow him or this is an an episode and
26:3526 minutes, 35 secondsI think it's an episode these people never ever changed the world even in Germany in the 30s I'm sure we had
26:4426 minutes, 44 secondsthousand of thousand maybe millions of of the right people they couldn't change the the root of history no
26:5226 minutes, 52 secondsno and I think he's very naive for
Chapter 8: What Palestinian Muslims think of Asad
26:5926 minutes, 59 seconds[Music]
27:4227 minutes, 42 seconds[Music]
27:5427 minutes, 54 secondsmamad assads
27:5927 minutes, 59 seconds[Music]
28:0328 minutes, 3 secondsm
28:3228 minutes, 32 secondsISL
29:2629 minutes, 26 secondsy Muslim
29:5729 minutes, 57 secondshello fore
Chapter 9: Road to Mecca
30:2330 minutes, 23 seconds[Music]
30:3830 minutes, 38 seconds[Music]
30:4630 minutes, 46 secondsyou
30:5830 minutes, 58 secondsspeak English Arabic English where are you from Austria okay for us this is a problem yes please but just step
31:0831 minutes, 8 secondsbackwards we are on the road to Mecca but at this Israeli checkpoint it's now us who are held up paradoxically because
31:1731 minutes, 17 secondswe're not Muslims and don't have pilgrims permits
31:2431 minutes, 24 seconds1926 Leopold B converts to Islam and becomes Muhammad Assad full of enthusiasm he embarks on his first
31:3231 minutes, 32 secondspilgrimage to Mecca already before his conversion he had eagerly studied the Quran for him it's not only the answer
31:4231 minutes, 42 secondsto the spiritual emptiness that he had felt but especially to his rejection of Western materialism in Europe's Roaring
31:5031 minutes, 50 seconds20s in s Arabia he now really feels at home and he writes I am no longer a stranger
32:0132 minutes, 1 second[Music]
32:0632 minutes, 6 seconds[Music]
32:2132 minutes, 21 secondssh
32:2232 minutes, 22 seconds[Music]
Chapter 10: Pilgrimage airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
32:4132 minutes, 41 secondsallahar
33:0833 minutes, 8 secondsdep
33:4933 minutes, 49 secondsAB
34:1434 minutes, 14 seconds[Applause]
34:2434 minutes, 24 secondsfor
34:4234 minutes, 42 secondsin the early 80s we get it free in Nigeria whenever I read it it provokes thinking a lot of thinking in me it
34:5134 minutes, 51 secondsencourages the young Muslim to be enlightened Muslim
35:0735 minutes, 7 secondswhenever a good lecture is delivered to Muslim books from Muhammad Assad are quoted to explain certain situations to
35:1635 minutes, 16 secondsthem particularly in the English environment nobody will say that he didn't
35:2635 minutes, 26 secondsknow foreign foree
36:0336 minutes, 3 seconds[Music]
36:2636 minutes, 26 secondsall for
Chapter 11: Nafud Desert: Life with the Bedouins and camels
37:2137 minutes, 21 secondsyeah H yeah H yeah h
37:5037 minutes, 50 secondsyeah spee spee
38:2638 minutes, 26 secondsfor
38:5138 minutes, 51 secondsfor we feed hey
39:2639 minutes, 26 secondshuh
39:3439 minutes, 34 seconds[Music]
39:5639 minutes, 56 secondsfor
40:0240 minutes, 2 seconds[Music]
40:2640 minutes, 26 secondsfor
40:5640 minutes, 56 secondsfore fore spee
41:0441 minutes, 4 seconds[Music]
41:2641 minutes, 26 secondsspe for
42:1642 minutes, 16 seconds[Music]
42:2542 minutes, 25 secondsEan can come
42:5642 minutes, 56 secondsfor for
43:3743 minutes, 37 secondsuh
44:2444 minutes, 24 secondsI uh know the man very well he comes to Mecca sometimes with
44:3144 minutes, 31 secondsme I used to bring together some of those Muslim Scholars and he will
44:3944 minutes, 39 secondsdiscuss with them he feels so happy wom in the early days of Islam
Chapter 12: Old Mecca: A room for open dialogues
44:4844 minutes, 48 secondswere Fighters were Scholars they used to attend every society and nowadays they want to put
