A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Friday, April 5, 2013

Egypt Independent Recalls "Our Lady of Zeitoun"

The Egypt Independent reminds us that this week marked the 45th anniversary of the appearances known as "Our Lady of Zeitoun" in the Cairo suburb of that name, when significant numbers of witnesses (Muslims as well as Christians) claimed to see an apparition of the Virgin Mary over a Coptic Church in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun. Though some have sought to explain it as St. Elmo's fire, electrical arcing or other natural phenomena, it convinced many Copts and Muslims that Mary (who is also venerated in Islam and, of course, had made the Flight into Egypt with Joseph and Jesus) was showing favor to the country in the wake of its defeat in the 1967 war.

I've previously posted on claimed Marian apparitions in Egypt  in 2009 and again in 2011, periods of deepening sectarian tensions between Copts and Muslims, with inconclusive YouTube videos.

1 comment:

David Mack said...

You will want to correct a couple of typos and one critical name omitted in this post.