Doaa El-Bey asks on what basis the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt selects officials Newspapers followed the latest developments in the battle against terrorism in Sinai. Al-Ahram on Sunday had "Redeploying army in Sinai to face criminal focal points", and Al-Masry Al-Youm wrote "Army discloses results of Operation Eagle: 32 killed, 58 arrested and 31 passages destroyed". El-Sayed Naim stressed the importance of continuing these operations until Sinai is purged of terrorism following the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers two months ago in Rafah by as yet unidentified assailants. Naim wrote that there is no accurate information on whether Operation Eagle stopped or not. Unofficial information reveals that the operation was halted at one time but then it discloses that it took a rest in preparation for another round but that after a third time it stated that the operation stopped. However, Naim regarded it extremely important that Operation Eagle continues with the same efficiency "until it completely recaptures a dear part of our land from the hands of terrorist groups and criminal organisations especially after brutal attack in Rafah." Although the criminal groups in Sinai are using modern terrorist methods, Naim added, the Egyptian army is capable of confronting them. In spite of the difficulties and the explosive devices that these groups use, the army managed to kill and detain dozens of them. Despite the successes that the army achieved, Naim added, widening the army operations to cover all parts of Sinai is required because the issue is not in pursuing some terrorists; there is a conspiracy against the country to separate Sinai from Egypt. "It is a genuine battle. We will not be intimidated by Israeli statements (that there are too many Egyptian soldiers in Sinai) because Sinai is part of our land and it is our right to defend it in the way we want, not according to the Camp David accords which need to be amended," Naim wrote in the official daily Al-Gomhuriya. In his regular column in the official daily Al-Ahram Makram Mohamed Ahmed focussed on the people of Sinai. Mohamed Ahmed wrote that there are two basic demands the people in Sinai have had for a long time, and which marred their relationship with the state. First, the right to own land. "Most Sinai residents have old official documents that prove their ownership of the land. All they need is a new law that gives them the right to own the land like other citizens in the Delta or any other region in Egypt." That demand, as Mohamed Ahmed added, is fair and boosts the citizen's affiliation to his country. The other demand, which all the heads of the tribes in Sinai consider important, is dropping the criminal charges passed in absentia against hundreds of citizens who belong to different clans. Most of these people, Mohamed Ahmed explained, escaped these sentences and took shelter in the mountains which are a safe haven for armed extremist groups. If those convicted in absentia leave the mountains, the armed groups would be isolated and their basic needs would not be met. Newspapers and writers continued to monitor the performance of President Mohamed Mursi. The selection of governors last week was subject to scrutiny by writers. Mahmoud Ghallab wrote that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) followed the previous regime in appointing trusted rather than skilled people. Newspapers pointed to membership in or affiliation to the MB as the criteria for appointing the new governors. Skills and appropriateness to the post came second. Ghallab pointed to Nader Bakkar, the spokesman of the Salafist Al-Nour Party who was appointed in various posts as an example of how the MB wants to appease the Salafis. "Posts turn up to trusted people either because they belong to the MB or to appease another party or group. As for experience and skills, they have no value," Ghallab wrote in the daily Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the opposition Wafd Party. Generally speaking writers welcomed Mursi's meeting with a group of actors and intellectuals. Galal Dweidar who welcomed the encounter, wrote that what the entertainers said during the meeting represents the heritage of the country which dates back thousand of years. That heritage is the outcome of human civilisations that were blended together to produce the unique Egyptian character. However, Dweidar added that the artists talked clearly about their fears regarding the organised trend to Brotherhood the state and erasing its character. There was also questions from them regarding what is taking place on the ground. That doubt was emphasised by the deliberate plan not to invite certain artists or intellectuals in a clear sign of an active expulsion or marginalisation policy as well as by the claim that appointing Brotherhood leaders in the press and media would not affect the freedom of opinion and expression. "While we welcome Mursi's meeting with the actors which was characterised by frankness, one should re-emphasise the importance of credibility and transparency," Dweidar wrote in the official daily Al-Akhbar. Khaled El-Sherif also called for transparency but from the new government led by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil. Post-revolution Egypt, he wrote, should not start its quest for development by borrowing from the World Bank especially when it is widely known that a loan from the World Bank shackles the country rather than develops it. Why would Egypt want to handcuff itself? Yes, there is a big deficit in the budget and a state of economic stagnation after the revolution, El-Sherif explained, but reforming the state will not be by disobeying Allah's teachings and accepting a loan with interest. El-Sherif concluded by calling on Qandil's government to be more transparent regarding the loan and inform the public about all the conditions involved in it. Then, it will be up to the people to decide whether they want the loan. El-Sherif added in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm that the matter should be presented to an economic committee which abides by Sharia to decide whether the loan conforms to Islamic law.
