An Egyptian has banned an annual Jewish festival held at the shrine of a rabbi in the village of Demeto, near the coastal city of Alexandria, said reports.
The judge said the rituals practiced by Jewish pilgrims at the site endangered public morals.
An Egyptian lawyer had brought the case against the Egyptian cultural ministry, which is responsible for the site, said the BBC.online.
The festival used to draw hundreds of pilgrims from Israel every year.
They came to celebrate at the tomb of Abu Hasira, a 19th century Jewish holy man.
But now a court has ruled that the festival can no longer be held, because the pilgrims, as the judges put it, drink alcohol, commit sinful acts, and behave in a way that contradicts Islamic traditions and public morals.
Yaacov Abu Hatzira, a rabbi from southern Morocco who wrote Talmudic commentary, was the head of the Jewish community in the Damanhur area before he died in 1881, and has since been revered for miracles attributed to him.
His real name was Elbaz, but he took on the name of Abu Hatzira, or Father of the Carpet, when, having been denied access to a Palestine-bound ship by its captain, he was said to have reached the Promised Land on a flying carpet.
Egypt's Jewish population, which numbered around 100,000 around a century ago, has dwindled to just a few dozen since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the Arab-Israeli wars that followed – Albawaba.com
Anti-Israeli feelings are running high in Egypt because of the confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The judge explained his ruling in political terms. He said the celebrations hurt the feelings of Egyptian Muslims and Christians, who see their holy places in Jerusalem being violated by the Israeli army.
But the court rejected the lawyer's demand that the remains of Abu Hasira be sent to Israel.
Freedom call
The Israeli embassy in Cairo said Jews should have freedom of access to the site, and those in charge of it should guarantee the festivities take place.
The Egyptian authorities denied visas to Israeli pilgrims after the Palestinian uprising broke out last year.
But a few people did make it to the site and the Egyptian Government provided a heavy security presence for their protection.
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
