Family of detained Hamas legislator, denies allegations their son converted to Christianity

Friday August 01, 2008 01:50 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Hamas-run news website, Palestine-Info, reported on Thursday that the family of legislator Hasan Yousef, imprisoned by Israel, denied Israeli reports and allegations that their son, Mos’ab, who lives and works in the United States, converted to Christianity.

Image captured from the Haaretz website

In a phone interview with the mother of Mos’ab who lives in the West Bank city of Ramallah, she said that these reports are lies and accused the Israeli domestic intelligence agency of fabricating the reports to unsettle her jailed husband, a prominent political leader of Hamas movement.  

She added that she spoke to her son over phone and that he told her that all of the reports are unfounded.  

 In a report published by the Israeli online daily, Haaretz, Mos’ab was quoted as referring to the Palestinian struggle as “terrorism”.  

In its report, Haaretz, stated that Mos’ab who assisted his father for several years in his political activities said that he “is now called Joseph”.

 According to Haaretz, Mos’ab said that he knows that he is endangering his life and might lose his father, but according to the report he added that “he hopes that his family will be able to open their lives to Jesus”, and that he said that “I hope to be able to come back one day  with Jesus, in the kingdom of God”.

 Haaretz also claimed that Mos’ab said that he admires and respects Israel.

 Quotes from Haaretz report;  

"More than that. An entire society sanctifies death and the suicide terrorists. In Palestinian culture a suicide terrorist becomes a hero, a martyr. Sheikhs tell their students about the 'heroism of the shaheeds.'"

And yet, in spite of the criticism of the place he left, California can't make the longings disappear.

"I miss Ramallah," he says. "People with an open mind. ... I mainly miss my mother, my brothers and sisters, but I know that it will be very difficult for me to return to Ramallah soon."

"You Jews should be aware: You will never, but never have peace with Hamas. Islam, as the ideology that guides them, will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews. They believe that tradition says that the Prophet Mohammed fought against the Jews and that therefore they must continue to fight them to the death."

palestine | miscellaneous | news report saed at imemc dot org