44:5744 minutes, 57 secondsthem in rooms and lock them so this is not Islam he wanted what happened in the
45:0445 minutes, 4 secondsearly days of Islam to come back again of course the majority of Muslims
45:1445 minutes, 14 secondsare against the bail I mean except very few people and they impose their
45:2145 minutes, 21 secondsopinion but the problem is covering the hair and he did a study a beautiful
45:2845 minutes, 28 secondsstudy showing that in Islam you don't as a a lady you don't have to cover your
45:3945 minutes, 39 secondshair during the time of his visit in the early days Saudi Arabia was still open
45:4745 minutes, 47 secondsfor different views different opinions it was the real Mecca things
45:5445 minutes, 54 secondshad changed now right now unfortunately there is only one
46:0246 minutes, 2 secondsopinion anything else is wrong so we have to change
46:0946 minutes, 9 secondsthis yeah Muhammad said is someone I mean even he passed
46:1946 minutes, 19 secondsaway someone who can contribute yeah
Chapter 13: Censorship against Asad’s Islamic views
46:4046 minutes, 40 secondsuh
47:2547 minutes, 25 secondsAllah for
47:4647 minutes, 46 seconds[Music]
48:0148 minutes, 1 second[Music]
48:1348 minutes, 13 secondsm
48:1848 minutes, 18 seconds[Music]
48:2648 minutes, 26 seconds[Music]
Chapter 14: Pakistan: Visons vs. Reality
48:4248 minutes, 42 secondswe are on the road to Mecca again but this time it ends for us on a Motorway exit in the middle of
48:4948 minutes, 49 secondsnowhere 1932 Assad leaves Saudi Arabia he's curious to get to know other Muslim
48:5648 minutes, 56 secondscommunities in turkistan China and Indonesia in India he meets Muhammad ibal who dreams of creating a separate
49:0549 minutes, 5 secondsIslamic State as a solution for the religious Bloodshed between Indian Muslims and Hindus bal's vision of Pakistan quickly
49:1349 minutes, 13 secondsbecomes Assad's own dream he campaigns by writing books gives public lectures and hosts radio programs and he drafts
49:2249 minutes, 22 secondsthe outline for an Islamic constitution in which he especially secures equal rights for women this paves the way for
49:3049 minutes, 30 secondsthe first female leader of an Islamic State benaza bu in 1947 Pakistan becomes an
49:3849 minutes, 38 secondsindependent state in circumstances that Assad could not have foreseen the petition from India causes religious
49:4549 minutes, 45 secondsmassacres with half a million killed on both sides
50:1650 minutes, 16 secondsasan
50:3250 minutes, 32 seconds[Music]
50:3550 minutes, 35 secondsor
51:0451 minutes, 4 secondsbar
51:5551 minutes, 55 secondsfor for
52:1752 minutes, 17 seconds[Music]
52:4052 minutes, 40 seconds[Applause]
52:4752 minutes, 47 secondsch
52:5052 minutes, 50 seconds[Music]
53:1553 minutes, 15 secondsalum
53:4153 minutes, 41 secondsto
54:1254 minutes, 12 secondsuh
54:4054 minutes, 40 secondspH
55:4455 minutes, 44 seconds[Music]
55:5155 minutes, 51 seconds[Music]
55:5455 minutes, 54 secondsP all
56:1056 minutes, 10 secondsequ
56:4156 minutes, 41 secondsb b
56:4956 minutes, 49 seconds[Music]
Chapter 15: Co-founder of Pakistan
57:1757 minutes, 17 seconds[Music]
57:1857 minutes, 18 seconds[Applause]
57:2357 minutes, 23 secondspistan pistan
57:2657 minutes, 26 seconds[Music]
57:4857 minutes, 48 secondsPakistan pan
57:5457 minutes, 54 seconds[Music]
58:0758 minutes, 7 seconds[Music]
58:2358 minutes, 23 secondsspeech spee
58:3258 minutes, 32 secondsI'm sure mammad Assad must have visited this place number of times it is very fitting that the
58:4158 minutes, 41 secondsmeeting of the assadian society in laar is being held in this
