Muslims don’t believe Jesus was crucified

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Muslims don’t believe Jesus was crucified

By Allan Nawal, Nash Maulana, Margaux Ortiz
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 03:58:00 03/20/2008

DAVAO CITY—In Islam, Jesus is so revered he is mentioned many times in the Koran.

Islam’s Holy Book has a whole chapter dedicated to the story of Eisa Ibnu Mariam or Jesus, the son of Mary.

But why aren’t Muslims observing Christianity’s Holy Week?

For Muslims, the Holy Week is like any ordinary week—nothing special—except for those living in predominantly Christian areas.
The explanation is Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross.
The Koran’s Chapter 19 (Suratul Mariam or Mary’s Chapter) disputes the Gospels’ crucifixion story of the Romans nailing Jesus to death. It said:

“They said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah.’ But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts ... for of a surety they killed him not.” (Surah 4:157)

The crucifixion story is also disputed in the succeeding verses (Surah 4:156-159), which say, in part: “They did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them.”
Muslims also cite the “Gospel of Barnabas” to support their belief that Jesus did not die on the Cross. According to a translation of a supposed copy of that gospel, it was Judas, the disciple who turned against Jesus, who was crucified by the Romans.

Bishops’ views The Gospel of Barnabas is regarded by Muslim scholars as part of the “missing true gospel (Injil)” and is often used in preaching Islam alongside the Koran and other religious books.

In Manila, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) dismissed the Gospel of Barnabas as “one of the apocryphal gospels.”

“It is an established historical fact that Jesus Christ was crucified,” Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, head of the CBCP public affairs office, said in a phone interview.

Iñiguez said the apocryphal gospels told inaccurate stories about Jesus and attributed these to his disciples.

Filipino biblical scholar Randolf C. Flores, SVD, described the Gospel of Barnabas as “a modern apocryphal writing” and said some of its accounts about Jesus “are anachronistic and fantastic.”

Respect for other faiths Ulama or Islamic scholars in the Philippines said that Jesus’ advent in this world taught Muslims and Christians alike to believe in God and in the prophets, and in a day of judgment.

Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, spokesperson of the Assembly of Dharul Ifta of the Philippines (ADIP), said although Muslims do not observe the Christian Holy Week, they respect the practices and traditions of other faiths.

“I think Muslims have, so far, shown respect toward other religions,” Ebrahim said.

This is evident in the annual procession of the Cross in and around communities where Muslims live, such as in Quiapo (Manila), Cotabato City and Datu Piang (Maguindanao) and Pikit (North Cotabato), according to Ebrahim.

Living together Muslims in Christian-dominated communities do not decorate their houses during Christmas but they do exchange gifts with their neighbors.

“It is also one way of showing them that I value our relationship,” Tong Dimampo, a resident of Davao City, said.

Salima Pajiji, 19, also of Davao City, said that during All Souls’ Day, she goes with her Christian friends to the cemetery when they visit their dead.
“I also go with them to fiestas,” she said with a giggle. With Inquirer Research


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