Last week just as the 55th Munich Security Conference came to a close, two terror attacks happened in Egypt. Coincidentally, Egypt was one of the participants in the 3-day conference which emphasized the necessity of international cooperation in the fight against terror which poses a threat against global security and stability and hinders harmonious international relations. In short, if the international community were to allow terror groups to continue their concerted operations, then human development would come at a standstill.
In his speech to the participating world leaders, President Abd El Fatah El Sisi warned that if the international community does not adopt a comprehensive coordinated effort against terror, then it would only continue to penetrate global security. President El Sisi added that not reforming religious discourse would pose a danger to both Muslim and non-Muslim states. El Sisi reminded the audience that he previously warned the international community of the importance of reforming religious discourse, he also alluded to the attacks that the world has faced as a result of such religious teachings. He finally said that not reforming religious discourse would have dire consequences on the world.
Just days after the Munich Conference ended, two diabolical terror attacks took place in Egypt; the first was in North Sinai and the second one happened in Cairo in the heart of Al Azhar. Such events proved President El Sisi’s point that the forces of extremism still target Egypt and the rest of the Middle East.
Al Majalla spoke with Mohamed El-Orabi, former Egyptian Foreign Minister, current Egyptian MP and Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives as he spoke of the global threat of terrorism and Egypt’s efforts in countering them.
Mohamed El-Orabi told Al Majalla that Egypt is currently in an era of stability and that the recent terror attacks were in response to the state’s achievements and served to obstruct Egypt from furthering its goals.
El Orabi also said that rather than states acting on their own accord, there needs to be a concerted global effort in tackling terrorism. This is because terror organizations have proved to be quicker and more effective in their use of social media and other media platforms for spreading their propaganda. He commended Egypt’s counterterrorism strategy as it was an initiative to stop terror attacks from becoming a common occurrence, rather than a response to widespread terrorism.
The former Foreign Minister would also state that terrorists were not the only threat to the region’s security as he went on to say that there are foreign intelligence agencies infiltrating their own home grown terrorist elements fighting in the region as to ensure that they never go back to their countries. Moreover, while ISIS is coming to its end, there are still eight armies fighting on Syrian soil, most of the states fighting in Syria are only there for their own self-interests rather than ending the war. Examples of such armies that are putting Syria’s future in jeopardy include those of Iran, Russia and Turkey.
Additionally, he claimed that there are those who want the Middle East to remain in a state of disarray. He gave the example of Libya which is in a worse state than Syria since it has become exposed to extremist elements from Mali, Chad and Niger. He also gave this example to showcase how zealous ideologies have become rampant throughout the African continent as well; in spite of Egypt’s precarious geographic position it is highly capable of protecting its borders in all situations.
Al Orabi has also asserted that it is paramount for the international community to adopt a global strategy that will cut off all sources of terror; he went on to say that some of the biggest terrorist funders took part in the Munich Conference. Major General Salama El Gohary, the Head of the Defense and National Security Committee of the House of Representatives and the former Commander of the Egyptian Counterterrorism Unit, told Al Majalla that the people of Egypt are well aware of the Muslim Brotherhood’s terror plots, but are not afraid of any terror attacks. He also reiterated that Islam has nothing to do with such terrorist ideology or activity.
Moreover, El Gohary cited the instability in the Arab world as one of the drivers for increased terror activities throughout Europe, pointing out that combating terrorism and genuinely confronting it will guarantee stability of the Arab region to which he commended Egypt for successfully going through with robust counterterrorism measures.
El Gohary also told Al Majalla that Qatar is the main funder of terrorist groups in the region since it annually buys 65 billion dollars’ worth of weaponry and only uses a scarce amount for itself. The rest of the purchased arms are given to terrorist organizations throughout the world.
Dr. Mohamed Gomaa, an expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, pointed out that international human rights organizations unfairly criticize Egypt for its counterterrorist operations since they are highly politicized and biased against the state’s efforts in protecting its civilians. Furthermore, Turkey has close ties with terrorist groups in Syria and repeatedly sends ships filled with ammunition to Libya. Despite these perils, Egypt has been able to overcome many risks such as those posed by returning fighters from Syria.
A senior Egyptian security source close to Al Majalla confirmed that the suicide bomber who blasted himself in El Darb Al Ahmar has American citizenship and that he was previously arrested for a murder case, having only been released 3 months ago.
Our source has also told us that the terrorist’s father is a physician and is sympathetic to jihadist ideology and has held on to such extremist views even before he immigrated to the US two decades ago. According to our source the suicide bomber was a 37 old American citizen called El Hassan Abd Allah and hails from a rich family living in Misr El Gedida. His radical father, meanwhile, still lives in the US and other members of the assailant’s family also have American citizenship.
