Cairo: An Egyptian court Monday banned an annual festival of a Jewish rabbi in a Nile Delta village, a judicial source said, the latest in a series of rulings against the controversial event.
The decision by the Administrative Court in the coastal city of Alexandria was in response to a lawsuit filed by a lawyer, who said that the eight-day celebration of Moroccan rabbi Abu Hasira’s birthday violates local traditions, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the press.
The court said the rituals practiced at the celebration violate “public order and morals”, according to the source.
Hundreds of pilgrims from Israel and other parts of the world flock to the Egyptian Delta village of Demito every January to mark the death of the 19th rabbi buried there.
Angry locals say the visitors drink alcohol, dance and slaughter animals at the tomb of the saint.
On Monday, the court also revoked a 2001 decision by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, listing the tomb and its surroundings as heritage sites, the source said.
There was no immediate government comment.
In 2001 and 2004, two Egyptian courts banned the festival, but were ignored by the then government.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
