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COURAGE UNDER FIRE
The tourism industry has been given another whack with the April
24 terrorist attack in Dahab, a popular resort town on Sinai’s
Red Sea coast. The triple bombing attack, which killed 23 people
and injured over 80, only confirmed what we already suspected: terrorists
have taken aim at Egypt’s tourism sector. But it has also made
clear that Egyptians, not foreigners, are the primary target.
Like the July 2005 Sharm Al Sheikh attack before it, the Dahab attack
coincided with a holiday weekend when Egyptian tourists traditionally
flock to the Red Sea resorts. And once again, Egyptians made up
the majority of the dead, accounting for all but three of the fatalities.
In case anyone still doubts this was merely collateral damage, one
should remember that in the Sharm attack, the terrorists exploded
one of their bombs in a café frequented almost exclusively
by Egyptian workers, 17 of which were killed in the blast.
How frustrated these groups must be that after their October 2004
attack in Taba, tourism quickly bounced back. After the triple bombing
in Sharm, Egypt went on to report record tourist numbers. And, following
the latest attack in Dahab, I predict, tourists will continue to
visit Sinai’s beach resorts.
In fact, many never left. Even as the debris was being cleaned from
gutted shops and broken glass swept from the street, it was, in
many ways, business as usual. Sunbathers lounged on the beach, divers
explored nearby reefs and tourists smoked shisha in the town’s
outdoor cafés.
Terrorism, sadly enough, has become a global reality and after years
of fearful fretting, people have come to accept that there is no
way to avoid it. If the terrorist attack on Dahab has demonstrated
one thing, it’s that those bent on destroying life won’t
stop. But neither will we. If our reaction to the string of bombings
in Sinai over the past 18 months is any indicator, our courage to
preserve a dignified life is far stronger than their desire to destroy
it.
CAM MCGRATH
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