CAIRO: As news of the Dahab bombings spread through word of mouth, TV stations or mobile news services, Cairens varied in their initial reactions, even though they were united in condemning the events. Yesterday, as North Sinai suffered two more attacks, speculations were even more diversified.
On Monday night, when the news began circulating, coffee shop goers varied from speechless viewers glued to TV screens to apathetic teenagers and 20-somethings that turned their backs to the screens, instantly deciding to carry on with their lives.
Within hours people realized the full impact of the bombings whether on the national and economic scales or on the personal level.
The next day, many started sharing their friends and relatives experiences of the bombings. In every conversation there were tales of those who had canceled plans to go to Dahab just before the attacks, those who spent the night at the hospital tending to injured relatives and those who witnessed the event.
But the most important facet of the discussions was the analysis of events. Speculation over the nature of the attackers agenda, the impact the bombing would have on the economy and the tourism industry, along with possible cabinet changes dominated many a conversation.
Were the perpetrators aims political or economic?
According to Tamer Taha, owner of the New Wave Center in Sharm El Sheikh, the attacks aim to shake the tourism industry.
If the goal was to kill Egyptians, Taha explains, the attacks would have taken place in Cairo. But for the third time, he continues, Sinai suffers from triple bombings during tourist high seasons. He says that anyone could have been close to the explosions. It s just a coincidence that the victims were mainly Egyptians.
Taha says that even though there haven’t been large numbers of tourists packing the airports trying to leave, it doesn t mean that tourism won’t be affected. The impact will be felt later, he stresses, with an increase in cancellations.
His center is already receiving cancellations of planned tours and he has started refunding deposits.
Sharm El Sheikh s streets are empty, he says, since many tourists have been advised against leaving their hotels. Consequently, centers offering recreational activities (diving and safaris) like Taha s are currently inactive in spite of the number of tourists in the country. He says that the town s residential employees are devastated at the prospect of future unemployment.
He doesn t rule out the involvement of the Sinai Bedouins who could be retaliating for the offensive treatment of their tribes at the hands of security forces.
Others were less sure about the intentions of the assailants in spite of the unity in observations. Karim El Shennawy, a Cairo University student, says the frequency and the repeated pattern of attacks indicate that an organized, highly funded group is behind the events. Nonetheless, he couldn t pinpoint the organization s aims.
Ahmed Nassef, accountant, stressed the timing of the bombings that shook Taba, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab. All have occurred on holidays celebrating a national achievement. The message is to depict Egypt as an insecure land, Nassef suggests.
The aims are political and security-related, opined Diaa Rashwan, political analyst at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies and an expert on Islamic movements and terrorism.
Rashwan says the target is not tourism, rather giving the impression that Egypt can t protect the land it had freed.
Most probably, yesterday’s attacks are related to the Dahab bombings, he adds. He notes that the same scenario transpired in Sharm El Sheikh last year, when the multinational forces were attacked shortly after the triple bombings in the Red Sea resort. There is a pattern to their work, he says.
The security forces inability to prevent the events, in spite of the obvious pattern, has opened the door to feelings of insecurity and anxiety in Egyptians.
It s a disgrace that the country is not able to avoid such terrorist attacks, especially since they have been occurring on public holidays and national celebrations, says Mayar Naguib, public relations manager at a multinational corporation. It has happened three times in a row with Taba, Sharm El Sheikh and now Dahab.
What s next, if they can t even stop it? It can t be so hard to have security around all tourist regions.
El Shennawy, who regularly participates in student-run political activities, says that the Dahab bombings didn t affect his vacation plans but after hearing about yesterday’s attacks, he started reconsidering.
El Shennawy says that security measures are supposed to be at their best but in spite of them another set of bombings, albeit minor, took place. This indicates a serious security problem, he adds.
This doesn t mean I will stay home from now on but I will definitely consider the possibility of an attack before going out, says El Shennawy, who participates in a number of student-run political activities.
He adds that the frequency of the bombings (referring to Sharm El Sheikh and Taba) has left room for naïve speculations. El Shennawy used to laugh at those who say that Israel was behind the attacks or that the government was trying to create an excuse to renew the emergency laws. But now he thinks all theories are possible.
Speculation over a possible resignation of the Minister of Interior Affairs has been running high, either in favor of Minister Habib El-Adly or against him.
Nassef thinks there is no one person to blame for the incident and that El-Adly is a victim like the others. He is not the reason, explains Nassef. We have holes in the system and gaps [that] we must deal [with].
Others see a cabinet change as the government s only way to maintain credibility. El Shennawy thinks a change in the Ministry of Interior is inescapable but others remain skeptical.
