Collegiate Times

Moses learned two new tricks to prove that he had been anointed: one, when he threw his staff on the ground it turned into a snake; and two, when he put his hand into his jacket, his hand turned white. The trick is facile for an Irishman such as myself, but rather more difficult for a black Egyptian such as Moses, hence the miracle. The Quran corroborates Moses' prophethood, transforming stick and miraculous white hand. Besides Abrahamic religion and black skin, all the people in the Bible and Quran share the same geography, from Moses to Elijah to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the disciples.What would happen if the prophets were born today? Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace, is located in the West Bank. Israel restricts movement so that it would take 10 hours for Jesus to travel 10 miles to Jerusalem today, longer in a modern car than on an ancient donkey. He would need a permit to be an itinerant preacher.

Jesus probably would be born in a concrete shack instead of a stable and manger, but this house, even though built on the land of a Palestinian proprietor, would be illegal because of the great difficulty in getting Israeli permits to build on one's own land. Jesus would still be an outcast.Because of blockades of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid, Jesus would probably not have access to a doctor, just as in Roman times. He also would have trouble getting enough food, but Mary and Joseph would go hungry for him, according to a recent UN report. And unlike in other parts of the world, the cause of this food crisis is not the global rise in food prices, but the "military and administrative measures imposed by the Israeli occupation."

This occupation began in 1967 and is the longest-running military occupation in the world. If Jesus was born today, he would be one of more than three million Palestinian refugees. Four percent of American media reports use the word "occupation" in describing Palestine, although zero percent use the more precise description of "apartheid."

According to Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu: "I experienced a deja-vu when I saw a security checkpoint which Palestinians had to negotiate most of their lives, that I was reminded so painfully of the same checkpoints in apartheid South Africa, when arrogant white policemen treated almost all blacks like dirt ... please, please hear the call, the noble call of your scriptures, of our scriptures, to be with the God of the Exodus."

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