Millions of Muslims make pilgrimages to Marian shrines every year — not only to the major shrines such as Fatima in Portugal or Harissa in Lebanon, but also to shrines in Egypt, Syria and Iran.
Devotion to the Virgin Mary is quite strong in Islam, writes Vatican expert Father Samir Khalil Samir in an analysis for the AsiaNews service.
He notes: “The spiritual dialogue between Christians and Muslims is much more promising than cultural, theological, or political dialogue.”