Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez compares refugees to baby Jesus
By Max Jaeger
December 25, 2018 | 3:54pm
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez Getty Images
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Even a holiday greeting from newly-elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked controversy when she compared refugees to the baby Jesus.
"Joy to the World! Merry Christmas everyone – here's to a holiday filled with happiness, family, and love for all people. 🌎(Including refugee babies in mangers + their parents.)," the self-described Democratic Socialist wrote in a Christmas Day tweet referencing the myth of Jesus's birth in a manger.
Critics harangued her for getting political on the holidays.
"Even on Christmas, you just can't stay away from politics. I genuinely feel sad for you. Merry Christmas!" one user replied.
But "Jesus was incredibly political," an Ocasio-Cortez defender tweeted.
"Are you saying that Jesus was a refugee you blithering idiot? Mary & Joseph we're off registering for the census so they could be taxed. Gawd, you're amazing," replied former conservative talk-radio host Neil Boortz.
Still, many consider Christ a refugee. Days after his birth, his parents were forced to flee Bethlehem to Egypt because Judean king Herod heard that the "king of the Jews" was born, became jealous, and ordered the killing of male babies under the age of two, according to the Gospel of Matthew.
"A family is forced to flee their homeland for fear of persecution. This is the classic modern-day definition of a refugee," Jesuit priest James Martin wrote in the Catholic publication American Magazine.
It's not the first time Ocasio-Cortez's comments on the Middle East have caused a stir. During her successful campaign last year to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley, she called Israel an "occupation" force in the Palestinian territories — a comment she later tried to walk back.
"Middle Eastern politics is not exactly at my kitchen table every night," she said at the time.
Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez caused a stir when she claimed that "$21 [trillion] in Pentagon accounting errors" could fund universal medicare — a claim later debunked by the Washington Post's fact-checking department.
Filed under Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , christmas , jesus , refugees
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