Abrahim: How Arabs Became Gypsies

Dad
May 30, 2003

—MODecember 20, 1970GP No.301

—A Great Mystery Solved!

P.O. Box 31, London, WC2E 7LX, England or Box 3141, San Juan‚ Puerto Rico 00936

(20/12/70: While listening to the "Voice of America" radio broadcast of a Christmas fantasy about‚ "Santa and Imagi-Nation" in the U.S.A., MO exploded:)

1. THEY'RE ALL LIVING IN FANTASY LAND—in the "Imagi-Nation"—a NATION of images and idolatry!—Worship our images with us! We'll pipe for you and dance for you!" Makes the rest of the world sick to their stomachs!

2. THEY'RE LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD!—"Don't wake me up—let me dream on! I don't want to know what the world is really like. You should come over and believe in our Santa Claus. We're more faithful believers and followers than all of you! You created him‚ but we worship him! We're true believers! Here's to the love of Santa Claus—the love of Imagi-Nation!" In other words, Santa Claus is really the big department store!

3. (ABRAHIM OUR GYPSY SPIRIT GUIDE COMMENTS:) IT WAS NOT SO WHEN I WAS YOUNG. We didn't follow foolish and vain imaginations, because life was hard and dangerous, but we were happy. But we worked hard. Not easy. Real enemies, real problems and troubles. Hard life, hard travels. You don't deceive the people with evil imaginations and fantasies. You're happy anyhow.

4. NO REAL HAPPINESS IN IMAGINATION. We dance and play and sing and work and love—have real happiness travelling. We don't deceive children with evil imaginations about Santa Claus. We don't have Imagi-Nation—Nation of images! We don't have any nation. We don't have anybody but us and Jesus. Even wine is more real than Imagi–Nation.

5. AMERICA IS LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD—an image nation. We had no nation—but we have no images! We have reality, and joy—sing and dance and play and work and travel. Real faith, real love. Real honesty to ourselves.

6. WE ONLY PRETEND TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD—to protect ourselves. We are honest. We either pretend to be Moslems, or Catholics, or even Jews, or anything, but we know what we really are.—We love Jesus. So we survive and we live.

7. IN THE WORLD WE PRETEND to be like they are, but we know we're different. We pretend to conform to their System—but we know we're not. We pretend to have one wife, but we have many wives. We pretend to keep their stupid rules, but we keep God's rules

8. YOU WRITE THEM ALL IN A BOOK FOR JESUS? You going to write story for Jesus? I could tell you stories you wouldn't even believe—funnier than Santa Claus!

9. KING OF HUNGARY‚ WE MAKE HIM THINK WE ARE HIS RELIGION, and we pretend to be his religion. But we know we are Christians. He believes us. He is like all stupid idiots who live in Fantasy Land! He wants to have sweet dreams that all Gypsies love him. He make peace if we be his religion, and we say O.K.

10. WE CAN BE ANYTHING TO HAVE PEACE and be at peace. So we say, "Salaam, salaam!" (Peace, peace!) I come back from meeting with King. I tell my people we are going now to be his religion because he say so, and everybody laugh and we have big dance, because we know we are Christians.

11. BUT WE ONLY PRETEND TO BE HIS RELIGION. We have to live with the system, so we pretend to love them and like their system and their imaginations. Everyone of them, every nation have big Imagi-Nation!

12. (CLEARS THROAT AND SPITS ON FLOOR:) Makes God sick to stomach! What you scribble? (Maria is writing in shorthand.) You write "Imagi-Nation!" It looks like your imagination!

13. THAT WAS ONLY WAY WE COULD SURVIVE—everywhere we got to pretend we are like them—and say: "Si, Si! Oui‚ Oui! Yah, Yah!" and all that stuff! But we don't mean it. But we have to say it to live. So they say all Gypsies are liars, cheaters, stealers. How else do they expect us to live? At least we not stupid to deceive ourselves with Imagi-Nation!

14. WE DON'T WORSHIP SILLY IMAGES ourselves.—We may pretend, but we don't do. We know better.—We let them do it. They're all stupid!

15. IN HUNGARY WE WERE WITH KING. We don't like him‚ but we have to live with him. (What's his name?) Jamal, Grand Expounder of his religion! There are many like him. We live there long time till we move to Bulgaria from Hungary. We have to give him our women as gifts. We have to do it.

16. HE LIKES GYPSY DANCERS. He likes many wives. Gypsy wives play music. One of them kill him. We have to flee to Bulgaria. They kill her. (Why did she kill him?) 'Cause she didn't like him. So they very angry and start to kill us, so we have to go to Bulgaria.

17. (HOW MANY WERE THERE OF YOU?) There was about two... What you say? ... Two... drachmas. (That's money!) We count by money. We never had nice room like this. We had our wagons. We never had nice warm like this. We build big fire.

