Recently, while appearing on Tucker Carlson, Ted Cruz, in defense of his blind support for Israel, committed one of the very distortions the Qur’an accuses Christians of: the manipulation of sacred texts. The Arabic word for Cruz’s act is taḥrīf, from the root ḥarf. Harf literally means “an edge”—to push something from the center to the margin. In this context, it implies twisting the meaning of a verse from its balanced center toward an extreme—for worldly gain.

The Qur’an describes people like Cruz:

“يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَوَاضِعِهِ”

“They distort the word from its rightful place.” (Qur’an 5:13)

For context: Cruz, when asked about his support for Israel, claimed that the Bible teaches God curses those who curse Israel—implying the modern state. This is a textbook example of the Qur’anic charge: interpretation for material or political gain. The verse he misquoted is Genesis 12:3, which reads in early Jewish translations:

“I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse; and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

A quick glance at early exegesis of the Bible shows how far Cruz’s distortion goes. Actually—let me take the gloves off. “Distortion” is too soft. What Cruz did, following the lead of other Christian Zionists, was falsification. He lied about God.

As I noted above, early biblical interpreters—Jewish and Christian—rejected Cruz’s reading.

Philo of Alexandria saw Abraham as a symbol of divine wisdom—not nationalism.

Targum Onkelos rendered the verse plainly, without political implications.

Paul said the true heir of Abraham is Christ, and the blessing is faith—not ethnicity (Gal. 3:16).

Church Fathers like Augustine interpreted Genesis 12:3 as a call to righteousness—not foreign policy.

None of them saw this as divine approval for a modern nation-state 2,000 years later.

Genesis 12:3 was a spiritual covenant—twisted today into a political slogan.

The irony? Cruz and Christian Zionists have elevated this fabrication into dogma.

If it were benign, it wouldn’t matter—people can believe what they want.

But today, it is this interpretation that allows them, in the name of faith, to dehumanize Palestinians and casually call for the bombing of Iran.