Jailan Halawi spent the week in Sharm El-Sheikh, in an attempt to discover how the blood-stained Red Sea resort was coping with the effects of last Saturday's blasts The 23 July terror attacks targeting the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh left their gruesome scars on the town and the people that call it home. But while Egypt's self-titled City of Peace was literally shocked by the bombs that killed 67 and wounded 200 in the wee morning hours of this year's Revolution Day holiday, the sorrow, disbelief, and awe did not give way to despair. The shop owners who suffered tremendous losses, the hotel managers whose businesses are at stake, the ordinary employees whose bread and butter has been harmed, as well as the foreign and local tourists whose lives were suddenly at risk, all expressed their sadness and anger at the attacks, while insisting that their city "will not be defeated by such cowardly acts of insanity and lost faith". The blasts targeted the Old Market, the five-star Ghazala Gardens Hotel and a beach front parking lot, vital areas in a city that is widely considered Egypt's premier holiday resort. President Hosni Mubarak, who toured the city soon after the attacks, said the killing of innocent people would only serve to stiffen his resolve to combat militants. "This will only make us more determined to pursue terrorism and dig it out by the roots. We will not give in to its blackmail, or seek a truce." By nightfall, Neama Bay (site of the beach front parking lot and the Ghazala Hotel) was clearly trying its best to prove that life goes on. The city's coolest nightspots kept the music playing; tourists were urged to sing and dance along. "It's our duty to keep the spirit, to avoid giving the impression that there is fear in the air. Our goal is to attract, not drive off the tourists. Now more than ever we must do all we can to maintain what we've worked so hard over the years to build," Abdel-Hamid El-Emari, owner of Neama Bay's Panorama restaurant told Al-Ahram Weekly. Although many tourists were trying to leave, those that chose to stay were welcomed with open arms. "Sharmers are determined to combat those lunatics via hard work, loads of smiles and an olive branch," said Ahmed, a young dive centre owner. The 32-year-old came to Sharm 12 years ago to visit his cousin Gamal, who works at a five-star hotel by the bay. "I fell in love with the city's unique spirit; the beauty of nature, along with the tolerance and cultural diversity. My dream was to live near the sea, have a peaceful life where people work hard to establish both themselves and their community, while still having time to enjoy life. I found my utopia here, and so did a lot of other people, and that's why we won't ever allow anyone to threaten that." Known as the jewel of Egypt's tourism industry, frequented by visitors from all over the world, Sharm El-Sheikh's charms include water sports, desert safaris, Bedouin adventures, candle-lit parties in the mountains, and international cuisine at the various five-star hotels flanked by the sea. Its rich natural resources have attracted foreign and local investors who -- since 1982 when Sinai was returned to Egypt after a peace treaty was signed with Israel in 1978 -- have helped the single-hotel town grow into the thriving destination it is today. The resort has thus become an employment- generating centre attracting young and ambitious people from all across the country. On Sunday, Sharmers showed their true mettle. More than 1,000 people -- including hotel owners, managers and employees, Bedouin sheikhs, foreign investors and tourists -- marched along the city's main street, called Peace Road, to condemn the attacks and pay tribute to the victims. "We are not scared," they shouted. "You have failed, and Sharm El-Sheikh remains the land of peace," read some of the banners they held. Waving Egyptian flags and holding aloft signs with positive messages scrawled in Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian and Russian, the march was an inspiring sight. "We refuse to be terrorised," were the words written on the chefs' hats worn by the city's cooks. Other employees had the same slogan printed on their t-shirts. The marchers performed funeral prayers for the dead in front of the debris of the Ghazala Hotel; others placed flowers and lit candles. "It is impossible for anyone who has interests in this country to sympathise with such attacks, no matter what the motives behind them are," said Ramadan Hussein, a Ghazala employee. Also present at the march were sheikhs from Al-Azhar, Egypt's oldest religious establishment. One told the Weekly, "we came today to announce our condemnation of the attacks, and stress that killing innocent people contradicts the principles of all religions." On Monday at noon, a group of tourists marched along the bay to prove that the attacks were not going to scare them away from enjoying the resort: "I worked in Iraq and have seen things that are a hundred times worse, so I am not scared at all. What happened won't affect my decision to come again," said Lee McDonald, a resident of the UK. An Irish tourist named David echoed the sentiment: "We are happy here, and won't end our visit. Despite what happened, Egypt remains a safe and friendly country." An Egyptian family agreed. "We simply love it here; we've been spending our summer holidays here for years, and every year we enjoy ourselves more. What happened is not the city's fault, and people here are doing their very best to make our stay superb," Sherif Taher said. "So why would we leave?" At the Old Market on Monday night, things also seemed to be getting back to normal. Much of the debris had been cleaned up. Shop owners interviewed by the Weekly expressed their optimism and determination to resist what they described as "the forces of evil". Tourists were back on the streets, enjoying the bazaar-like atmosphere. Some were in the market's baladi cafés sipping mint tea and smoking their shishas, while others shopped for souvenirs to take back home. By Monday night, things were almost entirely back to normal. A DJ from Cairo's Nile FM English radio station, who was broadcasting live from the bay, reinforced that feeling. "All seems well over here," she said, "and tourists are having lots of fun." On Tuesday morning, a group of movie stars and intellectuals flew in to visit the injured at the hospital, place flowers on the debris, and express their support for all the efforts being made to maintain the city's reputation. Umm Zein, a Bedouin from a nearby village, seemed to sum up the mood. "This land that is so naturally blessed," she said, "will surely overcome this ordeal -- as long as its people are united peacefully with love."