18. WE SLEEP TOGETHER AND KEEP WARM. My wives on both sides keep me warm. Where's my other wife? (What's her name?) Akabosta. Have to kill to live sometimes. Nobody takes Gypsy chief's wife! (She have to take care of poor old Gypsy lady who is sick.) Ah, she always good and sweet girl! She love old Gypsy king, too!

19. (HOW DO YOU KNOW WORDS OF JESUS?) We have our writings like you. We have our own writings. Nobody knows, but we have. We don't tell anybody, because if we tell, they take away. But we know. We talk and we think and we hear and we tell. We have little bits of writings. Old people know. Mostly we just tell.

20. WE DON'T WRITE MUCH. Cause people find writing and take away. So we just mostly tell. They can't take this away. We put this in our hearts. Ours is unwritten language, 'cause we don't dare to write. Somebody find out what we write. What they going to do when they find out what you write?

21. (DO SOME WOMEN HAVE MORE THAN ONE HUSBAND?) Only when we're short of women and men have to share. All the time they take our women—good singers, players, and dancers. Tell fortunes. (They must have power to tell fortunes?) No, they just read hands and see visions. (Do they come true?) For us they are true—for our enemies‚ lies! (How can that be?) You don't tell your enemies the truth! They don't want the truth anyway.—You tell them what they want to hear!

22. (HOW DO YOU WORSHIP GOD?) Mostly we sing about Jesus. We sing about our life. That's the way we keep it. And we remember. We pass songs on to each one. The Gypsy life is all in song and music. Comes down to us. 'Cause we cannot put much on paper. We take any name we need—whatever name they want to call us. We know who we are! They don't know, but we know!

23. (DOES THE CHIEF HAVE MORE WIVES THAN ANY?) Of course! He's chief! He has any wives he wants—even some not his wives, they love him. (How many wives does chief have?) I have five wives.

24. WHY YOU ASK ME SILLY QUESTION? You are new wife, and you live with Chief and you know all about Chief! You be sure you hide book. We don't want to have anything to do with books. We don't like books. We're afraid of books!

25. (ARE THERE OTHER GYPSIES?) Of course, there are Gypsies everywhere! Always there are Gypsies, because there are always people who don't like the System! We don't like Rumania. Rumanians are hotheads! They're too superstitious! They worship idols and they love the Tzar.

26. (WHO WAS RULER WHEN YOU WERE THERE?) I told you before about Ivan—Ivan of Russia. He ruled Rumania too. (Did you like it in India?) If we like India, we would stay there! We like it, but they don't like us. (Why?) Because we are Christians.

27. THEY DRIVE US OUT. (Who drives you out?) Kings of India. (Who were they?) The rulers of India! (Were they afraid you would turn the people to Christianity?) They were afraid of everything—afraid of God and demons and idols!

28. WHY YOU ASK SO MANY FUNNY QUESTIONS! (It's for the children.) Whose children? (Our Children—the Gypsy Children in America.) I have children there? (Yes, many children!) If I have children there, I must have wives there. (Yes.) Why are they not with me? (They care for Children. Someone has to care for Children.)

29. EVERY KING SHOULD HAVE MANY WIVES AND MANY CHILDREN! (Did you wives in Bulgaria get along with each other?) Of course! (Did they love each other?) Of course they love each other!—They love me! (Do you love one best?) I love them all! (No favourites?) Of course I have favourites!—Youngest is always favourite. She is new for awhile till I pick new wife. (Do you get tired of her?) No, not tired. But if she cannot bear more children, I get new wife. I need many children.

30. YOU ASK MANY QUESTIONS, LITTLE GIRL. Who are you going to tell these things? (Gypsy Children in America.) MY children? (Yes.) O.K. Are you sure they're my children? Why don't they come to see me? (They want to. You must find them a place.) Um. There are lots of campgrounds.

31. (YOU GYPSIES KNOW JEWS?) Jews? Jews? Who's Jews? (They come from Israel.) Oh, we know Israel! Our forefathers told us about Israel. (Do they come from there?) Maybe. (You don't know?) Yes‚ we come from there. I don't know about Jews though. I don't know where these Jews come from.

32. LONG TIME AGO my fathers tell me we come from there. We come from there to Persia to India, back to Persia, to Armenia and Russia, and then we move to Rumania‚ Hungary, and Bulgaria. We try to find it (Israel) to go home‚ but it is not possible. We have to go too far, and we find homes other places. Maybe someday.

33. WE COME FROM THERE a long time ago, our fathers say, but I don't know. We're free, we're free! We love Jesus. We can go anywhere. We don't care. Why should we go back there? (Maybe you help them love Jesus.) If they don't love Jesus, how can we help them? We meet many people who don't like Jesus‚ so we just live by ourselves with Jesus.

34. WE TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT JESUS. Didn't you hear about the Russians and Tzar who love Jesus because we send him missionaries? Turkistan, Armenia. Everywhere we go they hear about Jesus, and about us. Some of them like Jesus and some of them like us.

