www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Palestinian baby born in Bethlehem draws crowds

Personally I think this is ridiculous, but interesting...

01 Dec 2003 17:07:50 GMT
Palestinian baby born in Bethlehem draws crowds
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A baby born in Bethlehem is drawing crowds by the thousands.

Palestinians in the West Bank town revered by Christians as Jesus's birthplace have been thronging to the adjacent Aida refugee camp for a glimpse of the 11-day-old infant many are calling a "miracle baby".

The boy has gained attention for being born with a large birthmark across his cheek that roughly forms in Arabic letters the name of his uncle, Ala, a Hamas militant killed by Israeli troops after he was alleged to have planned a suicide bombing.

The family, devout Muslims, called it a divine message of support for the Palestinians against Israel, though some local Christians preparing for subdued Christmas observances have quietly dismissed it as lacking any religious significance.

The Israeli army declined comment but one security source said: "It sounds very freaky". The family denied any hoax.

The security source said the baby's uncle, who was shot dead eight months ago, was suspected of masterminding a bombing that killed 12 people on a Jerusalem bus in November 2002.

Cradling the baby in her arms, the infant's grandmother, Aysha Ayyad, 58, said her son secretly joined the Islamic group Hamas shortly after he was beaten by Israeli soldiers.

She said the birthmark was a sign "the soldiers can kill our sons but not our spirit". She voiced hope Israelis and Palestinians would make peace and allow her grandson to grow up free from violence.

As she spoke, an Israeli army patrol fired teargas at stone-throwing youths nearby.

Despite the commotion, the imam from the camp's main mosque entered the crowded living room, traced a finger along the swirling birthmark -- which finishes behind the baby's right ear -- and pronounced it a "gift from God".

Adding to a tale spread mostly by word of mouth and published on Monday in the Jerusalem Post, the baby -- named in honour of his dead uncle -- was born on the 27th day of the holy month of Ramadan, revered as the night the Koran was revealed to the prophet Mohammad.

When local Muslim clerics learned of the baby's birthmark, they announced it on mosque loudspeakers. The family said several thousand people had converged on the house since then.

Sounds a little too much like the "apparitions" of Mary in the bark of a tree or the shape of a rock!

Dear Friends,

Yes, in Islam, much is made of marks that relate to religious names etc.

Take the tamarind seed, for instance. If you cut it cross-wise, one could see the Arabic for "Allah" inside.

An Egyptian Muslim beekeeper once discovered the Name of Allah in what seemed to be Arabic letters on top of a beehive. There are now posters of it that are distributed as a miracle.

There is the Muslim belief in the power of God's Name and this is why they write it with juice in a bowl and then pour some water over it and give it to a sick person to drink etc.

Alex

Alex,

A couple years back, we were in Washington DC visiting the Smithsonian. There was an exhibit of Morroccan artifacts, including a wondrous chainmail hauberk. Not only was it riveted mail (riveting chainmail rings is about three steps beyond "painstaking,") but each of the rings was also stamped with one of the nine million names of Allah - giving the warrior not only physical protection but spiritual as well.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Sharon
(from the land of sartorially splendiferous geese)

Dear Mother Sharon,

How fascinating!

Speaking of geese, I remember the surprise my wife and I both felt when we were in London, U.K. some years back and saw a sign that warned people not to feed the "Canada geese."

And why? ". . .they are a nuisance . . ."

Alex

Alex,

I work in an office park that includes ponds. For years and years, the infestation of Canada geese got worse and worse - you had to watch where you stepped, and the nutrient content of the ponds got totally out of hand. A lot of these birds are no longer truly migratory. Yes they are magnificent, but the population had expanded beyond reason. This is also a problem for golf courses and other facilities with water. We've been much better off this year. In the past couple of years, a couple of businesses have cropped up locally, and to every appearance they are prospering, God BLESS them! For a subscription fee, they come every day or every couple of days during the warm season, and let an enthusiastic border collie run around in the "goosed" area. The birds learn pretty fast....


Sharon

Dear Mother Sharon,

And who would have thought that this bird, first introduced in Canada by British Royalty way back when, would have sored to such heights as this . . .

Alex

Alex -

"sored" not "soared"? Was the pun intended?

Tammy

Oh Lord, how I hope this dosnt mean that there is a socalled "Messiah" here for the Muslim world. We really dont need this now.

JoeS

JoeS -

Don't worry. They've had plenty of "messiahs" but none could rise from the dead!

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

Yes - the final Muslim Prophet was Muhammad and there is no one to come after him . . .

The Muslims point to Christ's Words about the Holy Spirit coming after Him as a prophecy about the coming of Muhammad.

The Muslim mystic, Al-Hallaj, was actually crucified for saying that man was an incarnation of God . . .

Salaam Alekum!

And, yes, pun intended!

Alex