A Syrian intellectual from Damascus has publicly affirmed the Jewish people’s distinct identity and ancient historical connection to the Land of Israel, challenging dominant regional narratives.
An unexpected and striking voice has emerged from Damascus—this time from the heart of Syria’s intellectual elite.
The speaker is Abdallah Rateb Naffa, son of Ahmad Rateb Naffa, one of the most prominent scholars of Arabic language and literature in the 20th century. The elder Naffa, often called “the genius of the Levant,” was a member of the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus and a leading defender of the authenticity of pre-Islamic (Jahiliyyah) poetry.
In a recent lecture on his YouTube channel—part of a series based on the work of Egyptian thinker Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad—Abdallah Naffa examined the status of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the rise of Islam.