Tawfiq Tirawi’s position here is entirely incoherent. The Qur’an says that Jesus was not crucified:
“And their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but another was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.” (Qur’an 4:157)
If he wasn’t crucified, how could he be a martyr?
But anything will do to advance the “Palestinian” claim to be a people, the indigenous people of the area, and to fabricate a history for that people. Get the details of this and find out why it is being done in The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process.
“Jesus was not only ‘first Palestinian’ – he was ‘first Islamic Martyr,'” by Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch, December 29, 2019:
There were repeated new claims this week, by senior Palestinian leaders and the official press, that Jesus was a “Palestinian” and the “first Palestinian.” A senior Palestinian leader this week also referred to Jesus as the “first Shahid,” or Islamic Martyr, which many believing Christians find very offensive. According to the Islamic tradition, which the Palestinian Authority has repeated many times to its people, among the rewards that the Islamic Martyr receives in Islam’s paradise are 72 dark-eyed virgins. Whereas claiming that Jesus who was a Judean (Jew) was a Palestinian is nonsensical for believing Christians, saying he is now in Islamic Paradise with 72 virgins is seen by many as defamation.
Tawfiq Tirawi, senior Palestinian leader and Fatah Central Committee member posted on his personal Facebook page:
“This is blessed Christmas, The birthday of our lord Jesus the Messiah, the first Palestinian and the first Shahid (Islamic Martyr).”
[Tawfiq Tirawi Facebook page, Dec. 24, 2019]
Others claiming Jesus include Laila Ghannam, District Governor of Ramallah:
“The entire Palestinian people celebrates Christmas because we are proud of Jesus being Palestinian.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 24, 2019]
Muwaffaq Matar, Fatah Revolutionary Council member and regular columnist for the official PA daily, wrote:
“If someone could win the Nobel Peace Prize every year forever, it is Palestinian Jesus son of Mary who was born in Bethlehem… Palestinian Jesus son of Mary was a victim…”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 26, 2019]
It should be noted that the expression by Tirawi “our lord Jesus” is not an indication of Palestinian acceptance of the principles of Christianity. According to Islamic tradition, as explained in the following quote by the top PA religious figure, PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein, Jesus is said to have been a Muslim who preached Islam:
PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein: “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 Nazereth, 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.”…