Senior Palestinian claims Jesus was an Islamic martyr

Jesus was not only a Palestinian, but was the first Islamic martyr, a senior Palestinian leader said this week.

Writing on his Facebook account on December 24, Tawfiq Tirawi, a senior Palestinian leader and Fatah Central Committee member posted: “This is blessed Christmas, The birthday of our lord Jesus the Messiah, the first Palestinian and the first Shahid [Islamic Martyr],” Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has reported.

PMW has noted that Tirawi’s reference to “our lord Jesus” is not an acceptance of Christianity; rather, Islamic tradition teaches that Jesus was a Muslim who preached Islam.

PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein, the top religious figure within the PA, has made this point before, saying: “We’re talking about an 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.”

Claims that Jesus was a Palestinian have been made multiple times this week. On December 26, Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muwaffaq Matar wrote in the Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida “If someone could win the Nobel Peace Prize every year forever, it is Palestinian Jesus son of Mary who was born in Bethlehem…”

He added: “Palestinian Jesus son of Mary was a victim…”

Similarly, PMW have translated Laila Ghannam, District Governor of Ramallah as writing in the same publication two days earlier: “The entire Palestinian people celebrates Christmas because we are proud of Jesus being Palestinian.”

According to the non-profit research institute, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas also made the claim. In an appearance on official PA TV News on December 28, he claimed Christmas for the Palestinians.

“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. The Palestinian leadership is going to church to be present for [Christmas] Mass,” he said, adding: “It is our obligation to do this, because it – as I told you – is a religious holiday for our [Christian] people, and you are our people, and it is [also] a national holiday for us all.”

According to PMW, Abbas’ Fatah party likewise declared on Facebook on December 20: “Christmas is a Palestinian holiday… There is a special significance to the Christmas celebrations in Palestine, since it has clearly become a national holiday in which all of our people participate, starting from [PA] President of Palestine [Mahmoud Abbas] and down to the last of the children.”

According to Islamic tradition, the reward for an Islamic martyr in heaven is 72 dark-eyed virgins, a claim that many Christians would find defamatory.