Namely, in 2012, the Zeitouns divorced. Do you think Our Lady of Fatima is a hoax too? Apparently, the rough-sea sequences in the film are all too realistic. He remembers how the men would hold lanterns over the water to draw sardines to their rods. It is estimated that from 1968 to 1971, at least one million Egyptians (and numerous foreigners) saw a luminous female figure atop the roof of St. Mary’s (Orthodox) Coptic Church in Zeitoun… [2] A crowd gathered on the site and the police attempted to disperse it. [11], Though the above analyses provide reasons for how the crowd interpreted the lights, they provide no explanations for the light phenomena themselves. Hard-working, idealistic Zeitoun is an utterly likeable central character, a Muslim from Syria who's started a prosperous painting company in New Orleans, where he lives with his partner and wife, Kathy, and their four kids. )(2007): Dictionnaire des "apparitions" de la Vierge Marie. The staff of the church had: Stefan below gives an excellent reason to believe the apparitions were an illusion. For fear of being pulled away, even lynched, by the faithful crowds? And we have the video to prove it. Thanks! All major religions report miraculous deeds performed by their deities, yet the teachings of these supposedly all-knowing beings conflict with each other. What did you think of that? "Zeitoun" is an inspiring, tragic and powerful book that will endure decades from now about how America failed at helping New Orleans and the residents of the city during and after Hurricane Katrina. Something that we atheists can’t simply discard as a potential fake/misinterpretation/coincidence. One of them is in fact a drawing, as it is attributed by newspapers at the time. The staff could source strong electric lights, light veils, sky-coloured support poles, an actress to move about as Mary, an unscrupulous professional illusionist, you name it. Zeitoun was on probation for attacking Kathy Zeitoun, his then-wife, in front of their children at one of their Dart Street properties in March 2011. Zeitoun eventually settled in the United States and made his way to New Orleans. I do not, in general, bother with this sort of nonsense. He is known simply as "Zeitoun" to his many neighbors, friends and loyal clients. at http://www.asktheatheists.com. Zeitoun, a Syrian-American man who had remained in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, helped a countless number of his neighbors. In the novels, All American Boys, a Thousand Splendid Suns, and Zeitoun, the central protagonists make major decisions that set themselves in opposition to the expectations of society, family and friends. [8], Some authors suggest that the sightings must be considered in context. No device was found within a radius of fifteen miles capable of projecting the image, and many photos were taken of the alleged apparition from independent sources, though often of very low quality. What do you think of the Zeitoun apparitions? Dignity: After Hurricane Katrina, Zeitoun remarks that many of the people he encounters have lost their dignity because of the storm's affects.He, too, loses his dignity when he is unjustly imprisoned, refused his civil rights, strip searched, etc. [18][19][20], "The Apparitions Of The Blessed Holy Virgin Mary". There are some other contradictions that come up if you believe in miracles, but let’s look at the other explanation for comparison: Someone faked the Maria appearance in Zaitoun and fooled witnesses, just like millions of tourists are fooled every year by Las Vegas magicians. In the 2-3 years it was happening for hours at a time, why didn’t anyone just get a ladder and a lunchbox and stake out the roof? The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope of Alexandria, Kyrillos VI appointed a committee of high-ranking priests and bishops to investigate the matter, headed by Bishop Gregorios, bishop of postgraduate studies, Coptic culture and scientific research. My question is what do you think this is? Most of the photos are blurry or of low quality, though some do seem to show the Virgin Mary regardless. One week later on April 9 the phenomenon reoccurred, again lasting for only a few minutes. This Blog is dedicated to the Truth Movement with news analysis and commentary. Zeitoun was a family man and had a great desire to begin his own family. The apparitions were also allegedly witnessed by President Gamal Abdel Nasser,[5] and captured by newspaper photographers and Egyptian television. To help ameliorate prejudices. Primary sources put 250,000 as the