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jwoody · 12-03-2003, 04:02 AM

Link to story with picture of Miracle Baby.

Quote:

Palestinian Birthmarked With Martyr Uncle's Name

The birthmark forms the Arabic letters of 'Alaa'

By Suliman Besharat, IOL Correspondent

BETHLEHEM, December 2 (IslamOnline.net) – In a world where miracles have become something of a rarity, thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem marveled at a newly born baby who had a large reddish birthmark on his right cheek forming the Arabic letters of his martyr uncle’s name – Alaa -.

The baby was born at Laylat Al-Qadr, which is revered by Muslims as the night in which the holy Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

The story of the "miracle baby" was first reported Monday, December 1, by Reuters before hitting the headlines in international media outlets.

The visible 10-cm birthmark finishes behind the baby's right ear.

He was named after his uncle Alaa, a member of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, who was assassinated on March 25 by an Israeli special force in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Iyyad Hassan, the father of the "miracle baby", told IslamOnline.net that Alaa was a gift from God.

"God rewarded us after we had lost my brother Alaa, who was deeply religious. He was born at a blessed night and I pray that he would be a good son," added the father.

He recalled that the baby's grandmother, Eisha Ayyad, told them she saw a reddish flower on Alaa’s right cheek.

"To our surprise, we found the name of his martyr uncle Alaa just right on his cheek, which was perfectly visible" added the father.

The grandmother said the birthmark proved that the Israeli soldiers "can kill our sons, but not our spirits".

Alaa’s mother also spoke about the characteristics of her "miracle baby", saying that he always sleeps at his left side as if to draw every body’s attention to his birthmark.

Abu Emad, the baby's grandfather, said Alaa was a gift from heavens.

"I have been missing my son Alaa since his martyrdom, because he is very dear to my heart. But the birth of my grandson bodes well and I pray God to reward my son with Paradise," he told IOL.

"I think this divine miracle serves as a strong message for Jews, telling them our martyrs are being held in high esteem whether in death or in life."

The grandfather also had a message for the hawkish Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon.

"I want to tell Sharon that although he goes on slaying our sons, their names are carved on our hearts and the flesh of their sons."

Physicians' Opinions

Dr. Hossam Khoreim, a dermatologist in the West Bank city of Nablus, opined the mother could have been deeply moved during her pregnancy by the martyrdom operations against the Israeli occupation troops.

He told IOL by phone that this birthmark could be indelible, especially if it was a natural nevus and not a blood clot.

Asked about the baby's pose when he sleeps, Khoreim said it is quite natural and has nothing to do with the nevus.

But Dr. Abdul Salam al-Zawahri, a famed Egyptian dermatologist, said a baby would sleep at his left side because this kind of large birthmarks, especially if it was a blood nevus, causes pain due to artery extensions.

He added that the blood nevus, if it was a spongy one, would phase out gradually by the age of five.

:-/ What star sign is he?

:-) Capricorn.

:-/ Capricorn, eh? What are they like?

:-) He is the son of God, our Messiah. King of the (?)Jews(?)

:-/ And that's Capricorn, is it?