Omar Suleiman – Was Jesus a Palestinian

			Honestly, Dave, Kenny, while Eddie will be a domain, so every year, obviously, around this time
around the whole Christmas season, there is a revival of the question of who would recite a system
as who Jesus peace be upon him was, theologically. And every once in a while, you'll start to see
some of the debates that rise about whether or not it is appropriate to say that Jesus Alayhis
Salam, or ISA Islam was a Palestinian. So you'll you'll often hear, especially in the last few
weeks, and these last two weeks in particular.
		

			Okay.
		

			You'll often hear the question, so those that are controlling the mic control?
		

			I think it's on but yeah, we'll raise the volume, you'll often hear the question.
		

			You know, was Jesus a Palestinian really focused within this political framework of what does that
mean in the current day? Occupation? And is it appropriate to say Jesus was a Palestinian refugee?
Or you'll often hear pastors that will say Jesus was a Palestinian Jew? How do you make that claim?
And so I wanted to actually sit with this question for a few minutes tonight in sha Allah time to
address the question, but from a holistic perspective and what this debate actually entails and why
it's important for us to actually speak about it, beyond the semantics of it and beyond simply the
discourse of is he this? Or is he that and what he would represent today, in our context? So first
		

			and foremost, was Jesus the Palestinian the first question that we have to ask that in the context
of is actually in the context of circumstance. And this has been a very powerful display,
particularly by the Forgotten Christians of Palestine. Some of you might have seen the speech of
Reverend one that is hot Mitri. Raheb was actually a friend of mine from the Lutheran Church in
Bethlehem, who I actually spoke to, and I told them that I'd like to interview him about their
situation in Bethlehem, in Bethlehem and why Palestinian Christians have canceled Christmas. And it
starts off with the idea of circumstance. And I want to start from that place because this is where
		

			you're starting to see these powerful portrayals and these powerful discussions of what they call a
Saudi salaam or Jesus in the rubble, right, that if esigning is Salam was born today, he would be
born under the rubble of the Israeli regime's airstrikes, and his mother margam would not be able to
find proper care. And he would be subjected to much of what we are seeing the mothers of Palestine
today. And the children, the babies of Palestine today, subjected to and this is a powerful point to
seize upon, especially when you think about the growing anti Palestinian sentiment, the growing anti
refugee sentiment, you know, one of my favorite T shirts to see is Abraham was a refugee, Ibrahima
		

			Islam was a refugee. musante Salam was a refugee. Moses was a refugee or ISA, Jesus was a refugee.
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was a refugee. And so it's a powerful way to connect with the
prophets of Allah in the discourse that we see today. Where are you? You see, interestingly enough,
and ironically enough, and sadly enough, that those who claim to be the followers and the upholders
of the scripture of the Bible today, are most prominently featuring the anti refugee and anti
Palestinian bills that we find in Congress in the name of ironically defending Israel in the Bible,
because that's what they feel like the Bible caused them to. And even by the way, here in Dallas,
		

			Pastor Freddie Haynes and His Church friendship West has this huge display of Jesus in the rubble
that was put together by activists like Sermo Korea and others where they show this, this baby Jesus
trapped under the rubble in Palestine and what that would represent. And I want you to think about
this in an even deeper way, if you look at the time of Saudi Saddam himself, when Herod ruled the
client kingdom, that Jesus peace be upon him that are you sorry, Islam was born into, and at the age
of two years old, Hasani has Salam and his mother, madame, it has Salam flee to Egypt. I want you to
think about this for a moment and think about how powerful this connection is. The fleeing of Mary
		

			and Jesus, when he was two years old, was because of what was called the Massacre of the Innocents,
which was the classical the traditional equivalent of the modern day mowing the lawn. You know, when
the Israeli government says they need to mow the lawn and vice versa. That's their policy and the
Gaza, mow the lawn. This was their equivalent of mowing the lawn, massacring all the children so
that no child would rise up against the kingdom. And I want you to think about where Mother
		

