Sons of the desert

This article covers the metaphor for the desert peoples of the Orient. For the US comedy film from 1933 see Die Wüstensöhne . For the German television crime thriller see Tatort: ​​Der Wüstensohn .

The expression Sons of the Desert is a romantic, transfigured metaphor for the desert peoples of the Orient from the 19th century . It has its origin in the biblically inspired term “sons of Ishmael” for the non-Jewish Semitic, i.e. mostly Arab, peoples. According to the Old Testament and the Koran , Sarah , the childless wife of Abraham, had his illegitimate son Ishmael and his mother, the maid Hagar , “sent into the desert” out of envy ( Genesis 16  EU ). Mohammed proclaimed the Ishmaelite descendants for the Arab peoples.

The term is hardly used in its original meaning. In general, it was used to designate Arabs and Berbers , in particular the Arab and Berber Bedouins and nomads, who opposed the oriental townspeople . The use of the term in political commentaries or cultural reports on the Middle East helps to avoid word duplication in terms of style and ironic refraction.

Others

• The Sons of the Desert is an American comedy film from 1933 starring the comedian duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. With the English title Sons of the Desert named a Laurel & Hardy fan club organized around the world
• Among other things, there is a board game for children and young people under the name Wüstensöhne .
• A cigar association in Switzerland is known under the name "Wüstensons".
• There was also a country music band with that name.