58:5058 minutes, 50 secondsH there was a time when I thought that I would change my name to Muhammad Assad I spoke to one of my teachers I said what
58:5758 minutes, 57 secondsabout changing my name I said if you want to I said what about Muhammad Assad and he said why I said because you know
59:0659 minutes, 6 secondshe is my mentor and he is the one who brought me together with Allah and the Quran and uh quranic understanding and
59:1459 minutes, 14 secondsthat is why and he said don't you think it's more important to be like Assad to actually as I said before carry
59:2459 minutes, 24 secondson Assad in your life than just a change of name I have about 100 English
59:3259 minutes, 32 secondstranslations of the Quran because I have been collecting them from all over the world and I have found Asad
59:3959 minutes, 39 secondsunique that he has a good understanding nothing more controversial
Chapter 16: "Nothing more controversial than women": Gender in Pakistani Islam
59:5059 minutes, 50 secondsthan women
1:00:021 hour, 2 seconds434 Equity of
1:00:111 hour, 11 secondsdiscussion be to give support mostly used in an economic sense so basically what it is saying is that
1:00:191 hour, 19 secondsmen should provide economic support to women basically
1:00:281 hour, 28 secondsfor example Pi HS men shall have preeminence over women shall be protectors and maintainers of
1:00:361 hour, 36 secondswomen men shall take full care of women it puts a totally different
1:00:461 hour, 46 secondscomplexion on the whole thing I absolutely agree with actually because he's the first person or the only person so far who has got I would use a little
1:00:551 hour, 55 secondsslang here the guts to say it and would not take pressure from society and translate it to you know please the
1:01:011 hour, 1 minute, 1 secondpublic actually the men this is a good job he done it's a wonderful joban
Chapter 17: Disappointment in Pakistan
1:01:131 hour, 1 minute, 13 seconds[Music]
1:01:281 hour, 1 minute, 28 seconds[Music]
1:01:351 hour, 1 minute, 35 seconds[Music]
1:01:521 hour, 1 minute, 52 secondsI had a great dream about Pakistan and somehow I feel that it's at this age
1:02:001 hour, 2 minutesum I feel that that that dream has been betrayed and um I am very motionally involed in
1:02:071 hour, 2 minutes, 7 secondsPakistan though I have left Pakistan and it just so painful to see
1:02:161 hour, 2 minutes, 16 secondsAssad fail in creating the state which he wanted to create of Pakistan I live in
1:02:241 hour, 2 minutes, 24 secondsStates I love United States it's a great place but at the same time um
1:02:321 hour, 2 minutes, 32 secondsPakistan but my pan my you know is Pakistani and and it's so painful to see Pakistan in the state it is today and I
1:02:411 hour, 2 minutes, 41 secondsfeel that Muhammad Asad was there b could have benefited so much I'm sorry from uh from his experience and um would
1:02:481 hour, 2 minutes, 48 secondshave made this state that no one of none of us would have to go out that's Muhammad this is not the platform for your grievance to Spring out and we want
1:02:571 hour, 2 minutes, 57 secondsto give to Europe a balanced picture no no this is too critical all right what is the failure in many things
Chapter 18: Asad as a politician, a scholar, and a father
1:03:051 hour, 3 minutes, 5 secondswe have been successful we are the seventh nuclear state after all you cannot make it out of magic this needs
1:03:121 hour, 3 minutes, 12 secondsscientific work and hard work in agriculture we have our production in every crop in every field has gone five
1:03:191 hour, 3 minutes, 19 secondstimes than it was in 47 in many fields you know oh my God
