Palestinian Professor: Moses Was a 'Great Muslim' Who 'Liberated Palestine' From Egypt

A Palestinian professor made an intriguing historical tweak when he appeared on television and proclaimed that Moses, the Biblical figure who led the Jews out of captivity in Egypt, was actually a Muslim. Even more surprising, Dr. Omar Ja'ara (of Al-Najah University in Nablus, West Bank) claims that the historical figure led Muslims out of captivity -- not Jews.

Palestinian Media Watch explains the connotations and purported inaccuracies in Ja'ara's controversial claims that were made on Palestinian Authority Television:

A Palestinian university lecturer taught during a recent Palestinian Authority TV program on religion that Moses, a Muslim, brought "the Muslims of the Children of Israel out of Egypt." He refers to the subsequent Israeli conquest of the Land of Israel as the "first Palestinian liberation... of Palestine." This conquest, he taught, was led not by Joshua, as the Bible tells, but by Saul (Talut) who is also said to have slayed Goliath.

While some of this is retelling of Islamic tradition, some of it is a distortion of even the Quran for political purposes. The Quran refers to the "Children of Israel" in their land in many chapters (e.g., Sura 5), but it never refers to them or anyone else as "Palestinians." Likewise the Quran never refers to Israel's conquest as a "Palestinian" conquest. The lecturer on PA TV, however, deviates from Islamic tradition, and calls the nation of Israel's conquest of the Land of Israel "the first Palestinian liberation through armed struggle to liberate Palestine."

The comments, which took place earlier this year, are certainly intriguing.

"We must make clear to the world that David in the Hebrew Bible is not connected to David in the Quran, Solomon in the Hebrew Bible is not connected to Solomon in the Quran, and neither is Saul or Joshua son of Nun [of the Bible]," Ja'ara explained. "We have a great leader, Saul, [in the Quran] who defeated the nation of giants and killed Goliath. This is a great Muslim victory."'

Then, he launched into his theories about Moses' purported Islamic inclinations.

"The Muslims of the Children of Israel went out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, and unfortunately, many researchers deny the Exodus of those oppressed people who were liberated by a great leader, like Moses the Muslim, the believing leader, the great Muslim, who was succeeded by Saul, the leader of these Muslims in liberating Palestine," he continued. "This was the first Palestinian liberation through armed struggle to liberate Palestine from the nation of giants led by Goliath. This is our logic and this is our culture."

Watch these comments, with sub-titles, below:

(H/T: Gateway Pundit)