Miracle in Egypt: True Story or Parable?

A story tells of two girls who were buried alive by their father, and saved 15 days later by a mysterious man dressed in white who had wounds on his hands. Is this story real?

There is No Evidence That the Story Really Happened.

We have seen a couple of different versions of this tale over the past several years. Below is the longer variant:

Subject: MIRACLE TOOK PLACE IN EGYPT

THE STORY BELOW IS AMAZING. IT JUST HAPPENED RECENTLY.

NEWS FROM EGYPT:

A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife and then buried her with their infant baby and 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids. 15 days later, another family member died. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand – ALIVE !

The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed.

The older girl was asked how she had survived. “A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister,” she said.

She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by a veiled Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV, “This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!”

Muslims believe Isa (Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it’s clear also that He is alive! But, it’s also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle. Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the Passion movie doesn’t help! With Egypt at the center of the media and education in the Middle East, you can be sure this story will spread.

Christ is still turning the world around towards Him!

Please share this True File. The Lord says, “I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.”
(Jeremiah 17:7) Please spread the news. God bless you all.

Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me, Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.”

A shorter version of the story has also made its rounds in recent years:

Broadcasted on CBS,

A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife because she was reading the Bible and then buried her with their infant baby and an 8-year old daughter.

The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids. 15 days later, another family member died. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand – ALIVE!

The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed at the end of July.

The older girl was asked how she had survived and she says:- ‘A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister,’ she said. She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by a veiled Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV, ‘This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!’

Muslims believe Isa (Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it’s clear also that He is alive! But, it’s also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle.

Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the Passion movie doesn’t help! With Egypt at the centre of the media and education in the Middle East , you can be sure this story will spread. Christ is still controlling and turning the world.

History

The tale of two Egyptian girls who were buried alive by their angry father has been in circulation for over a decade. Early versions included the attribution: “Read this report from Deborah Khalil.” Mrs. Khalil wrote that her husband Victor received the story in an email, but it was her name that was later attributed to it. The Khalils are associated with Ministries International.

This religious web forum is where Mrs. Khalil states that the story was received via email in May 2004.

This story has had surges in popularity every few years, with peaks occurring in 2008 and 2012. There are, however, problems with the narrative. Consider:

• There are no reports of this story found on any credible news sites, including CBS which supposedly reported the event.
• No names or specific dates are given.
• The story has circulated since at least 2004, although it continues to circulate with claims that it happened “recently.”
• How did a girl see the man in white if her face was covered in dirt or sand?
• The man in white appeared to them to feed them every day while they were buried, but did not rescue them.
• Suffocation would have occurred long before starvation.
• A veiled woman news anchor would not have existed in 2004 (when the story was already circulating), as there was a ban on female news presenters wearing veils for 50 years. That ban was only lifted in 2012.
• An image commonly circulated with the tale (above) actually shows a victim of the Bhopal gas explosion in India from December 1984. More information on this acclaimed, award-winning photograph can be found at the Famous Picture Collection.

Bottom Line

The Miracle in Egypt tale has all of the hallmarks of a modern parable. The story is not backed by any credible news reports (despite claims of Egyptian national TV and CBS being on the scene), and there are obvious anomalies (such as the veiled news anchor) which cannot be dismissed. Finally, while many parables are created to spread a positive message, this tale also includes a subtle jeer at Muslims which hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Updated May 14, 2016
Originally published August 2013