upper limit for a single night, though the difficulty in estimating crowd size in the dark means that number may be an overestimate. Opportunity – They knew exactly where to hide evidence and what not to show to any investigators, and the rest of the time they had that roof all to themselves. The apparitions of the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary occurred in the Zeitoun district of Cairo, Egypt, over a period of 2-3 years beginning on April 2, 1968. And we have the video to prove it. Some claim the apparitions were seen by millions. These experiences change the character and it is well known the most solid way to learn something is by experiencing it. In 2009, Dave Eggers self-published Zeitoun, a well-received nonfiction volume which told the story of a hard-working Syrian-American painter in New Orleans who emerged as a hero during Hurricane Katrina. People who believe nonsense of the Zeitoun sort will find that it’s the sort of thing they believe in (sic), to misquote from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. The Zeitoun incident refers to the Israeli military incursion, led by the Givati Brigade unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), into the Zeitoun district of Gaza as part of the three-week 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, also known as the Gaza War, in the Arab world as the Gaza Massacre, and, in Israel, as Operation Cast Lead.. Out of respect? The appearances came at a period of crisis in Egyptian history and, echoed "a widespread feeling that the defeat of Egypt in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war was the result of having abandoned faith in favor of human-made ideas and belief systems. I would really appreciate any help I can get! Two other men also noticed a white figure on the top of the church and the sighting was reported to the police. L'incroyable apparition de Marie à des millions d'Egyptiens. As the story progressed, I came to learn it was a based on true experiences. Zeitoun (Egypt) Apparitions of the Virgin Mary as Tectonic Strain-Induced Luminosities:", "Parasociology: Marian Apparitions at El-Zeitoun and Social Psi (Part 3)", "Parasociology: Marian Apparitions at El-Zeitoun and Social Psi (part 5)", https://www.youm7.com/story/2018/5/10/الكنيسة-تبدأ-اليوم-الاحتفال-باليوبيل-الذهبى-لظهور-العذراء-بكنيسة-الزيتون/3785989, https://www.youm7.com/story/2018/5/12/البابا-تواضروس-يترأس-صلوات-عشية-الاحتفال-بظهور-العذراء-فى-الزيتون/3789967, "اليوم.. 4 قداسات للاحتفال باليوبيل الذهبي لتجلي العذراء مريم", "الأقباط متحدون - شاهد.. الاحتفال باليوبيل الذهبي لظهور العذراء مريم", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Our_Lady_of_Zeitoun&oldid=996167170, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. (4 minutes and 33 seconds of pure silence). Disclaimer: Answers published on this site do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone other than the author of the answer in question. My major reference for Mariology – Marina Warner’s book Alone of all her sex: the myth and the cult of the Virgin Mary (New York: Random House, 1986) – doesn’t mention Zeitoun at all, although it deals with many other ‘vision’ stories. And, here is some general info about it: link. Père Francois Brune (2004): La Vièrge de l'Egypte. The foolhardy protagonist of the chronicle, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, shows us how being over-confident and letting ourselves become too comfortable can lastingly repercuss on the lives of … According to the police, the sighting was just a reflection of the light from the street lamps. As I said at the start, nobody could go up to look closely during a performance. [8], On 12 May 2018, the Coptic Church celebrated the golden Jubilee of the event. The father, A. Zeitoun, was introduced through his native, Syria. Adnan. Zeitoun’s guiltless and benevolent wanderings in the kayak are hindered by the gathering of equipped men close to his place of business. Either God doesn’t want us to believe because of miracles, then he shouldn’t do any. The lights appeared irregularly for a period of about three years. To help the reader empathize with Zeitoun. The Twain quote speaks to Zeitoun's profession, work ethic, and personal drive. Indeed, Zeitoun did see tectonic activity prior to events. Despite the accounts of ongoing, if irregular, visitations by the Marian apparition, Cynthia Nelson documents seeing nothing other than a few 'intermittent flashes of light'. I, personally, witnessed something strange a few years ago. [javascript protected email address]/*