1:03:271 hour, 3 minutes, 27 secondsAllah didn't want me us to explore on this
1:03:351 hour, 3 minutes, 35 seconds[Music]
1:03:441 hour, 3 minutes, 44 seconds[Music]
1:03:501 hour, 3 minutes, 50 secondsline 1951 Assad is at the peak of his political career and becomes Pakistan's
1:03:571 hour, 3 minutes, 57 secondsEnvoy to the United Nations now he wants to campaign for Muslims worldwide and is quite successful in fighting for the
1:04:051 hour, 4 minutes, 5 secondsindependence of the North African colonies but to his dismay he's forced
1:04:131 hour, 4 minutes, 13 secondsout of his position after only one year because his fellow Muslims in the Pakistani delegation had plotted against
1:04:221 hour, 4 minutes, 22 secondshim deeply disappointed he turns his back on politics and decides to write his autobiography hoping it could help
1:04:291 hour, 4 minutes, 29 secondsto promote a better understanding between the west and the Muslim World it seems he's more successful with this the
1:04:361 hour, 4 minutes, 36 secondsroad to Mecca soon becomes a
1:04:391 hour, 4 minutes, 39 seconds[Music]
1:04:461 hour, 4 minutes, 46 secondsbestseller out there on the bow please do not bring a chair standing only walk while your board do not run please do
1:04:541 hour, 4 minutes, 54 secondsnot remain standing you will be asked to have a seat keep your feet on the deck not up on the railings and keep your voices low please for the comfort of
1:05:031 hour, 5 minutes, 3 secondsthose around you if you're going to use a cell phone they're greatly restricted if you have children with you make sure you stay with them they're not running through the ship we don't want to spend
1:05:111 hour, 5 minutes, 11 secondsmy father used to uh when I was very young when I went to sleep he would he would read stories to me and one of them
1:05:191 hour, 5 minutes, 19 secondswas the Kiff stalk they were fairy stories about the Orient by somebody who had never been to the Orient of course that's right
1:05:271 hour, 5 minutes, 27 secondsexactly and um they were just modeled on the Arabian Knights that was that was
1:05:351 hour, 5 minutes, 35 secondsthe thing so he would he would he liked to do that I like to hear it I can remember also always going out
1:05:451 hour, 5 minutes, 45 secondsfor walks with him I was of course an enormous uh admirer of of my father he
1:05:521 hour, 5 minutes, 52 secondswas a very striking man he was he was uh very self-possessed and uh very good-looking and and very articulate and
1:06:011 hour, 6 minutes, 1 secondso on and so we would he would take me along and I I was always very glad to go for walks with him and talked about all
1:06:111 hour, 6 minutes, 11 secondssorts of things he talked about the west and about Islam what he thought Real Islam was um and the only time when he
1:06:201 hour, 6 minutes, 20 secondsdecided to go for a walk without taking me was when he learned during the war that uh his father and his sister and so
1:06:291 hour, 6 minutes, 29 secondson had had uh been killed by the Nazi regime and uh I saw him weep I mean not
1:06:371 hour, 6 minutes, 37 secondsweep in the sense of of breakdown or anything but certainly uh tears welled up in his eyes and so on and he said I'm
1:06:451 hour, 6 minutes, 45 secondsjust going for a walk and for the first and only time I think he said no no I'm going alone and he went for a walk alone
1:06:561 hour, 6 minutes, 56 secondsthis is a very uh emotional day today's in uh September 11th we'll
1:07:031 hour, 7 minutes, 3 secondsbe passing World Trade the ship will come to a stop we ask you please to be courteous
1:07:111 hour, 7 minutes, 11 secondsand keep it quiet here comes the World Trade Center
