Man moved by Palestinians’ greeting after walking from France to Al-Aqsa
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Roshan Amiri
- . April 20, 2023
- . Update: April 20, 2023 7:24 pm
A Muslim who arrived in Jerusalem by foot from his home country of France described the warm welcome he received from Palestinians while attending prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Neil Dauxois, a 26-year-old Lyon resident and the son of an Algerian mother and a French father, traveled 3,900 kilometers on foot. He traveled through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Jordan during his arduous 10-month trek.
He prayed at Al-Aqsa, the third holiest place in Islam, after arriving in Jerusalem. He did so last weekend on the final Friday of Ramadan and once more on Monday, which was Lailat Al-Qadr. This evening, sometimes referred to as the “Night of Power,” is the holiest one of the year for Muslims since it commemorates the night the Qur’an was sent from Heaven to the planet.
Shortly after landing at Al-Aqsa, Dauxois characterized his travel to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency as “sometimes it was overwhelmingly good and other times it was challenging.”
Hundreds of Palestinians excitedly greeted him at the mosque and took pictures with him that they afterwards posted on social media.
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When I arrived, I was shocked, Dauxois remarked. “I was getting kisses and hugs from people. They extended me a warm welcome. I am overjoyed to be here and have no words to express how I feel.”
He claimed that his goal was to get to the mosque so that he might offer itikaf there during Ramadan. Itikaf is the Islamic custom of spending the final 10 days of Ramadan in close quarters at a mosque or other location with the sole purpose of engaging in worship.
In Arabic and English, the words “France to Jerusalem on foot” were scrawled on Dauxois’ enormous, black knapsack when he arrived at Al-Aqsa.
Observing the young man from France arrive at Al-Aqsa on foot, a mosque worshiper remarked, “It is amazing to see how this young man came from France to Al-Aqsa on foot.”
Although Dauxois acknowledged that the cold had made it difficult in some areas to continue walking, he claimed his trek had been “an extraordinary adventure full of humanity and hope.”