			mme and the child are ESA Islam, the Child Jesus flee to where did they flee to Egypt? And today,
when you think about the gateway from Palestine to Egypt, where would that be through through Gaza?
Think about the irony. And the powerful connection of the mother, Madame carrying her baby, her two
year old baby fleeing a genocide, literally, from north to south, going to Egypt, through the zone.
Think about the checkpoints that exist today that Palestinians are subjected to on a regular basis,
even before this genocide that we see happening now. And imagine Maria sneaking away with her two
year old son, reciting his Salam trying to make her way to, to Egypt to escape the genocide. And by
		

			the way, it has is actually mentioned in the Bible as one of the oldest cities in the world. It's
mentioned in in Genesis, as mentioned in Joshua. And so you have the mother of Isa, an ASA fleeing
from Bethlehem, northern Palestine through has to get to Egypt. And there is nothing that captures
us more than that right now, when we think about the painful the painful display of innocent mothers
and innocent children that are being massacred in Philistine right now that are being massacred in
Palestine, right on massacre in Gaza. And don't forget that today in the Gaza Strip, which is a
small part of what used to be a much larger Reza in that the Gaza strip in the south of Palestine.
		

			Many of those that were living there already, in fact, the majority were refugees from other parts
of Philistine that were ethnically cleansed, so that they got there. And so when you make the
argument that Jesus was a Palestinian, you start from that place of circumstance, that there is no
place and there is no portrayal that is more emblematic of the current struggle, the current plight
of the Palestinian mother and the Palestinian child than Madame peace be upon her it has set up an
ISA, it has Salam fleeing from Bethlehem to get through Gaza to try to go to Egypt or escape the
circumstances of the genocide. Something else Subhanallah that you can think about, you know, the
		

			things we're not thinking about with the casualty count today in the buzzer. Can you imagine a
mother trying to give birth right now and husband? Can you imagine a pregnancy with complications in
Gaza right now? Can you imagine not having the proper tools to carry out a delivery or especially,
you know, a C section and uncomplicated delivery right now for a mother in Gaza? Can you imagine a
mother in the desert delivering her child literally in the ruins next to the dead body of her
husband? These are things that are happening? Can you imagine a mother that's been hit by an
airstrike? And that's missing some of her limbs and that forces labor for her? Can you imagine a
		

			mother who has been hit by an air striker that is in the midst of an air air strike, and the trauma
of that induces her labor and she doesn't even have access to water or food Subhan Allah when we
look at Madame, the gift that Allah gave to her, when she went out to deliver esigning Salam under
the tree, right of the dates and of the water, not even having access to clean water, not even
having access to a few dates. There is a deep connection there that we have to draw, as we're
pondering upon the lives of the prophets, because there's nothing that represents that more than
when we look at mugham. It has Salam in this regard. And I, you know, I wanted you to take a look at
		

			this image. This was a news report. By the way, you can read the news report.
		

			Because the grandmother is scared of loving baby, Madame for fear of losing her to the baby in that
incubator is named Margo.
		

			And every single member of her family has been obliterated. Except for her grandma.
		

			If you think about the literal babies that are in the incubators, and living in the fire, and
because as of right now, how many of them are named Maria, how many of them are literally named
Teresa? How many of them are named Yusuf Joseph, how many of them literally carry their names? As
they undergo this massacre that we see right now? What's very interesting is that while Palestinian
Christians are ignored, you know, one of the things I was talking to a friend who works at a zebra,
and he was saying, it's really interesting, because about six to eight months ago, you'll start to
see that there were a lot of news articles that were suddenly making their way into mainstream
		

			outlets about how Christian tourists in Jerusalem, were starting to get attacked by extremist
settlers, Christian tourists, Western tourists, so you ignore Palestinian Christians and their
existence altogether. Christian tourists from the West were starting to complain about being spit on
and attacked within Jerusalem by the extremist settlers that were that were showing their open
hostility towards them for being
		

