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First Muslim Buried In The Grounds Of Nativity Church
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Islam Online & News Agencies

Smoke rises from the compound of the Nativity Church.
Image Credit: Islam-Online.net.

Civilians are also trapped inside the church or in adjacent convents, in addition to some 30 Franciscan monks.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Source
A Palestinian resistance activist killed by Israeli forces besieging the Church of the Nativity on Tuesday became the first Muslim ever buried in the grounds of the site marking Jesus' birthplace, as the siege entered its second week.

Khaled Abu Siam, a 23-year-old Palestinian security member from Gaza was shot dead at dawn on Monday in fighting that erupted outside one of Christianity's holiest sites, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

After vainly attempting in vain to coordinate with the Israeli army for medical teams from the Red Cross to retrieve the body, Palestinians inside the church decided to bury Abu Siam in its garden, one of them told AFP by telephone.
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