Many Huaxians, especially the common people from the southern regions, have a stereotype about people from Arab countries and even their own compatriots who adhere to Islam as a minority religion: unreasonable, difficult to deal with, sowhat barbaric and rude, quick to resort to violence at the slightest disagreent.
When Suming was in high school, there was a Tibetan class, and all the other classes in the school kept their distance from the students of this class, sowhat fearful of them.
Actually, in most cases, this is due to misunderstandings brought about by different living habits, beliefs, and poor communication. For example, it is normal for Han people to haggle when shopping and to walk away without buying in the end, but if the seller is from so minority ethnic group, they may feel mocked, and it would not be surprising to see them pull out a knife on the spot.
However, the issue here was that the two n involved were clearly from the Arab region, speaking the sa language, sharing the sa way of life, so there was no possibility of a misunderstanding.
"*&@#*&...*...!" The short, thin, dark-skinned man's voice was astonishingly loud compared to his stature, and he fired off a barrage of words like a machine gun.
The other was a tall man, nearly one ter ninety in height, with a face full of big beard, but his arguing skills were far inferior to the little man's; he stared with wide eyes, puffing with anger, and kept repeating a single word, making himself look quite at a loss for words.
"What's happening?! Is it a terrorist incident, a hijacking?" Nangong Huang asked, eager for chaos.
Not only did Nangong Huang think so, but many Huaxian passengers in the economy class seed to have the sa idea, watching the two n argue not out of curiosity, but with wariness. A few Huaxian passengers who were sitting closer even left their seats, staying far away from the two n.
A few fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners simply looked at them as if they were terrorists. Big beards and an Arab accent have almost beco synonymous with terrorists worldwide.
The flight attendants were trying their best to calm the two n down, but they were not swayed at all. The tongue of the little man was like a high-powered engine, babbling at Big Beard one mont, and turning to speak a few words to the flight attendant the next, fighting a one-man battle decisively with the upper hand and leaving the flight attendant unable to get a word in. Big Beard was so infuriated that his face turned bright red, his fists clenched tightly, looking like he could explode at any mont.
"What are they arguing about?" Suming asked Zhao Yun.
"The little guy believes in Allah, and he's accusing the big guy of worshipping a false god and deviating from the teachings of the Quran. Big Beard responds saying that Allah is indeed great, but he also recognizes other deities. Moreover, he insists that the Fire God Ahura Mazda from the Fire Worshiping Sect is also a true deity. The little guy then demanded proof, so Big Beard, unable to out-talk the little guy, just keeps repeating 'May the Fire God have rcy...' as Zhao Yun listened and translated simultaneously.
"Isn't that utterly unreasonable? What business is it of his what others believe in? Where can he produce evidence from, catch a god to show him?" Nangong snorted with disdain.
"The Fire Worshiping Sect?" Suming exclaid, "You an the one from 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'?"
Zhao Yun chuckled: "Yes, that's right. Ming Cult was introduced from Persia, and earlier, Persia's Ming Cult evolved from the Fire Worshiping Sect. A few hundred years ago, the sect was quite prominent, but now its influence has dwindled. In Iraq, only a few small tribes still worship the true god of the Fire Worshiping Sect. Oh, you know about Mazda, right? The winged emblem of Mazda is derived from the symbol of the Fire Worshiping Sect, and even the na cos from the sect's true god, Ahura Mazda. Nangong Huang is correct; this little guy cos from a major tribe and indeed seems to be a bit of a bully, asking where he could find any divine sign of the Fire God."
For religion, the proof of a true deity's miracles is crucial for the spread of followers. Many incredible buildings and phenona beyond common sense are attributed to 'divine signs' by religious figures, who may even deliberately fabricate legends to demonstrate the power of their gods. Although the Fire Worshiping Sect is a legitimate traditional religion, it has been in a weakened position in the Middle East for the last few centuries.
A single Quran contains countless legends about Allah, and now many architectural marvels in Arabia are associated with Allah. What about the highest god of the Fire Worshiping Sect, Ahura Mazda? Is he supposed to be the ultimate boss of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'? It's not like one can say that Mazda cars were invented by him, right? No wonder Big Beard and the little man both lacked conviction in their argunt.
As Zhao Yun was speaking, the little man's voice suddenly rose even higher.
He stood in front of Big Beard, only reaching the other man's chest, a good head and more shorter, yet he possessed an air of condescension, loudly berating Big Beard, spittle flying everywhere.
"*&&...!" A flight attendant was trying to pacify the situation.
Big Beard's face grew increasingly hostile, his eyes nearly bulging out with fury. Suddenly, he let out a roar and raised both his fists…
The short man was great at talking tough, but when it ca to fighting, his small fra was definitely no match for Big Beard. He promptly zipped backwards with a swish, stepping over the bodies of two passengers to reach the opposite aisle.
Once he had put so distance between himself and Big Beard, the short man started mouthing off again, shouting unintelligibly.
"The short man said that followers of the True God are reasonable and that followers of false gods, lacking evidence, only resort to violence. It's people like you who tarnish the reputation of all Arabs, may the True God strike you down with lightning.…" Zhao Yun found it amusing.
This Hu wasn't a good person either; even though he verbally preached about God not resorting to violence, there he went, cursing others to be smitten with lightning.
Big Beard, not so quick with words, puffed up his chest in anger, but eventually sat back down, prodded repeatedly by the flight attendant; she even helped the short man find a seat far away from Big Beard to keep them separated.
The short man was extrely pleased with himself, and on his way to the new seat, he continued to look up and jabber mockingly at sothing.
"Go on, get back, there's nothing to see. I thought all Arabs had hot tempers, but turns out loudmouths are everywhere in the world."
Suming turned to leave, but Big Beard suddenly stood up again, threw his head back, and bellowed toward the heavens: "*&!"
"The Fire God… I'm fucked!" Zhao Yun instinctively translated, not finishing his sentence before suddenly turning pale with shock, raising his elbow towards the side aisle, and forcefully smashing down.
At the sa ti, Big Beard had pulled out a square object from sowhere and was frantically rubbing it in his hands. The thing, roughly the size of a TV remote, burst into a large ball of fla as if by magic!
Everyone on the plane was terrified. Security was so tight that even lighters were confiscated; how did he manage to bring this flammable item on board?
The flight attendant, scared out of her wits, hurriedly tried to grab the flammable object from Big Beard's hand. Big Beard shoved her away and, glaring at the short man not far away, loudly repeated the phrase "The Fire God…" then resolutely dropped the fla at his feet.
On this hot day, Big Beard was wearing a long robe, probably made of synthetic and other flammable materials. The mont the large ball of fire touched the hem of his garnt, it erupted into flas with a whoosh.
"*&!" The flas instantly engulfed the hem of Big Beard's robe, and he let out a roar as the fire took hold.
"The Fire God… guide …" Zhao Yun finally finished translating.
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