Thousands of Jews are traveling this week to a tiny village in the Beheira governate on the Nile Delta in order to visit a 200 year-old shrine to Abū Hasīrah, a Jewish Egyptian rabbi.

Some residents of the village protest the event, saying that Israelis shouldn’t be allowed to enter Egypt while Palestinians are blockaded in the Gaza Strip.

Residents also complain about the use of alcohol, obscene dancing, and a heavy security presence at the annual festival, which could see over 6,000 celebrants.

Villagers insist that their opposition to the festival has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. But many are upset at the massive security precautions taken to ensure the safety of the group.

“It is lamentable that holding the Abū Hasīrah festival is more important to the Government than holding Sayyidah Zaynab or al-Husayn annual mawlids [celebrations], which were cancelled last year on the pretext that it was afraid of swine flu among the celebrants,” complains one resident.