Lebanese Woman Could Be World's Oldest

aolnews ^ | 6 14 04

[freepatriot32]

SHAITIYA, Lebanon (June 15) - A Lebanese woman who has documents saying she was born in 1877 -- making her at least 126 years old -- could be the oldest person in the world.

Hamida Musulmani, frail and wrinkled but still working on her family's farm in south Lebanon, showed Reuters this week a document from Lebanon's 1932 census which lists her birth year as 1877.

Musulmani holds 10-month-old Mohammed, her youngest descendant.

She feels well, she said, but complained of failing sight.

Local officials said her papers were authentic, although they date from a year when she would already have turned 55.

If the census papers are accurate, Musulmani would now be four years older than the oldest person officially documented -- a Frenchwoman who died seven years ago at the age of 122.

Musulmani comes from a Shi'ite Muslim farming family. Documents show her husband Ali was born in 1890, which would have made him 13 years younger than his wife. He died in 1960.

Musulmani said she had stopped eating meat many years ago. Though her family grows and dries tobacco, she does not smoke.

"I only eat what I grow," she said. "I am fine, it is only my eyes that cannot see properly."

She says she has about 100 descendants, the youngest of whom is 10 months old.

The world's longest-lived person with reliable documentation was Jeanne-Louise Calment of France, who died in 1997 aged 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness Book of World Records

[freepatriot32]

and I thought I was getting old :-)

[ICX]

I'll be damned if that doesn't look like Geena Davis at the end of Beetlejuice.

[No Blue States]

she doesnt look a day older than 105.

[freepatriot32]

maybw geena is one of her 100 desendents :-)

[exile]

Helen Thomas is older

[Husker24]

I thought this was bs, untill I saw her picture.

[Paleo Conservative]

Documents show her husband Ali was born in 1890, which would have made him 13 years younger than his wife.

I rather doubt that age difference.

[Liberal Classic]

Though her family grows and dries tobacco, she does not smoke. "I only eat what I grow," she said.

The secret to long life is eating tobacco?

[Bikers4Bush]

"Musulmani comes from a Shi'ite Muslim farming family."

One need only read this far to know it's a scam.

[clarissaexplainsitall]

What does that mean she stopped eating years ago? I have heard that people who eat just enough not to starve themselves lives much longer. Any truth to this?

[SoDak]

I'm hoping to keep it all together and make 60 someday.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Sounds like Lebanese baloney.

[Bluntpoint]

Oh give me a break already!

First Ellen Degeneras...

Then Rosie O'Donnell...

Now Hamida Musulmani...

I don't care what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms...but I wish they would stop trying to force it down our throats.

Please, enough with all these Lebanese women.

[tdadams]

I also think that sounds dubious.

[VadeRetro]

Musulmani said she had stopped eating meat many years ago.

When the last of her teeth went.

[Yardstick]

Sounds like Lebanese baloney.

Well, even if it turns out to be baloney, we can at least give her the consolation prize of being the oldest looking woman on earth.

[Defiant]

Bill Clinton asked her for a date.

I'm less amazed at her age than that she lived to adulthood in Lebanon.

[ClearCase_guy]

I am prepared to suspend disbelief only so far!

A woman who is 126 -- and still works on a farm?? Okay, it might be true.
A Lebanese who survived every single one of the war of the twentieth century?? Okay, it might be true.
A Shiite Muslim telling the truth?? How gullible do you think I am?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Na, just uglier.

[2banana]

I bet she remembers the Ottomans, the British liberating her, Christians as her neighbors (the place used to be about half Christians) and Jews living all over the place (before they were ethnically cleansed)

[struwwelpeter]

About 15-20 years ago, Soviet scientists were intrigued by a large group of centigenerians in the Caucasus, and it made for good propaganda for awhile about the benefits of Socialism. After independence, Georgian investigators reevealed that most of the "100 years plus" citizens in question had been 30-40 year olds during the war who had forged or altered their documents to avoid military service, and another large group who were trying to qualify for "early" pensions.

The deal with this lady was probably a scam forty years back to qualify for some benefits that Lebanon offered when it was still a country.

[You Dirty Rats]

At least all of those womyn now have a long life to look forward to!

[pragmatic_asian]

My great-grandma is 105. She has now lived in three different centuries.

[Delbert]

mmmm...I like mature women.

[Graybeard58]

I'm hoping to keep it all together and make 60 someday.

I'm just hoping to reach 59 on the 29th of this month.

[ErnBatavia]

There's a "flying carpet" joke there someplace...

[stuartcr]

Why?

[stuartcr]

Why?

[SoDak]

You'll have to change your user name. I suggest staying 58 forever.

[Katya]

Agreed....I bet she was born in 1897....and somehow they recorded the documents as 1877.

[gathersnomoss]

I don't know. Isn't that White House reporter older than this lady? She sure looks like she is.

[Bikers4Bush]

Muslim women don't live that long, their men don't let them.

[stuartcr]

Even if they're dead?

[Bikers4Bush]

LOL!!!

[codercpc]

My Great Grandmother died last month at 105.

As a way to reflect we went through all of the amazing things she would have went through in life. McKinley was President when she was born. WWI and WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf Storm, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 etc. It is simply amazing.

[Bikers4Bush]

I always see chinese, japanese, european and american women who are in the running for the worlds oldest.

I've never seen or heard of a muslim and since a part of the philosophy of their cult is to lie to infidels I believe this is just a scam.

[albee]

"I thought this was bs, untill I saw her picture."

Hey, a few shots of BOTOX and she'll look as good as Tay-Ree-Zah Heinz/Kerry!

[dc-zoo]

All she needs is Botox treatments and teeth to join Kerry on his ticket.

[stuartcr]

OK

[Know your rights]

Ohhh ... Lebanese. I thought it said ... never mind.

[Graybeard58]

My Mother is 83 and doesn't want ANYONE to know her age. I told her that if I live to be 83 I will lie about my age and tell people I am 93 so they will think I sure look good for my age.

[ryanjb2]

At 126, I don't think the head-scarf is necessary anymore.

[tdadams]

Occam's Razor.

Is it more likely that this woman married a man 13 years younger than her (somewhat taboo even in western cultures, much more so in the Middle East) or is it more likely that someone is trying to claim false glory and this woman is mostly likely 20-30 years younger than she actually claims?

[mrs tiggywinkle]

lol!

[tom h]

"Helen Thomas is older"

Helen Thomas is not older but she is unquestionably uglier.

[af_vet_rr]

"I only eat what I grow," she said. "I am fine, it is only my eyes that cannot see properly."

Good to know her ears see just fine...

Interesting how the long-lived (even if she's not 126, she's still old) seem to have two trends - they are very active for their ages, and they eat right.

[Iberian]

How in the hell do we verify that?? all the women from over there look like they are in their 90's.

[Bob Eimiller]

wow... another Mohammed

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Lucky for her she’s not worth a couple of hundred million or else Kerry would be knocking at her door.

[sawmill trash]

Hope slick willy isn't doing a book signing anywhere around there.
He thought that mummy was a hottie...he'd go balistic over this babe.