Let My People Go
A Plague of Frogs on the Nile
"The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people."
The Nile River is not swarming with frogs and certainly not swarming with tourists. The tourist industry in Egypt has essentially dried up since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak when he left office in February of this year. In fact, more than 300 cruise ships along the Nile are left at the dock with no tourists in sight.
What was once a thriving industry of millions of tourists per year has nosedived to just several thousands. Clashes in Cairo that killed 25 people and left scores more injured were the result of the attacks by fundamentalist Muslims who burned and defaced a church. Gangs of local Muslims had objected to renovations to the church, which they said was built without a permit. You can read about the unrest here.
To "see the pyramids along the Nile" most people take a cruise down the longest river in the world. The song, You Belong to Me, was sung by the Duprees, Dean Martin and my personal favorite, Patsy Cline. You can listen here.
Tourism comprises about a tenth of the gross domestic product and the Nile is one of the biggest draws. But with the country being ruled by the military, tourists appear uneasy to return to the country. The General Manager of Nubian travel stated, "When tourism stops, everything does with it."
In the end of Exodus, Moses says to Pharoah, "Let my people go."
The clashes in Cairo began when the Coptic Christians and Egyptian security forces faced off. The Copts have felt like second class citizens who are unable to worship freely.
Perhaps if as Moses said, "Let my people go" and the Coptics could worship freely, then the tourist trade can resume.
Sources:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/uk-egypt-tourism-idUSLNE79J02920111020
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA7rxBWBxsY
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44959842/ns/travel-news/#.Tp_4hXIg-QM
Published by Michele Starkey
Optimist who enjoys writing, laughing and spreading good news. If I have but one life to live, I hope to make mine memorable. My epitaph will read: she lived, she loved, she left. View profile
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36 Comments
Post a CommentExcellent.
Well done Michele...
this is good insight
great job
Sterling work my friend. Indeed, I have heard that much of the violence is not from Coptic Christians but is being blamed on them. Sounds eerily familiar to the Nero effect of blaming Christians. Good stuff Michelle.
Very nice writing as always!
Excellent article as always. Thanks!
Great article :)
This appears to be a plague of a different kind Michele.
it is sad that the tourism industry has dropped like that.