Was Lawrence of Arabia really the hero he's made out to be? I Gotta Story To Tell | S2E1

Was Lawrence of Arabia really the Arab world’s magnanimous white saviour? #LawrenceofArabia

Watch other episodes of 'I Gotta Story to Tell'

[spasha]

He was the enemy of Islam, , , he persuaded the Arabs to revolt of Ottomans

[mansoorahmad]

Everybody knew about this fact of Laurence of Arabia, that he was a spy .

[mdnaeem]

Then or now the arab world will never understand who is the real enemy...

[CSSPMSCompanion]

We have to realize that who is our friend and who is our foe.

[hotwheelsindallas-fortwort]

As a Moorish American.. I have read many books and talked to many people on the downfall of the Ottoman Empire one of the main problems was that the Arabs thought they was being marginalized so they stood against the Ottomans thinking that it was going to liberate them but it did nothing but weakened them foolish Behavior

[budtalks]

The Arab Revolt was a British movement lol and as an Arab I denounce all who took part in it. Islam sees no ethnicities and races in the Quran the followers of the prophet are referred to as muslims not Arabs therefore the turks and all other races are no different than Arabs. The Arab Revolt was a mockery and got Mecca and Medina captured by the British and anyone who defends this is ignorant.

[mauzasghar]

He was surely a Hero for those who wanted us(Ottoman Empire ) to be Divided, so that they can conquer us, but not for us.

[zeropoint]

Good job Muslim should know their real history

[egas]

I'm a muslim, but sorry guys. I think you misunderstand. Did you guys even watch the movie? He was never a hero nor intended to be depicted as a hero in the movie.

[Instarius]

The movie does not portray Lawrence as a hero. He fails at the end and it is clearly shown. It's a movie about a conflicted individual who got lost while searching for his own identity. The historical background makes the story more interesting, but it could be a story about anyone, and it resonates with many.

[matikhorasani]

The British have a habit of lying when it comes to history. Lawrence did not even have a quarter of the role that he is now given credited for

[rup]

The movie was not written by TE Lawrence- don't blame him or its faults. Read the 7 Pillars of Wisdom. In that book, Lawrence gave enormous credit to British soldiers and Bedouin Arabs. He was not racist and held Arabs in high esteem. He was a very tough resourceful soldier and an intellectual. By and large, he was shy and modest.

[AllaahuAkbarr]

Fajr prayer on time is equal to success all the time...

[shababilrahman]

Much love TRT ...from Bangalore, India

[Showme-SHORTS]

Lawrence of Arabia drove a wedge between Turkish and Arabian Muslims. He told arabs that they were being deprived of their rights by the Turks, which wasn't the case. Turkish Muslims and Arab Muslims used to be like brothers. May Allah unite all Muslims again, Ameen .
La ilaha il Allah, there's no god but Allah.

[harrysecombegroupie]

This video makes valid points about problematic orientalism and historical inaccuracies in the film, as well as the actions of the British during WWI, but it also grossly misinterprets the movie and the real Lawrence's actions, motivations, and character. The film itself is anti-British, anti-imperialist, and anti-White Saviour. The British are shown openly scheming to deceive the Arabs and carve up the middle east in their own interests. British officers a shown as racist, and far from depicting him as a hero, Lawrence is shown as naïve and arrogant. The film deliberately subverts the White Saviour trope.


The real Lawrence believed in Arab independence, not British and French rule, as this video claims. He was disgusted by the duplicity and broken promises of the British government and actively worked against the British after the war to try to win a better deal for the Arabs: negotiating on their behalf at Peace Conferences, publishing letters denouncing the British and French, and refusing a knighthood in the presence of the King in protest. He regretted his involvement in the Arab Revolt and admitted that trying to influence another people and country was naive and arrogant and that he'd had no right to do so.

Far from depicting himself as a Rambo figure in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence is very honest about his own flaws and failures. He downplays the roles of other British and French officers in order to emphasise the importance of the Arab Revolt, not to glorify himself. He gave credit to Arab leaders where it was due.



The Turks are depicted unfavourably because Lawrence witnessed Turkish atrocities at close hand: particularly a brutal massacre of women and children. He also admits to committing atrocities himself.

Lawrence made unflattering statements about the Arabs, but also praised them elsewhere. He made equally scathing comments about the British and French.

Lawrence co-operated with Lowell Thomas as he thought the publicity would help the Arab cause. He later regretted this and thought Thomas was a fool.

At least some of the Bedouin Lawrence worked with respected him enough to name their sons and grandsons Lawrence.

The kind of misinformation, bias, and distortion of history that this video presents is highly counterproductive, regardless of your race, nationality or religion: it only serves to fuel prejudice, ignorance, and hatred.

[donjiaye]

Of course that is what Hollywood...
White Jesus
White Moses
White Noah
White Abraham etc. etc.

[threeseven]

I don’t think the movie depicted Lawrence as a hero but rather showed the downfall of a man who had beliefs of grandiosity. His character eroded over time. Also, it’s worth looking into why some of the tribes of Arabia who had Lawrence live amongst them revered him so much as to name their sons “Awrance”? Until today it remains the only western name for man that is socially acceptable. I’m not saying that the movie had problematic elements and I have no doubt that Lawrence was serving the English imperial power but I wonder if the man’s allegiance remained consistent throughout his career.

[Tropicadero]

Im so glad my Homeland Germany was on the side with Ottomans in ww1

[yusufbackshi]

Like the movie 300, this movie also twists facts to entertain the ill informed masses, sadly it is the method of choice in the West to display their psuedo-superiority. However, we are lucky to live during these times cause the world is changing.