Yesterday, on February 23rd 2009, an explosion hit Cairo’s Khan al-Khalili, a famous tourist spot. So far it is not yet clear who is responsible for the terror act. The way the action was carried out might be a sign that the explosion was not caused by “professional” terrorists but by “frustrated youths”.
Despite being a frequently visited tourist country, Egypt has been a target for Islamist terrorists for decades. The first Salafi group, the Muslim brothers, was founded in Egypt. That was back in 1928. When Egyptian presidents Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak followed a non-religious way of politics, Islamists were quick to declare war on them. Especially in the southern part of the country, terrorists were quite successful in cutting off government influence off villages and small towns. No wonder current president Hosni Mubarak makes no bones about Islamists.
Egypt’s Al-Ahram, however, presents this caricature (Feb 24th), entitled “The return of the black cloud”:
The black cloud carries the word “irhab – terror” in it. Beneath it the chap utters: “It fades!” It seems that many Egyptians do not take terrorism seriously. At least according to this caricaturist.
Posted by al-shahin 