1:07:181 hour, 7 minutes, 18 seconds[Applause]
1:07:281 hour, 7 minutes, 28 seconds[Music]
1:07:281 hour, 7 minutes, 28 seconds[Applause]
1:07:321 hour, 7 minutes, 32 seconds[Music]
1:07:331 hour, 7 minutes, 33 seconds[Applause]
1:07:381 hour, 7 minutes, 38 secondsso that's New York it was of course here that he wrote the road to
1:07:451 hour, 7 minutes, 45 secondsMecca after he resigned from the United Nations you know that he wanted to go back to Europe and he had nostalgic
1:07:541 hour, 7 minutes, 54 secondsfeelings about things like winter and he was fond of Music always and so I can even remember
1:08:011 hour, 8 minutes, 1 secondwe used to listen sometimes to the radio to concerts and there would be a pause in between various
1:08:101 hour, 8 minutes, 10 secondsmovements and uh and people would then be allowed to cough of course ah he said
1:08:171 hour, 8 minutes, 17 secondssentimentally that reminds me of Europe or or words to that effect you know people were coughing because it was cold
1:08:241 hour, 8 minutes, 24 secondsof course it was a winter concert in other words he was conscious
1:08:331 hour, 8 minutes, 33 secondsof certain things which were valuable in European culture and European the European Heritage but
1:08:421 hour, 8 minutes, 42 secondsum he didn't on the whole really appreciate European life as this is it is it Evans
1:08:511 hour, 8 minutes, 51 secondsJ Baron goodness Paul James Bia marene capito
Chapter 19: Terrorism
1:09:001 hour, 9 minutesbsta and my beloved husband you Ry bagers we love you we miss you and we'll
1:09:071 hour, 9 minutes, 7 secondsnever forget you God bless you
1:09:131 hour, 9 minutes, 13 seconds[Music]
1:09:221 hour, 9 minutes, 22 seconds[Music]
1:09:321 hour, 9 minutes, 32 secondsIslamic fascism chases you with the sword they do not know peace they you cannot you cannot discuss with these
1:09:401 hour, 9 minutes, 40 secondspeople enough with discussions they only know fire and they will use our freedom to defeat us do not think they will not
1:09:491 hour, 9 minutes, 49 secondsthey will if I was in Saudi Arabia right now they would have carded me off a long time ago just for bare legs never mind that just
1:09:581 hour, 9 minutes, 58 secondsfor bare legs oh we'll just kill her just for you know not wearing stockings and having a legs cover the world is different people are different New
1:10:051 hour, 10 minutes, 5 secondsYorkers are different how they've changed post
1:10:141 hour, 10 minutes, 14 seconds911 he would be very upset today that 911 is being used and uh the war on terrorism which is really quite a
1:10:221 hour, 10 minutes, 22 secondsSinister notion because uh the suggestion that you have a war against an an indeterminate enemy who can't even
1:10:311 hour, 10 minutes, 31 secondsformally and legally concede defeat means that it's something
1:10:401 hour, 10 minutes, 40 secondsforever the criticism that he would have of Muslim societies is not only to do
1:10:471 hour, 10 minutes, 47 secondswith greater fanaticism or the developments not societies are not fanatic of course but the fact that
1:10:541 hour, 10 minutes, 54 secondsthere are certain movements which are fanatical and and which have even used Terror he he would be totally against
1:11:021 hour, 11 minutes, 2 secondsthat
Chapter 20: A different interpretation of Islam
1:11:071 hour, 11 minutes, 7 seconds[Music]
1:11:131 hour, 11 minutes, 13 seconds[Music]
1:11:341 hour, 11 minutes, 34 secondsAssad might have responded with the saying of the Prophet the ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the
1:11:431 hour, 11 minutes, 43 secondsMartyr already in 1970 Assad is concerned that the Quran is more and more misinterpreted and misused for