			Christians, right? Palestinian Christians don't matter of course, but Western Christians starting to
be attacked for being Christian was a big issue, because it shatters this attachment that people
have to a political ethno state over literally what is supposed to be their religious, their
religious tie their religious claim to that land, and to the people of that lens. So that's the
first thing you start with is the idea of Isa Ali his Salam, and margam. Ali has Salam by
circumstance born in that land, living in that land. Let's forget all of the names right now, let's
pretend that it wasn't called anything, let's pretend that there is no lineage in that same place
		

			for the same type of genocide to be carrying out. And for the same type of circumstances to be
lived, is absolutely emblematic. And for us to speak about an a powerful point to resonate with the
public as they can connect to that story, if it is a connection by belief, so the first connection
is by circumstance. The second connection is by belief. And you might have seen, by the way, you
know, Israel's actual Twitter account, because this is what they have time to do with their
propaganda while they're also massacring over 100 babies a day, Israel's actual Twitter account puts
out a video, supposedly a drawing of a Saudi, expressing confusion that being called the Palestinian
		

			and how could I be and then they call me a Muslim to, like, wow, they called me a Palestinian, they
called me a Muslim to dirty propaganda, simplistic, reductionist, but it resonates. So of course, we
also come at this first and foremost from the place of belief, when we start to attach our timeless
attachment to the prophets of Allah. The word Muslim, of course, as any Muslim would say, I mean,
someone who submits to ALLAH SubhanA, Allah to Allah who has submitted to Allah, all of the prophets
were Muslims in their submission to God. And that's why we call all the prophets Muslims. But of
course, that doesn't come across in a 32nd video tweeted by a genocidal state. So how do we connect
		

			ourselves by belief and who claims are Eastern Islam from a place of belief? Allah subhanaw taala
says in the Quran, in the older Naseby Ibrahim La Nina terbaru, those who are closest to Abraham,
peace be upon him are those who actually follow him. When the Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings
be upon him came to Medina and he saw the Jewish community fasting to honor the victory of Musa and
Hassan the victory of Moses peace be upon him over the Pharaoh what did he say? No Oh La Vie Musa
income, you see the word, we are closer to most Arisa we follow most Iceland we love most Iceland,
we too will fastest day. And when the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam spoke about reciting his
		

			salaam, the same word is used. It's an authentic narration, where the messenger of allah sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam said an O and Nursey B or E suddenly Meriam. Fill all our
		

			eye I am the closest person in the world, to Jesus, the son of Mary, in this life, and in the next
they said, Kay for that era, so Allah How is that a messenger of Allah? He said, MBI is watching
when Allah will Maha to whom shut Widener Houma had. He said that the prophets are brothers that
basically come from the same father, but they have different mothers, their religion is one and he
said, well they Sabina Nabi and there is no prophet between me and my brother, Jesus peace be upon
him. And so Muslims feel this deep affection to Ibrahim alayhis, salam to Abraham to Moses to Jesus.
And it's an affection that's based upon belief, one of following the way of these prophets and Allah
		

			is saying in the Quran to us, of course, and this is the shapes the psyche of the Muslims, this is
what connects you to a profit. This is what connects you to people. Now bring it back to the modern
day. If you say Jesus is a Palestinian, so Christians and Muslims
		

			of the land, they're currently who claim Jesus peace be upon him in different ways. There's no doubt
that the way that we believe in any study Islam is different from the way that Christians believe in
any size, some but the two religions that believe in Jesus peace be upon him in some capacity. Both
of them happen to be Palestinians that live in the same lens.
		

