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Palestinian claim that Jesus is in paradise with 72 virgins is ‘defamation’ of Christianity

“Whereas claiming that Jesus who was a Jew was a Palestinian is nonsensical for believing Christians, saying he is now in Islamic Paradise with 72 virgins is seen as defamation,” PMW said.

By TPS

Senior Palestinian leaders and the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) official press repeated claims that Jesus was the “first Palestinian” while a senior Fatah leader referred to the founder of Christianity as the “first Shahid,” an Islamic martyr.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), which monitors PA incitement, reported that Tawfiq Tirawi, senior PA leader and Fatah Central Committee member posted on his Facebook page on Christmas Eve that “our lord Jesus the Messiah, [was] the first Palestinian and the first Shahid.”

PMW noted that according to the Islamic tradition, among the rewards that the Islamic Martyr receives in Islam’s paradise are 72 virgins.

“Whereas claiming that Jesus who was a Jew was a Palestinian is nonsensical for believing Christians, saying he is now in Islamic Paradise with 72 virgins is seen as defamation,” PMW said.

Laila Ghannam, District Governor of Ramallah also said on Christmas Eve that “the entire Palestinian people celebrate Christmas because we are proud of Jesus being Palestinian.”

PMW further noted that according to Islamic tradition, “Jesus is said to have been a Muslim who preached Islam,” despite that the fact that he was born some 700 years before Muhammad.

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PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein talked about the “ongoing chain [of prophets of the Islam], from Adam to Muhammad. It’s an ongoing chain, representing the call for monotheism, and the mission of Islam… The prophets were all of the same religion [Islam]… Jesus was born in this land. He lived in this land. It is known that he was born in Bethlehem… He also lived in Nazareth, moved to Jerusalem. So he was a Palestinian par excellence… We respect Jesus, we believe in him [as a Muslim prophet], just as we believe in the prophet Muhammad.”

Additionally, the PA is attempting to convert Christmas into a national Palestinian holiday.

PA leader Mahmoud Abbas said on PA TV News on Saturday that “Christmas is a national-religious holiday and not just a religious one. For all of us Palestinians, this holiday is ours. Therefore we all celebrate it.”

However, a Bethlehem official told TPS that since the PA arrived in the city in 1994, the number of Christians in the city has significantly diminished and currently accounts for less than 22 percent of the city’s residents.

He further said that Christmas ceremonies are gradually turning from a religious Christian event to a national event sponsored by the PA, even though in recent years it has acted to deprive Christians of their properties.

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The Palestinians often attempt to portray Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, as an ancient Palestinian in an attempt to create and fabricate Palestinian history.

Annually, around Christmas time, PA officials repeat this theme. For instance, Palestinian historian Khalil Shoka said in December 2012 that “the Christian religion started here [Bethlehem]… The entire world is focused on this city because of its important historical and traditional role… because in the final analysis, Jesus is a Palestinian.”

“As a people without a history who are attempting to create a national identity, teaching Palestinians that Jesus, one of the most important and admired historical figures, was a Palestinian, is their attempt to trick primarily their own people into believing that they have not only an ancient history but a glorious national identity,” PMW stated.