1:11:501 hour, 11 minutes, 50 secondspolitical goals this motivates him to undertake his biggest task yet a new translation and commentary of the
1:11:591 hour, 11 minutes, 59 secondsQuran to work on it he wants to be amongst Muslims again but also closer to Europe he settles in Morocco and
1:12:061 hour, 12 minutes, 6 secondsestimates that it will take him 4 years 17 years later his Opus Magnum is
1:12:131 hour, 12 minutes, 13 secondsfinished and he dedicates it to people who think
1:12:531 hour, 12 minutes, 53 secondsSalam alaykum
1:13:121 hour, 13 minutes, 12 secondsI first met him in 1981 when I was sent by a magazine to do an interview with
1:13:201 hour, 13 minutes, 20 secondshim he made an impression I uh became very attached to him he was very supportive to me when I was publishing
1:13:281 hour, 13 minutes, 28 secondsmy first book prin so we became very good
1:13:431 hour, 13 minutes, 43 secondsfriends right well we put it there is it is it acting now yes it's it's acting
1:13:501 hour, 13 minutes, 50 secondsit's activating oh yes Islam is permanently at war with Muslim V mhm see
1:13:581 hour, 13 minutes, 58 secondsis a nonsense this was invented in order to justify to justify the Ws yes and
1:14:041 hour, 14 minutes, 4 secondsMuslims must try to free westerners of misconceptions they must explain to them
1:14:121 hour, 14 minutes, 12 secondsfor example that the idea of jihad is not a conquest of reluctant people and
1:14:201 hour, 14 minutes, 20 secondsforcing them to accept Islam so say pushing Islam down their throats no the
1:14:291 hour, 14 minutes, 29 secondsJihad should be explained as striving effort in the original linguistic
1:14:361 hour, 14 minutes, 36 secondsmeaning and in the moral sense of course striving for Spiritual truths and a
1:14:441 hour, 14 minutes, 44 secondsbetter social life I think the real significance of his life is encapsulated in that
1:14:531 hour, 14 minutes, 53 secondsextraordinary quranic t he did which really brings the Quran alive not perhaps necessarily for
1:15:001 hour, 15 minutesMuslims who grow up in the tradition but it's the only quranic uh commentary I have read that really makes the Quran
1:15:101 hour, 15 minutes, 10 secondsintelligible for westerners and the reason he's able to do that is because inside he is a Westerner and also he's
1:15:171 hour, 15 minutes, 17 secondssomeone who had been through the enlightenment experience the whole intellectual experience of the West brought that to bear on his
1:15:271 hour, 15 minutes, 27 secondsunderstanding of Islam not as a scholar looking at at it from the outside but as a Believer uh looking at it from from
1:15:361 hour, 15 minutes, 36 secondsthe inside every age requires a new approach to the Quran for a simple reason that
1:15:441 hour, 15 minutes, 44 secondsthe Quran is named for all ages it is our duty to try to find deeper and deeper meanings to the Quran by means of
1:15:511 hour, 15 minutes, 51 secondsour increasing knowledge and experience the Quran wants your intellect to be
1:16:001 hour, 16 minutesalways active when trying to approach the message of God God himself has
1:16:081 hour, 16 minutes, 8 secondsdedicated this book to people who think
1:16:531 hour, 16 minutes, 53 secondssee for
1:17:501 hour, 17 minutes, 50 secondssign mean selfs
1:17:581 hour, 17 minutes, 58 secondssurrender it is it means selfs
1:18:171 hour, 18 minutes, 17 seconds[Music]
1:18:231 hour, 18 minutes, 23 secondssurrender for
1:18:551 hour, 18 minutes, 55 secondsthese ignorant MERS uh they could not stomach anything that tasted of a Time beyond the 15th or
