Jesus was a raghead

I read with some interest Ann Coulter's latest hate-gasm. Among her many vile remarks was a needlessly insulting reference to Muslims as "ragheads."

Some time ago, I immersed myself in an abortive project involving illustrations of the life of Christ. Naturally, I spent some time trying to research what people actually wore in that time and place. Sources disagree, of course; I never did figure out how the tzitzit were placed, or whether the outer garment was fringed. However, we have good reason to believe that ancient Israelites -- including Jesus -- usually wore the turban, which was called a "tsaniph" in Hebrew.

Coulter calls herself a Christian, yet she hates "ragheads" -- a category which almost certainly includes her presumed Lord and Savior.

I wonder if Southern fundamentalists would have appreciated my paintings of a Semitic-looking, turban-wearing Jesus? Maybe it's all for the best that the project was put on hold...

(By the way, most of the people who wear turbans in the United States are Sikhs -- who, as it happens, are neither Arabs nor Muslims. They have had to put up with many nasty remarks from the sort of ignorant fools who buy Coulter's books.)