Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 85
distorted, and customs undergo some change, in new environment, or by passage of time, but nevertheless they retain sufficient traces of their origin. By itself this type of evidence may not be sufficient to categorically establish a particular proposition, but at the same time it cannot be disregarded as irrelevant or of no value. I reproduce below a few names of tribes and places in Kashmir, Afghanistan, in North-western parts of present Pakistan, in Gilgit, Ladakh areas which bear strong resemblance to biblical names and betray their Israeli origin. These names are either replicas of biblical names or bear strong and close resemblance to them. The small deviations are both a product of time and change of language and some distortion. No one can travel even a short distance in these countries without coming across a member of a tribe or name of a place or a monument which historically takes him back to the biblical period. Khwaja Nazir Ahmad in his book Jesus In Heaven on Earth has in fact listed some 405 such names in Afghanistan, Kashmir and parts of Pakistan and India which show strong similarities and common origin with biblical names and those interested can have recourse to this valuable piece of research. The strong linguistic evidence is further fortified by and reflected in customs and habits which, despite the passage of centuries and change of religion, have persisted. Both Afghanistan and Kashmir observe customs, and practice ceremonies on births, burials, funerals, marriages, eating habits and on festivals which establish similarities with those of the Jews. A detailed collection of them is also available in the book to which I have just referred. Again, the common heritage and ancestry is reflected in the structure of the Kashmiri boats and the heart-shaped oars 77