Khaberni - Awad Dhayfallah Al-Malahmeh wrote:
I was surprised by the preoccupation of social media with a statement by my friend whom I respect, Dr. Ghassan Abdul Karim Al-Hassan, describing him with qualities he is innocent of, although this does not mean he did not make a mistake.
To form a rational, respectable idea, away from condemning and slandering Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan. For those who do not know him, I say: Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan is currently a jury member of the (Poet of the Million) program, which is specialized in Nabati poetry. It started in 2006, launched by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, continuing its notable successes across the Arab scene, and he has credited in advancing Nabati poetry in general.
I know Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan personally, closely, for (50) years. And I swear that Dr. Ghassan is an elegant, serious personality, an ideal man in his morals and values, genetically belonging to his Arab identity, apart from any organization. Dr. Ghassan is also known for his warm speech and good reasoning, and I have never known him to be extreme in his judgments at all, I knew him as a man of ideals and noble values.
He is also a distinguished literary figure specialized (even immersed) in research and authorship. It’s impossible to count the number of his publications which might reach (100) works or more. Academically, he holds a PhD in Nabati poetry and is a writer, poet, and author. Moreover, his father, may God have mercy on him, was a profound poet in classical Arabic poetry, and I had the honor of hosting him to recite a poem about the First Intifada in 1988, in a ceremony I held and managed personally at the InterContinental Hotel/ Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan worked in teaching Arabic language. He held the post of Deputy Director of the Cultural Department in the UAE Ministry of Information. He is a researcher in Emirati folklore and an advisor of folk literature at the Poetry Academy in the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
And I find it necessary to recount what Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan said, verbatim:— [[Before Poet of the Million, the Bedouin poet from Jordan was socially, poetically insignificant, and did not master the meters fully because no one cared about what he was saying.]] End of quote.
I listened several times to the statement made by Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan, to discern what the doctor meant in his statement, which surprised me for more than one reason, the most important being that I have never known him to lean (towards extremity and generalization) absolutely in his judgments.
The statement was incorrect from two angles, the first being the person of Dr. Ghassan, where I have not known him in this manner. And the second: the lack of accuracy in his description of Jordanian Nabati poets. As the statement showed (insult) indicating Dr. Ghassan’s lack of depth in Jordanian Nabati poetry. And the evidence is clear: since Dr. Ghassan has not dedicated even a single work about the Jordanian poetic scene among his publications.
Dear readers, we must realize that every specialized expert has a blind spot in a certain area, as the blind spot a professional driver suffers from.
Some who wrote or commented on the statement criticized Dr. Ghassan for his words reflecting a lack of allegiance to his homeland Jordan, which is absolutely not possible. For two reasons: 1) I know the doctor truly well and know his love for his homeland Jordan. 2) Why wasn’t his statement, which glorified our national team's outstanding achievements in the Arab Cup a few weeks ago, praised, where he had to interrupt his colleagues on the Poet of the Million jury platform when they began glorifying their teams, where Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan then literally said: ((And I am pleased to congratulate my country Jordan's football team after their significant victory, confirming his admiration and pride in their performance, and jokingly noted that the Jordanian team has beaten everyone)), which surprised his colleagues on the jury.
I am puzzled by the generalization. Generalization always leads to failure in speech, especially when it is about homelands.
I believe that Dr. Ghassan has failed, and if he had just thought a little about the Jordanian poets who participated in the early episodes of the Poet of the Million program, the program had not yet resumed its role, nor did it contribute to honing the skills of Jordanian Nabati poets, who were fit for the program.
Nabati poetry was flourishing on the Jordanian scene. To illustrate this, we recall the poet Sheikh Namor Al-Adwan, where there was fierce competition among the poets of Jordanian tribes, and we mention some poets of his generation, such as: the poet Zaid Mohammed Al-Adwan, the poet Sultan Al-Sarhan, the poet Fares Saleh Al-Adwan, the poet Mustafa Al-Freihat, and poets after them the poet Sami Al-Basly, the poet Ali Obaid Al-Sa'i Al-Khaldi, the poet Habib Al-Zioudi, and others. Then if there were no Jordanian Nabati poets, from where would we celebrate Nabati poetry in (Al-Samer), (Al-Hajini) in our joys and occasions, where I personally along with my peers knew dozens of poems.
True, the Poet of the Million program elevated Nabati poetry, popularized it, and spread it on a wider scale, increasing interest in it. Therefore, this unique, distinguished pioneering program has played an Arab role that should be noted, and credited to its organizers.
Perhaps Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan intended to praise Poet of the Million, and Jordanian poets simultaneously, and to show the program's impact on highlighting the talent of Jordanian poets, and the excellence of the participants, but because the idea was impromptu and born of the moment it lacked some accuracy.
And we must not deny the reality that poets, and all owners of the arts such as writers, actors, singers, athletes, and painters, do not receive any significant support in their country.
In just a few weeks, Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan made two different statements, in (the first): he succeeded, and it included national praise, and in (the second): he was incorrect, at that point we take the praise, as it reflects affiliation to his country, and we take the error as his failure, and everyone errs.
Many have wronged, and still wrong the beloved Jordan. And the most painful offenders are those who do it intentionally, and maliciously. Then we must overlook, and forgive those who err unintentionally, as happened with Dr. Ghassan Al-Hassan.