			Both of those populations happen to be native Palestinian populations. Of course, the Palestinian
Christian population is about 10% of Palestinians as a whole. They make up about 20% of Bethlehem,
about 30% of Nazareth and SubhanAllah. That rich history between the two communities, Palestinian
Muslims and Palestinian Christians, it goes back deep. It goes back deep. What we celebrate when we
talk about saving our Alma I want to know how powerful the Allahu Anhu entering into Jerusalem and
when he goes to Jerusalem
		

			And not only uphold the sanctity of places of worship resettles 50 Jewish families into Jerusalem
that had been expelled. And when he is offered to pray in the holiest site in Christianity,
		

			because they talk about Muslims and they say that Muslims have this blood thirst and they always
have the secret agenda, to demolish everything right? I'm gonna I'm gonna have Bob, who's a more
dominant figure in Islamic history than I'm ever gonna help up is offered by the Christians in
Jerusalem to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. What is the Holy Sepulchre? It's the place
that Christians believe that Jesus was crucified. It's the place where they have the empty tomb of
Jesus. It doesn't get more than that. And the time of Lahore comes in, and the patriarch says to
him, go ahead and pray here, there'll be a sign of our togetherness almost says, no, no, if I pray
		

			here, then Muslims will come later on and say I'm gonna pray to here they're gonna get rid of your
church and put a masjid in his place.
		

			Look at the foresight. And if you can put up a picture of the holy supplicate, the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre. So this is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Omar takes a few steps out and he goes
to another place and he prays and that is of course, you can put up the next slide, masjid or Omar,
today, the place that he prayed outside of the church and Subhanallah written on the merabh quit
lemma def Allah Allah He has zakat, el haram, whether they're in the risk or the ayat, the verses of
Zakaria, and he has Salam entering upon Maria money has set up and finding the sustenance that was
provided to her through divine means. So that's the first thing that we take. The second thing which
		

			is actually really profound,
		

			as well is that when Roma Radi Allahu taala, and who obviously restores what he restores Suttles
historic communities there in Jerusalem, and established his Islam in the way that he established it
so beautifully. We know that the next transition is going to come through the Crusaders, who didn't
just destroy everything that was holy to Muslims, but destroyed everything that was holy to churches
that didn't belong to their denomination of Christianity, and destroyed everything that was holy to
Jews as well. So they massacred Muslims, Jews and Christians that didn't belong to their
denomination. One Salafi Deen, a UB Rahim Allah
		

			restores Jerusalem after everything that was done to the Muslims. And we claim that history
beautifully a century of being mistreated in the most cruel ways by the Crusaders who did it in the
name of Christianity. What does the law Dean do? Not only does he restore Al Aqsa, He restores the
sights of the Christians, and SubhanAllah. He appoints a family. This shows you how Muslims treated
this land, he appoints a family to handle the keys of the holy supplicant. And this was something
that the Christian denominations wants it because that way, they don't have to fight over the keys.
Right? So if you have a Muslim, he's a neutral arbiter. Until today, I want you to look up a deep
		

			Judah who actually holds the keys to that church, 850 years, that key has transferred from Muslim
family to Muslim family, they wake up every morning and they open the church for the Christians.
		

			That's not the story of Palestine. That's being told to the American public. That's not the story of
Palestine, that Christians, Christian Zionist and evangelical Christians share in their churches,
about the history of Islam and the history of Palestine, when it comes to upholding the sanctity of
that place. And of course, when we talk about a Saudi slam, particularly Jesus, peace be upon him,
something very beautiful. If you look at the Dome of the Rock, what is inscribed on it of the
inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock is the actual birth story of reciting his Salam. When his
mother, madame, it has Salam gave birth to him, carried him when he spoke from the cradle, when he
		

			affirmed his prophethood. And we when he affirmed that he was not a begotten son of Allah, but
rather the continuation of the lineage of the prophets before. So there's circumstance, there's
creed, there is the story of two Palestinian communities, or the Muslim and the Christian
communities, both being Palestinians that have lived in that land for centuries, that have upheld
their traditions without interruption, both being Palestinian once again. But then some would say,
well, is the land based upon authority or is the claimant based upon who has ruled that land for the
longest? Now, if you look at Jerusalem in particular,
		

			for good reason, it's one of the most fought over cities in history. Right? And it has changed rule
over 25 times in history.
		

			different empires have ruled Jerusalem and by extension, the land of Philistine or most of the land
of Philistine. If you were to base it on period of rule who has the right to that land? Or who gets
to claim that land in their name?
		

