Suzanne Olsson

Suzanne Marie Olsson is an American author. In 2005, her self-published book, Jesus in Kashmir, The Lost Tomb, documented her research into the belief that the Roza Bal in Srinagar, Kashmir contains the remains of Jesus.[1][2] The claim is rejected by mainstream scholarship: A. Mathias Mundadan, general editor of History of Christianity in India, described it as "a work of fiction".[3] The local Kashmiri authorities at Srinagar have rejected the view that the remains of Yuz Asaf in the shrine of Roza Bal belong to Jesus of Nazareth and believe it to be the tomb of a Sufi saint.[4] Local discontent with her activities led to the shrine being closed to foreign tourists.[1][5]

Life and career

In 2002 in support of her research at Roza Bal, Olsson claimed to be a 59th generation descendant of Jesus,[1] but has since renounced this claim.[6] Olsson appeared in the 2008 TV movie, Jesus in India,[7] and in the 2010 Indian documentary, The Rozabal Shrine of Srinagar.[8] Kashmiri academic Fida Hassnain co-authored a book with Olsson, entitled Roza Bal the Tomb of Jesus.[9][10]

Olsson was a guest speaker[11] in Washington DC at the 2009 Kashmir Peace Conference.[12]

Research

AFP reported in the New Straits Times that Olsson excavated at Murree under archaeologist Ahmad Hassan Dani's supervision, and that she had suggested testing DNA from there and from Roza Bal, along with carbon-dating, to establish a connection between the two sites.[13] In 2002, Olsson wrote to the custodians of the Roza Bal shrine using personal claims of descendance from Jesus, whom she referred to as "our grandfather", to request access to the shrine's graves under Islamic law, referring them to the book Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner. Olsson also wrote that she was prepared to go to court to exhume the remains, which she wanted to remove from Srinagar.[1]

Olsson said Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who owned the trust that controlled the Roza Bal shrine in Srinagar at the time of her visit,[14] had given his approval for her DNA research at the Roza Bal shrine, and said it was to be led by several respected Kashmir University professors of history. However, local sensitivities were aroused after a caretaker at Roza Bal, who thought her theories about Jesus blasphemous, alleged that Olsson had attempted to exhume the tomb's contents and expressed concern that she intended to plant evidence; accusations that she denied.[1][5] The outcome was that shrine managers closed the shrine to foreign visitors, and filed a police complaint accusing Olsson of 'causing hurt to Muslim beliefs,'[15] also seeking the cancellation of her visa.[5][16]

Bibliography (self-published)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arshad, Sameer (8 May 2010). "Tomb Raider: Jesus buried in Srinagar?". Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Bindra, Prerna Singh (1 April 2002). "Heaven on earth". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Church Historians Reject American's Claim on Christ's Kashmir Link". Hong Kong: Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN). 19 March 2002. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Mostafa Vaziri (2012). Buddhism in Iran: An Anthropological Approach to Traces and Influences. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-02293-6. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Ara, Nusrat (10 September 2012). "Controversial Shrine Remains Closed to Foreigners". Global Press Journal. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  6. ↑ Olsson, Suzanne. Jesus in Kashmir, The Lost Tomb, 3rd Edition. Booksurge. ISBN 9781419611759. p160.
  7. ↑ "Experts Appearing in the Film". Jesus in India - The Movie. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  8. ↑ "Watch The Rozabal Shrine of Srinagar - India Documentary". 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Arshad, Sameer (8 May 2010). "Tomb Raider: Jesus buried in Srinagar? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  10. ↑ Hassnain, Fida M.; Olsson, Suzanne (2008). Roza Bal: The Tomb of Jesus. BOOKSURGE PUB. ISBN 9781419697586. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Tenth International Kashmir Peace Conference is being held on 23rd,24th | Kashmir Awareness". www.kashmirawareness.org. World Kashmir Awareness Forum. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "2009 Kashmir Peace Conference". 28 (7). The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. September 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Researcher hopes to find Christ's remains". New Straits Times. Agence France-Presse. 11 March 2002. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "History". J&K Wakf Board for Muslim Specified Wakfs & Specified Wakf Properties. 2014. Archived from the original on 6 Aug 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  15. ↑ "Kashmir shrine bars tourists over Jesus burial row". Pakistan: Dawn. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  16. ↑ Shahnawaz Khan (28 May 2010). "Jesus: Dead or Alive?". South Asia Wired. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  17. ↑ Simon Price (May 2004). "INDIANA SUE AND THE TOMB OF CHRIST". Fortean Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
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