CAIRO: It wasn’t long into the aftermath of the latest Sinai bombing that the people in Dahab, and the rest of the country, began anxiously pondering who was responsible for the recent string of violence that has plagued the country. Suffice it to say, this haven has, in many ways, been isolated from the mayhem that has inundated Egypt over the past 18 months, be it terrorism or politics. The majority of locals, both Egyptians and ex-pats that I spoke to, in Dahab following the bombing turned to me with the same questions: “What have we done to deserve this? One man, a jewelry vendor who has called Dahab home for the past 16 years, referred to those who died in the bombing as his children (21 of the 24 victims were local Egyptians working as waiters and salesclerks). A flurry of arrests serves to demonstrate the Egyptian authorities swift reaction to the recent string of bombings. However, some are questioning the motives behind the investigation. Hundreds of Bedouins were rounded up in connection with the attacks on Taba, Nuweiba and Ras Shaitan in October 2004, and later on Sharm El-Sheikh last July. A security fence was later begun around Sharm El-Sheikh, the government calling it a string of checkpoints, critics going as far as to call it a “ring of steel. The Bedouins of Dahab were out in full force this week, ready to give interviews to the international media that swarmed the serene beach town, going the extra mile to state their case. The Bedouins of the Mazena tribe insist that the government would benefit from giving them a leading role in protecting the land. The government maintains, however, that Bedouin tribes serve as local conduits for terror organizations outside Egypt to tap into the country’s weaknesses without setting foot within its borders. Of course, the government has got its share of critics outside of Egypt. Comments made by President Hosni Mubarak earlier this month in a rare interview first aired by Al-Arabiya television, set off a wave of criticism both from his Arab allies and the West.
Mubarak expressed his sentiment that Iraq was on the brink of civil war, a fact that most leaders have steered clear of acknowledging thus far. Western leaders might feel it would undermine their efforts to liberate Iraq. Arab leaders, the new Iraqi government especially, are desperately seeking to paint a picture for the world that the situation in the war torn nation is actually regaining civility. Mubarak would go a step further, suggesting that Iraqi Shiites are more loyal to Iran than to war-torn Iraq. His comment was immediately interpreted has having sectarian connotations, and many analysts suggested that it could elicit a wave of retaliation. Consequently, the blasts occurred merely one day after Osama Bin Laden’s latest video release threatened attacks against Westerners. Egyptian authorities do not believe the Al-Qaeda leader’s message is linked to Monday’s bombings, although the U.S. government has not entirely ruled it out. Following the bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh, two groups claimed responsibility the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a division of Al-Qaeda, and a previously unknown Egypt-based group called Holy Warriors. Within hours of the attacks, however, the Holy Warriors would condemn the attacks, immediately eliminating one of dozens of possible suspects. Thus far, no group or individuals have claimed responsibility. Following the bombings in London last July, police in the United Kingdom and Egypt would immediately single out Egyptian chemist Magdy El-Nashar as the possible mastermind. El-Nashar was later cleared of the charges, however, but only after his name and photograph graced televisions and newspapers around the world as a terror suspect. Ask yourselves this: had America or Madrid or London not recognized the ways of their error, could they have been targeted even more times than the tiny Sinai Peninsula? The calls for the resignation of Interior Minister Habib El-Adly are by no means new-fangled. However, if there is one thing Dahab residents insisted over the past week, it is that they knew their quiet beach town was in danger of being targeted long before this past Shamm El-Nessim holiday.
Of course, we could just build a ring around Egypt to keep the bad people from coming in; we can check the trunks of cars; use metal detectors at all the major hotels; arrest hundreds, even thousands of people; monitor mobile phones, computers, media outlets and more. But the fact remains, if there was ever a time when true reform was imperative for the endurance of this great nation, it had better be now before any more innocent lives are lost.