			Who makes that decision? The Byzantines, Christian Byzantines ruled it for over 300 years? Or is it?
The pre Constantine Romans ruled it for 250 years? Or is it the Jews? Who rolled it ruled it for 205
years or so just a little over 200 years? Or is it the Muslims ruled it for over 1000 years, between
the different empires? The longest Empire being a Dota? Nurse, many of the Ottomans ruled it for 400
years. So no, no group has ruled Jerusalem longer than the Ottomans? Or do you go before that? Do
you go to the Canaanites and the Egyptians who ruled it for almost 4000 years, right, who gets to
make the call, that they have the right to that land based upon length of authority, length of
		

			rulership. And so this is one way that you also
		

			have to carry the debate in an intelligent historical way. Who gets to call it what they call it,
because it's changed names based upon who ruled it multiple times, who gets to claim it in that way
from a political perspective. And so again, if it if it's about the Muslims, then, or it's about how
long it was ruled for, then we should just agree that Jerusalem should be Earth money, and we'll be
fine. Right? Who gets to claim the land on that basis. And the last one, of course, is based upon
lineage. And this is where you have, of course, the most mental gymnastics that are used, and
historical revisionism to say that a Saudi Saddam was literally an Israeli Jesus peace be upon him
		

			was Israeli, that the Israel of the Bible is the Israel of today. Let's unravel this. For a few
moments. The current Palestinian population is made up of a people that have resided in that land
for a total of about 1200 years. And that's not even including what predates them in terms of the
DNA and the genetics that were encompassed in their existence.
		

			There are literally families that have lived in that land for over 1000 years. Right, that make up a
rich, diverse lineage of that which comes before them. Now, if someone were to say, Well, what about
Benny Israel? Do we not acknowledge that our East Saudi Islam that Jesus peace be upon him was an
Israelite, that he was from Bani Israel? Therefore, are we denying that connection? Absolutely not.
We absolutely do affirm Bani Israel is existence and we affirm that there were righteous people from
Bani Israel, and of course, the most righteous of Bani Israel. And were the prophets of bunnies
slide. And reciting a Salam was, of course from Benny Islam in in that sense, no one is denying
		

			that. But here's where it gets very interesting and where it's important for you to be able to say
what needs to be said, without fearing being called an anti Semite who's supposedly trying to deny
someone else's connection to that lens. Benny is straw eel, or Israel is not the same as a European
colonial project that is less than 100 years old, called Israel.
		

			This is historical. This is based in fact, not based in fiction or imagination, or someone's
religious text.
		

			When it says Israel or bunny, it's that I eat in the Bible, you cannot make the claim that this is
the same thing as what we say today. Because what that effectively does, and this is why it's
important for us to not fall victim to their frameworks, like anti Zionism is anti semitism. When
you affirm them being the same thing, you effectively turned the indigenous population into the
family, the the Analects, which is what Benjamin Netanyahu quotes, when he talks about the ethnic
cleansing of Palestinians from their lands. If you make them one in the same, you turn everybody
else, the indigenous people of that land into the harmonic, the Analects, whose men, women,
		

			children, and even writing animals are subjected to death. And that is exactly what we are seeing
happening right now. Right, so that religious extremism is actually taking shape right in front of
our eyes, not from the mouth of a rabbi in Jerusalem, from the mouth of the prime minister himself.
		

