Kings and Camels: An American in Saudi Arabia

143 Pages·2008·11.56 MB·English

by  Grant C. Butler

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K
ings
C
and
ame ls
an American
in Saudi Arabia
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K
i ng s
C
and
am e l s
an American
in Saudi Arabia
G R A N T C . B U T L E R
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KINGSANDCAMELS
An American in Saudi Arabia
First published in 1960 by the Devin-Adair Company, New York.
This edition published in 2008 by Garnet Publishing, in association
with the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives.
Garnet Publishing
8 Southern Court
South Street
Reading
RG1 4QS
UK
Copyright © Grant C. Butler, 1960, 2008
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information
storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
brief passages in a review.
ISBN-13: 978-1-85964-200-9
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
TypesetbySamantha Barden
Jacket design byDavid Rose
Printed by Biddles, UK
www.garnetpublishing.co.uk
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To Sami Hussein, whose love of America and things
American inspired the writing of this book
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CONTENTS
Praise for the First Edition viii
About the Author ix
Foreword x
1 An Arab Named Sami Hussein 1
2 Islam, the Religion of Mohammed 11
3 Aramco, the Meeting of the Twain 23
4 The Bedouin of the Desert 33
5 The Modern Arab 43
6 Lion of the Desert, Ibn Saud 55
7 Training for Arabs and Americans 65
8 Vacation in Africa 75
9 America’s Awakening to the Arab World 85
10 Arab Nationalism, Zionism, and Communism 95
11 The Arab Refugees 105
12 An American Named Sami Hussein 113
Selected Bibliography 123
[vii]
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PRAISE FORTHE FIRST EDITION
Grant C. Butler has made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of
the Middle East in dealing with the people themselves. This readable book
makes Middle Eastern people come to life. It increases the area of human
understanding so essential to peace and stability in the world.
HON. HAROLDB. MINOR
President, American Friends of the Middle East
Former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon
Kings and Camels is an example of the superior reporting which can
illuminate the most difficult political and social problems. It is exciting,
lucid and perceptive. This book provides a badly needed balance in
necessary information about the Arab Middle East. . . .
ROBERTR. KIRSCH
Literary Editor,
Los Angeles Times
[viii]
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ABOUTTHE AUTHOR
Grant C. Butler began his writing career as a sports reporter on the Chicago
Herald-American in 1939. During World War II he was a combat radio
reporter for the Ninth Air Force in Europe. He worked in Saudi Arabia
from 1948 to 1951, where he headed the Field Public Relations Division
for ARAMCO. He traveled extensively in the Arab countries, and his
articles and short stories on the Middle East appeared in national magazines
and newspapers. He gave over a thousand lectures and earned several
awards for contributing to “better American-Arab understanding.”
[ix]