Dr. von Müller Visits the Arab Countries and Writes and Lectures About Them

In a previous issue we promised our readers that we would bring them a special interview with Dr. Margaret von Müller, director of the International Cultural Center in Düsseldorf, West Germany, and wife of the legal counselor to the president of the province of Westphalia. This lady returned to her country on April 28 last, after completing her program of work and spending six weeks touring and studying in the countries of the Arab East — Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Lebanon. Here she gives her personal impressions, both of what she can tell of her own country and of what she saw and experienced here...

The German woman's role in building her country:

The first question I put to the gracious visitor was this: What is the German woman's role in the rebuilding of her country after all the smashing and ruin that befell it in the Second World War?!

And the zealous, hardworking woman launched into describing and defining woman's constructive role. Women outnumber men, as a result of the great loss of life that Germany suffered during the last war; the German woman therefore appreciates the heavy responsibilities laid upon her shoulders, and joins hands with her brother man in every field of work, as a citizen equal to him in rights, having what he has and owing what he owes — 'In Germany we have women deputies, women judges, and women managers of businesses'...

— And the German man is, as a rule, deeply respectful of his wife: not only does he tell her of everything that happens to him, in his work and outside it, but he sounds out her opinion — and very often it is her opinion he follows...

The Western and Eastern zones:

I then asked Dr. von Müller about the difference between the two ways of life in the two zones of Germany, the Western and the Eastern, of which we have heard so much. She answered simply: — I can sum up the difference between them in a simple phrase. A person in the Eastern zone is compelled to work, and is not permitted to spend his own money on buying what he wants; whereas the man of the West is not compelled to work, and is entirely free to spend his money as he wishes and pleases...

600 refugees a day:

And we may judge the harshness of life in the Eastern zone from

this vast army of refugees who have never ceased streaming out of it into the Western zone — of these unfortunates we receive some 600 refugees daily, and their number has now passed fifteen million; the economic and social crises this causes need hardly be described. Perhaps this phenomenon is the strongest proof that the people of the Eastern zone...
how shall I put it?... are not living in bliss!

The memory of Hitler?

I asked her: How does the memory of Hitler live in German hearts? She answered, marks of gloom rising to her face: The leaders of thought and most of the people in Germany are happy that Hitler's era has passed. Only now have they regained the freedom they lost in his day... And perhaps the peoples of the world are today more understanding than ever of the meaning of 'freedom'...

What of our country?

We then passed to the second part of the interview: what are Dr. von Müller's impressions of our country?

The gracious guest sighed... and expressed her sincere thanks to all who had eased her task of traveling and of meeting people, for she had met with such varieties of hospitality and kindness as filled her heart with delight and admiration.

She appreciates the innocent, sincere affection that the Arabs bear the Germans. She felt it with full clarity, because many of those she met on her travels turned away from her at first, supposing her to be English; but they were quick to beam and brighten toward her the moment they discovered she was German!

Her purpose in the journey:

In answer to another question, the doctor said that she would turn her experiences, observations, and impressions of the Arab countries she had visited into lectures, radio talks, and articles, so as to reveal to the German people, so far as she could, certain important aspects that have until now remained beyond its understanding.

She expressed her utter astonishment at some of what she had seen. Petra, in her view, is one of the wonders of the world — it stands in a class by itself, unlike any other historical monument on earth. She was delighted by the sights of Baalbek and Palmyra and the mountain of the Cedars, but her descent by airplane at Petra sent through her body a shiver, and an experience unique and unforgettable!

The Arabs live by their hearts, the Germans by their minds:

On the social and human plane, Dr. von Müller expressed her astonishment at the many activities that people here undertake out of volunteering and humanity, while in Germany they rest upon the governments... She chose to explain this phenomenon by saying that we live by the inspiration of our kind hearts, while the Germans live by the inspiration of their minds and nothing more...

The Lebanese has no need to travel:

What struck me particularly in Dr. von Müller was that constructive positive spirit... she sees the merits and turns her eyes from the faults. She said to me: What does it matter to her if the roads are dirty and some of the children barefoot, so long as the nature of your country is of such charm and clearness? And so long as human nature here is of such goodness and generosity?

She understands now the secret of the Lebanese's longing for their country, and does not wonder that they stay in it with no desire to travel abroad. For here they have everything the soul yearns for — of matter and of spirit!

But I explained to her an aspect of economic life that drives the Lebanese to emigrate.

She observed, finally, that the Lebanese enjoys freedom more than any other among the Arab peoples, and she hoped his freedom would remain his, for it is man's most precious possession! And she wished all the Arabs freedom and security as well...

Working for peace:

She was deeply moved by the tragedies and woes she witnessed in the camps of the Palestinian refugees, and she believes that the solution of this problem lies not by way of stirring up hatreds and rancors, but by way of working for peace: peace in the home with husband and children, peace in society, and peace in the world.

And shortly before her departure by airplane, Dr. von Müller sent her warm greetings to all whom she had come to know in these countries, and her deep thanks for all the help they had extended to her, hoping that one day she might be able to receive them with honor in her own country.