Is the Dead Sea Scrolls a Forgery?

My lawyer-friend sent me a link of a National Geographic article entitled 'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries. 

This was sent to him by a Protestant who apparently wanted to refute the Deuterocanonical Books since Sirach and Tobit are included in the list of books we can read in The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English.

Here are some facts in the article of National Geographic and to read it entirely, simply click the URL under the statement. 

"But now, the Washington, D.C. museum has confirmed a bitter truth about the fragments’ authenticity. On Friday, independent researchers funded by the Museum of the Bible announced that all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries that duped outside collectors, the museum’s founder, and some of the world’s leading biblical scholars. Officials unveiled the findings at an academic conference hosted by the museum."

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/museum-of-the-bible-dead-sea-scrolls-forgeries

Christians consider the Dead Sea Scrolls as a big treasure in studying the Holy Bible. 


Does this article affect the reliability of the Dead Sea Scrolls? 

No, just the Museum of the Bible stuff. Even the headline clarifies that the issue is the Museum of the Bible fragments.  I am talking only about the 16 specific fragments allegedly from Qumran displayed at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.  These are modern fakes made and sold as if they were genuinely fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls from 2nd century BCE-1st century CE.

No books from Qumran are forgeries. These are tiny postage stamp sized fragments with at best a couple of words.

No one doubts the authenticity of the scrolls from the Dead Sea that have long been known and published. In contrast, the manuscripts from 11 caves from Qumran are ancient and genuine.

According to Dr. Eugene Ulrich, an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and author of The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Developmental Composition of the Bible:

"True: they are modern forgeries. Steve Green, the billionaire owner of the museum asked me originally to get involved and I refused, even before knowing they were forgeries."