Sheikh Al-Ahmar

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The Red Sheikh by Abbas Beydoun... During the Ottoman era, we follow the story of "The Red Sheikh," who grows up in southern Lebanon and then travels to Iraq to study religious sciences. However, he becomes fascinated with philosophy, which earns him his nickname. He also has a penchant for women, enjoying many of them, mostly widows and divorcees, which was considered at the time a form of protection and safeguard against temptation. The Red Sheikh returns to his village to continue his life of religious service in his own way. He marries Khadija, an Iraqi woman, and they are accompanied by his wife's sister, Asima, who gradually becomes the lady of the house. But the wife's departure puts the relationship between Abdul Hussein and Asima to the test, placing them both before complex and sensitive trials. The novel draws on history to raise many contemporary questions about religion, freedom, love, betrayal, and the body, making the present seem like a continuation of history, and the past seem to never leave us. The deeper question arises: Where do we stand in all of this? Is the present a leap from the past, or a persistent return to a renewed origin?