'Random operations'
Apparently the suicide attacks in Riyadh and Casablanca will not catalyse a comeback of militant Islamist operations in Egypt. Jailan Halawi investigates
The Riyadh and Casablanca bombings sparked fears that Egypt's militant armed Islamist group -- Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya -- might try to revive its military operations, thus breaching a six -year-old unilateral cease-fire initiative. In a statement published in an Arabic daily newspaper on Monday 26 May, however, the group's incarcerated leaders denounced the recent blasts and emphasised their commitment to abandoning violence.
In the statement, the group's so-called historic leaders called upon Muslim youths around the world to avoid taking part in "random" Al- Qa'eda operations like Riyadh and Casablanca because they "violate the [principles of] Islamic Shari'a (law)."
The statement also pointed out that these kinds of attacks would drive the Muslim world into "enmity with the rest of the world", a situation with serious repercussions.
"We are fully aware that these kinds of operations [suicide attacks] are only a reflection of people's frustration regarding the unfairness of events in Palestine and elsewhere...[but] these kinds of attacks are not necessarily the best remedy," the statement said.
The statement suggested that the best way to confront the Muslim world's troubles was by "uniting the ranks" of its peoples and governments, and "making it clear that since we don't aim to harm any nation in any way, they should not target us either".
This statement appeared just three days after an audio tape was aired by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel, allegedly featuring leading Al-Qa'eda figure Ayman El-Zawahiri -- Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man -- calling on Muslims to launch attacks against Western targets.
Reportedly, El-Zawahiri urged Muslims to force Westerners out of the "land of Islam" -- not using "protests and conferences" but via the only language they understand: "bloodshed". El-Zawahiri was also critical of many Arab governments, accusing them of supporting the US's invasion of Iraq.
Before fleeing Egypt in the early 80s, El-Zawahiri was the leader of the militant Al-Jihad group, which he continued to direct from abroad, until he became Bin Laden's deputy in the Al-Qa'eda network. Sources close to militants say that although members of Egypt's Al-Jihad group still respect El-Zawahiri's ideologies, they are not bound to follow his orders.
In the early 1990s, Egypt waged a fierce battle against the terror tactics employed by Islamist groups waging a violent campaign to topple the government. This wave of violence claimed the lives of over 1,200 people, mainly policemen and militants.
In July 1997, six influential Al-Gama'a leaders serving sentences for their role in the assassination of President Anwar El-Sadat in 1981 declared a unilateral cease-fire initiative, urging their followers to halt all anti-government attacks. Four months later the bloodiest attack yet took place in Luxor, leaving 58 tourists and four Egyptians dead. It ended up being the last major violent incident, after which all the militant factions committed to their leaders' call.
Political analysts remained divided regarding the initiative's authenticity, with some describing it as a manoeuvre to buy time, reunite the groups' ranks, and prepare for a new offensive. Others argued that more than six years of fighting had taught the group's leadership that violence had brought more harm than good to their movement, and that it was useless to try to topple a powerful regime by force. In four books published last year, the jailed leaders explained their shift in strategies as being based on Islamic Shari'a, which prohibits the killing of civilians as well as rebelling against the state.
However sincere the cease-fire may be, Egypt's security apparatus is not taking any chances. Police have deployed more plain-clothes officers at hotels and tourist sites, and a heavier security presence, in general, has become noticeable on most Cairo streets. Police have not only taken steps to protect embassies, homes of foreigners, hotels and tourist sites, but intensified their activities on Egypt's borders to prevent militants from infiltrating the country.