35. BUT MOST OF THEM HATE US 'CAUSE THEY HATE JESUS. They kill us and they hate us. So we just move. We have wheels—wagons. We go anywhere we want to. Always moving. We only stay with Jesus. (What do you do?) I don't work. I'm Chief! Everybody work for me. My wives do the work. I tell them what to do. I tell everybody what to do!

36. (DO YOU TEACH THEM BIBLE?) What is Bible! (Words of God.) You mean tell about Jesus? Yes, of course, we tell everybody about Jesus. I think you ask too many questions! (How can I be youngest wife?) Because you're not oldest! Because you keep king young! You're a good wife! You love king. You know just what king likes!

37. (KING GETS WORDS OF GOD to give to the people?) Of course! King is blessed! He's mouth for God to the people. King is anointed by God or he could not be king! He's chosen by God to be king. His wives are chosen, to love the king, to minister to the king. Everybody knows that!

38. (HOW DOES GOD PICK THEM?) King pick them, so God pick them, 'cause King's voice is God's voice and speaks the words of God! If King chooses you‚ God chooses you. You're better than wine, Honey, but you're not as juicy as the bottle! (What did you say in Gypsy language?) Ssh, I'm praying! (I'm going to the bathroom.)

39. KISS GUARDS FOR ME when you go out. Guards have scimitars.-Big sword! Carry on shoulder. Next time you don't have to give guards such big kiss, or I cut off their heads! Good thing you come back quick, or I cut off more than heads! (Picked up toilet paper and laughed. Felt it, looked at it, and said:) It's nice, this rag!

40. EARLY ONE MORNING I WAS PRAYING ABOUT THE GYPSIES and Abrahim and wondering who they really are and where they came from and why they always live in tents, wagons and caravans or trailers and are always on the move.

41. I WAS THINKING MAYBE IT WAS THE RESULT OF SOME KIND OF CURSE for past sins like the wandering Jews. But instead, much to my thrilled surprise‚ the Lord immediately spoke to my heart the following passage of Scripture (Jer.35:19).

42. "THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL: —JONADAB THE SON OF RECHAB SHALL NOT WANT A MAN TO STAND BEFORE ME FOREVER!"

43. I WAS SHOCKED with exciting amazement, for at once I realised this was God's answer and meant that the Gypsies were descendants of the famous Bedouin Rechabites of Jeremiah 35! They had promised never to live in houses but in tents or mobile dwellings all their lives forever, so they're always ready to move to survive!

44. THEREFORE GOD PROMISED TO KEEP AND PROTECT THEM FOREVER KEEP AND PROTECT THEM FOREVER because they've kept this vow! Preserving miraculously their culture‚ language, religion, customs and very lives, they have moved from one country to another until now they are now found all over the world by the millions!

45. OUR NEXT SHOCK CAME WHEN WE DISCOVERED THAT THE RECHABITES WERE NOT A JEWISH TRIBE BUT ARABS, descendants of the Midianites who befriended the wandering children of Israel under Moses!

46. SO WE NOW HAVE LEARNED THAT THE GYPSIES ARE ARABS!—They are descendant of Jethro the Midianite, a forefather of the Arabs, and the Kenites, or Canaanite Bedouin smith from Arabah! They were related to the Amalekites and later amalgamated with the Midianites.

47. SOME OF THEM ACTED AS GUIDES FOR THE ISRAELITES on their march from Sinai to Canaan, pitched tents with them at Jericho, and later settled in Judah. They were still friends of the Israelites as late as the times of Saul and David.

48. THEY WERE USUALLY ITINERANT SMITHS OR TINKERS OR MAKERS OF METALWARE, like many Gypsies of today! One of their chiefs, Jonadab, son of Rechab, had made them vow never to live in houses, but to always dwell in tents, to preserve their simple culture‚ mobility and even their very lives! They kept this promise, and therefore God promised them (Jer.35:1-19). that He would preserve them throughout all the ages! And so He has!

49. THEY HAVE KEPT ON THE MOVE EVER SINCE, and have thus always been ready to flee to avoid trouble and annihilation! Through Abrahim we have learned that the Jews later drove them out of Israel into Egypt where they dwelt as Bedouins until captured by the Babylonians as slaves and carried to Babylon with both Jews and Egyptians.

50. IT WAS THEN THEY WERE NICKNAMED "GYPSIES" being from Egypt, even as the Babylonians nicknamed the Israelites "Jews" because they were from Judah! The "Gypsy" Arabs were later released and wandered westward into northern India to which modern historians have traced them as far back as the 700s A.D.!

51. SO OUR BELOVED SPIRIT HELPER, ABRAHIM, IS REALLY AN ARAB!—And that's how the Gypsies came to be Gypsies and perpetual "Travellers"!