			Right, who is carrying out a genocide by making that false equivalency here
		

			Here's where it gets even more interesting when you talk about the natives of that land and the
concept of lineage, Bani Israel. You do those who were settled in Israel today? Are they the
descendants of Bani Israel? If they were to do DNA tests on the people that were settled the Jewish
communities that were settled in the land of Israel established in 1948. Are they the descendants of
Bani Israel is a guy from Wylie, Texas. And this is I'm actually talking about something serious, by
the way, a guy from Wylie Texas in the name of birthright who can board a plane in the United States
and go occupy a historical home that has been with the Palestinian family for hundreds and hundreds
		

			and hundreds of years. Is that guy from Wylie, Texas, or Brooklyn, New York, who's as as Palin and
Jesus looking as they come, right? Is that guy, a descendant of Bani Israel, he is that guy, someone
who gets to say, This is my land and I'm a descendant because I claim that lineage or I claim that
religious belief. Not only is it a historical, very interesting, if you read there was an article
that was written by an Israeli historian Shlomo sent in 2008,
		

			which is called Israel deliberately forgets its history.
		

			And he talks about how the Bible is not a historical text, you can't use it as a book of history.
That's number one. And that there is serious historical doubt on the Jewish exile of 70 ad. And that
many of the Jews of Europe were created by conversion.
		

			And actually, and this is where it gets very interesting. The Palestinians, who are the natives of
that land, who have lived there for over a millennium, families and families and families and
families, that many of them would have some ascendancy to some lineage that traces back to Bani
Israel Eid. Because if you look at even the words of the first Israeli prime minister himself, David
Ben Gurion, he was someone who actually originally verbalized the belief that Palestinian Jews never
left that land. And many of those who are Palestinians today are the descendants of people,
historical Jewish communities that would have converted to Islam later on, and had children had
		

			children had children had children. So there'll be a greater chance in terms of the lineage of
historical Palestinian communities tracing back to some from Bani Israel either continue to remain
in that land, then making this connection to
		

			two random people in Brooklyn, New York or Wylie, Texas, or whatever it may be right, that gets to
go and claim the historical, hence, the historical lens and the historical homes of people. You'll
also see, by the way, and I'll end with this and it's significant, because when you read history
books, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, as it is today, you'll often hear or
you'll often read, historians write the words first century Palestine, you will see historians talk
about Palestinian Judaism to distinguish it from Judaism and diaspora. And that, of course, will
refer to the 2% of the population that were that was a historic Jewish community that was there
		

			before the State of Israel was established, they were not persecuted by the Palestinians. Jews were,
of course persecuted in Europe. And the Zionist project is an inherently secular project that was
imposed on the Palestinian people, and removed their connection to their land, remove their
connection to their holy sites, and so much more.
		

			What do I want us to take back in conclusion here
		

			when people tried to deny our connection to our holy sites, to our profits, and they make it sound
ridiculous for you to say something as simple and historical as Jesus, a Palestinian
		

			right, you need to know how to push back on that.
		

			And you need to be able to challenge it, by circumstance by Creed by history, that if anyone if
there's any label that can be given to a Saudi is set up outside of a creedal title, then it
wouldn't be that Jesus peace be upon him was a Palestinian that Eastside Islam was a Palestinian
that doesn't mean you carry to Hawaii from Palestine. That means that do not dare associate Jesus
peace be upon him or any of the noble prophets, including our core values salaam Israelite eel with
Israel enough today that carries out the murder of young Palestinian children named Yaqoob, named
Yusuf named ISA and is actively carrying out a genocide with support unfortunately, from our
		

			government and funded
		

			You know, in many ways by Christian Zionist, even who have ignored deliberately, the existence of
historical Palestinian communities, we ask Allah to be with our brothers and sisters that are
oppressed in Palestine and all over to be with the refugees wherever they are, that resemble the
prophets who for the most part were refugees. And we ask Allah to be with the Muslims and their isas
and Ibrahim's in the Musa us and all of them that are under the rubble in Palestine, that are under
the rubble due to the airstrikes that are being starved off, that are living some of their most
difficult days. May Allah give them an eternity of joy and and for the dose of Allah and grant them
		

			shahada and grant them victory. Allahumma Amin Xochimilco Fado cintamani come on Celebrity Council