By El-Sayed Eleiwa Sinai is our eastern shield and the shield is showing cracks. There is frustration and anger in the air. The inhabitants of that peninsula, which is one-sixth of Egypt's area, are fed up. They are fed up with police harassment. They are fed up with administrative neglect. And their anger weighs heavily on the entire nation. Throughout its history, Egypt has defended itself through Sinai. For centuries, it sent its armies through Sinai to Palestine and Syria to keep off the invaders. More recently, we fought Israel, more than once, in Sinai. So we cannot afford to let disappointment grow into wrath and frustration into despair. Sinai needs our attention. It needs our sympathy. And it needs a sustained development plan. From anger grows extremism and from repression grows violence. So let's not sow the seeds of a bitter harvest. Sinai needs health and education. It needs a wide array of services and a gentler approach. The Bedouins of Sinai are not illegal aliens. They are part and parcel of this nation. And if we're really worried about terrorism and its impact on tourism, then we should worry about them and their welfare. We cannot ignore how the Bedouins feel about harsh security or sloppy administration. We cannot let the Bedouins have second thoughts about their loyalty to the country or the country's loyalty to them. The government should do more for Sinai. Civil society should do more. And Egypt's businessmen should do more. Sinai needs agriculture, universities, factories and schools. And it needs someone to listen. I know we all care, but we have to show that we care. Sinai should be on the top of our development programme. Sinai needs humanitarian, environmental and social projects. This week's Soapbox speaker is a professor of political science at Helwan University.
