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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters In the holy land
The most important aspect of the celebrations being organised by the Ministry of Tourism to mark the two thousandth anniversary of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt, in my opinion, is the fact that they serve to remind us of the strong link between Egypt and the prophets of monotheism. Egypt protected Christ when he was still a child, barely a few months old; he was brought here by his mother the Virgin Mary and Joseph the Carpenter as they obeyed the Lord and sought to escape Herod, who in his wrath had commanded that all male infants under the age of two be killed.
This is why Egypt and its people are blessed in the Bible, which is the theme of the great artistic event the Ministry of Tourism has organised. Indeed, the Bible contains many references to Egypt and the Egyptians as being blessed. The Qur'an, too, honours Mary as it does no other woman in history.
The quality that makes Egypt so unique in terms of religion is the country's special humanism. This is where Joseph came to work as overseer of Pharaoh's financial affairs; here, too, Moses grew; if the Prophet Mohamed never saw this fair land, he married an Egyptian nonetheless.
Egyptians are devout people by nature, and have been so for thousands of years. Egypt was Christian; it gave Christianity its first martyrs, and a tradition of monasticism thousands of years long. From here did monasticism spread throughout the world; and when Islam came to Egypt, it became the most important Muslim country in the world.
This is why commemorating the flight of the Holy Family is so important, 2000 years after it took place. It reminds us once again of how special Egypt has been throughout its history.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