1:19:041 hour, 19 minutes, 4 seconds16th century or something like that or extremists they they stick to a certain
1:19:121 hour, 19 minutes, 12 secondsF concept of decency and they enforce it to such a degree that a woman is not allowed to
1:19:181 hour, 19 minutes, 18 secondsdrive a car I asked him at one point if he saw himself as a modernist uh in Islam or as a
1:19:271 hour, 19 minutes, 27 secondsreformist and um he didn't like either of those terms at all he said I'm just a Muslim who tries to find out in the text
1:19:371 hour, 19 minutes, 37 secondswhat is uh right uh at the present time and uh of course that does make him in a
1:19:441 hour, 19 minutes, 44 secondssense a modernist because the big Division I think is between traditionalists who say what is there is
1:19:541 hour, 19 minutes, 54 secondstrue for all time and the modernists who are always seeking to reinterpret the text uh on the basis of uh contemporary
1:20:041 hour, 20 minutes, 4 secondsHuman Experience in that sense I think one sees him as very much a pioneer of some of the uh
1:20:131 hour, 20 minutes, 13 secondssophisticated um Muslims like Tark Ramadan and so forth who've have embraced an understanding of Western
1:20:221 hour, 20 minutes, 22 secondsculture who've actually grown up in the West but also part of the Muslim world nowadays we don't live in a world of Separation whether we like it or not we
1:20:321 hour, 20 minutes, 32 secondsare all part of each
Chapter 21: Persona non grata: Asad's return to Europe
1:20:531 hour, 20 minutes, 53 secondsother for
1:21:531 hour, 21 minutes, 53 secondsmusl for
1:22:051 hour, 22 minutes, 5 seconds[Music]
1:22:251 hour, 22 minutes, 25 secondsour community is the stupidest community that has ever existed we have been given the best
1:22:351 hour, 22 minutes, 35 secondsguidance in the Quran and the best guide personal guide and the prophet and look
1:22:421 hour, 22 minutes, 42 secondsat the use which we have made out of this we are today the lowest of all B I
1:22:491 hour, 22 minutes, 49 secondsalways said B I speak of my community criticizing this Unity comes out of my
1:22:561 hour, 22 minutes, 56 secondslove for it rumor has it that there were even
1:23:091 hour, 23 minutes, 9 secondsbook burnings of Assad's kurran emotionally and financially exhausted he withdraws to Europe and
1:23:181 hour, 23 minutes, 18 seconds1987 settles in Spain attracted by its Muslim history
1:23:271 hour, 23 minutes, 27 secondshe plans to revise his Quran translation once more but old age and prolonged illness prevent him from
1:23:351 hour, 23 minutes, 35 secondsfinishing he dies on the 20th of February 1992 alone and
1:23:431 hour, 23 minutes, 43 seconds[Music]
1:23:511 hour, 23 minutes, 51 secondssecluded Islam should be presented without any fanaticism without any stress on our
1:24:001 hour, 24 minuteshaving the only possible way and the others are lost
1:24:101 hour, 24 minutes, 10 secondsno moderation in all forms is the basic demand of Islam
1:24:221 hour, 24 minutes, 22 seconds[Music]
1:24:541 hour, 24 minutes, 54 secondsfor
1:25:421 hour, 25 minutes, 42 secondsfor
1:26:031 hour, 26 minutes, 3 secondsfor
1:26:531 hour, 26 minutes, 53 secondsno for
1:27:051 hour, 27 minutes, 5 seconds[Music]
1:27:261 hour, 27 minutes, 26 secondsright
1:28:111 hour, 28 minutes, 11 secondsspee foree
1:28:411 hour, 28 minutes, 41 secondsforeign speech
1:28:521 hour, 28 minutes, 52 secondsspee at for amigo
1:29:121 hour, 29 minutes, 12 seconds[Music]
Chapter 22: The world after Asad
1:30:191 hour, 30 minutes, 19 seconds[Music]
Chapter 23: Credits
1:30:491 hour, 30 minutes, 49 seconds[Music]
1:31:241 hour, 31 minutes, 24 secondsoh
1:31:271 hour, 31 minutes, 27 seconds[Music]
