ICC Note:

For decades, Egypt’s Coptic Christians have desired to travel to the Holy Land but have been under pressure not to do so. This pilgrimage to Jerusalem is a coveted action and has even been compared to a Muslim’s call to travel to Mecca. These Christians have begun to take part in record numbers as reports are saying the traffic from Egypt to Israel has nearly doubled since 2014.

4/3/2017 Egypt (FOX) – After decades of pressure to not make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Egypt’s Coptic Christian population is now making such trips to Jerusalem at a record pace.

The number of Egyptian tourists to Israel has nearly doubled to 7,450 from 4,428 between 2014 and 2016, according to Religion News Service. While the figures from Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority do not break down the numbers of visitors by religion, it is widely believed that the uptick is due to a surge in pilgrimages by the Coptic community.

“To visit Jerusalem and the holy places was always my wish,” merchant Refaat El-Sayeh, a Coptic Christian from the city of Al-Kosheh, said to Religion News Service. “You feel the hand of God. This is the lifelong dream of every Christian in Al-Kosheh.”

Last year, El-Sayeh was one of nearly 30 from his village that made an Easter pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Making the pilgrimage is a coveted distinction. Just like Muslims who travel to Mecca return with the honor of being called “haj,” Copts who return from Jerusalem are called “muqadiseen,” which roughly translates to one who has visited the scared precincts mentioned in the Bible.

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