In early 1978, Tribhuvanatha Prabhu gathered together a small group of devotees with the aim of spreading Krishna consciousness in the Middle East for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada. The group traveled overland from London to Beirut, where 5,000 Arabic Bhagavad-gitas and thousands of Arabic Isopanisads were distributed in the midst of civil war. Some devotees were imprisoned by the PLO, risking limes and limb, but were eventually released.
Over the next four-and-a-half years, books were distributed and programs were held in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. Eventually a preaching center was established in Cairo (see photos below), where a dedicated congregation was gradually cultivated over the years. Some prominent members of Egyptian society (including a well-known journalist, yoga teacher, and movie star) attended classes regularly, and a core group of serious followers took up the chanting of Hare Krishna on a daily basis.
A number of devotees came and went over the years, and the program met with both success and failure. Nonetheless, Srila Prabhupada's books were distributed in the thousands and many Islamic people received prasadam and chanted the holy names of Krishna. Despite the risks involved, the devotees there took great comfort in remembering Srila Prabhupada's words (from a lecture at London's Conway Hall in 1969):
"Since we have started this movement in the Western countries, Europeans, Americans, Africans, Egyptians, and Japanese are all chanting. There is no difficulty. They are chanting very gladly and they are getting the results. What is the difficulty?" (Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 5)
Egypt was the first country in which Srila Prabhupada set foot outside India en route to America. He stopped in Port Said in 1965, and visited the town with the captain of the Jaladuta steamship. Therefore it was Srila Prabhupada himself who first initiated the preaching of Krishna consciousness in Egypt and the Middle East. He obviously had a great interest in spreading Lord Caitanya's transcendental message here, despite the obviously unsurmountable challenges, yet he vowed that Lord Caitanya Himself would deliver these souls back home, back to Godhead, no matter what. It was only "a question of time" in Srila Prabhupada's heart. After all, Lord Caitanya Himself predicted that the chanting of the holy name would be heard by in every town in the world.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
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Srila Prabhupada's
Middle East Preaching Program
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(1978 - 1983)
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(ISKCON Middle East logo and stamp designed by Tribhuvanatha Prabhu)
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