The opening prayer at the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee turned political — and historically inaccurate — on Saturday morning.
Imam Abdullah Jaber gave his interpretation of the Christian Bible.
Jaber said the Lord will answer our prayers if we remove oppression.
“That is if you start saying, ‘yes, black lives matter.’ That is if you say, ‘yes, all Muslim lives matter.'”
It appeared Jaber was about to say “All lives matter,” before he caught himself and focused on Muslims.
“That’s when we start standing up for humanity domestically and abroad,” he added.
Jaber said the call will be answered for those who “satisfy the desire the afflicted and those seeking refuge.
“Because we know of a brown-skinned man who was considered a threat by the authorities. We know of a brown-skinned Palestinian man who was considered a threat but he was nothing but a refugee, right? And that is Jesus,” the DNC imam said.
But was Jesus really a “Palestinian refugee”?
Kehila News Israel reports:
But was Jesus born in Palestine? It seems like an odd question to ask. Of course he was! Right?
The answer is both yes and no. On the one hand, Jesus was born in the geographical area that some people now call Palestine. On the other hand, to say that Jesus was born in “Palestine” is an anachronistic statement. Simply put, in biblical times, Palestine was not known as Palestine; it was known as Judea: “Bethlehem of Judea” (Matt. 2:1). Some people may perceive this point as making a big deal out of nothing, but let me explain why Judea over Palestine is an important distinction to make.
Saying that Jesus was born in Palestine is historically inaccurate
First of all, distinguishing Palestine as the birthplace of Jesus is historically erroneous. Bethlehem was not associated with Palestine during biblical times. In fact, until A.D. 135 – approximately 135 years after the terrestrial life of Jesus – Palestine as a geographical location encompassing all of Israel never existed.
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