A pharmacists' strike and the repercussions of protests against traffic legislation on the part of truck drivers were both overshadowed by an act of terror in the historical, tourist-dominated district of Al-Hussein: Doaa El-Bey takes a look at the week's events as they were reflected in the Arab as well as the Egyptian press There was unanimity that there was no excuse for the terrorist bomb blast near Al-Hussein Mosque, one of Egypt's most famous religious and touristic sites. They all expressed hope that it was a single incident rather than the beginning of a series of terrorist acts like Egypt suffered from a few years back. Tariq Al-Homayed wrote that the danger of the terrorist act lies in the fact that it targets the tourist district of Al-Hussein as well as the Egyptian sector of tourism. Given that the income from tourism reached LE11 billion last year -- 11 per cent of the income -- and that it employs 12 per cent of the Egyptian manpower, the attack, without any doubt, targeted the economy as a whole. The timing of the explosion is also dangerous as it comes when the Middle East region is boiling. Thus it is easy to market the theory of a conspiracy and allow various parties to spread accusations here and there, according to their own aims and ends. However, the blast reminds us of the danger of terrorism and that "it is still alive among us and targets any country or sector as long as our societies are not alert enough or believe that terrorism is gone," Al-Homayed wrote in the London-based political daily Asharq Al-Awsat. Thus, the writer warned of coming up with excuses for any form of terrorism. Terrorism should be denounced regardless of its pretext. Mohamed Kaoush, who left Egypt one day before the explosion, expressed his deep sorrow, saying he had visited the site of the blast a few times and enjoyed the company of Egyptian, Arab and foreign tourists. He described the perpetrators of the explosion as merciless terrorist politicians who wear the cloak of religion. But the incident raised an important question: can tightening security protect any country -- not only Egypt -- from terrorist attacks? The truth is that security measures are just one factor for combating terrorism. Other measures that should be considered include social justice, providing work opportunities for youth, redistribution of wealth, respect for human rights and separation between the state authorities. "Security measures should be accompanied by social security and improving the standard of living of the citizen in order to avoid terrorist attacks like the Al-Hussein explosion," Kaoush wrote in the Jordanian political daily Al-Arab Al-Yom. Urayeb Al-Rantawi described the Al-Hussein explosion as a flagrant terrorist act that should be denounced on all levels. He rejected any claims that it was a response to Egypt's stand during the recent Israeli aggression against Gaza. He agreed that some facets of Egyptian diplomacy had angered some Palestinians, Arabs and even Egyptians, but that could not be a pretext for setting off a deadly explosion. "The only excuse for terrorism is terrorism," Al-Rantawi wrote in the independent Jordanian political daily Addustour. He expressed his hope that the explosion would be a one-off incident and not the beginning of a series of attacks like the ones that Egypt faced a few years ago especially at the present time when the economic crisis is starting to have an impact on the Arab countries, the rich as well as the poor. The United Arab Emirates political daily Akhbar Al-Khaleej denounced the explosion as a terrorist act that aimed to terrify innocent people. In addition, it is a cowardly act against a religious as well as a touristic site that people visit to know more about history, civilisation and heritage. He disagreed with analysts who wrote that the explosion was in response to Egypt's stand towards the Israeli aggression against Gaza. There is no relationship between killing a French citizen and injuring a few Egyptian civilians on the one hand and the political stand of the Egyptian authorities on the other hand. On the contrary, as the writer added, the explosion will turn the spotlight on the government and distract public attention from the issue of Gaza. To support his argument, the writer reminded the reader of one terrorist operation launched against Egypt a few years ago but which failed to reap any fruits. Moreover, during these attacks, the authorities and the people are focussed more on containing the situation as soon as possible at the expense of more important issues. "Experience shows that Egyptians do not sympathise with any terrorist act regardless of its objectives. They can differentiate between terrorist acts and political activities which are the right of every citizen within the boundaries of the law," the editorial read. The edit concluded by asking why should one resort to terrorism when the Egyptian arena is open to all kinds of political parties including the opposition. The Saudi daily Al-Riyadh questioned the significance of targeting Egypt. Is it because it is orchestrating Palestinian reconciliation and a truce with Israel, because of its stand with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, or because it backs Bahrain in facing Iranian whims? The editorial ruled out that the explosion was not planned, and was meant to harm tourism and the economy or probably harm the one major Arab state that draws up policies in times of war and peace. That explosion aimed at thwarting any role played by Egypt, but the awareness of the Egyptian leadership and people made the terrorist's job very difficult. Egypt has always supported other Arab states especially the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, in the efforts to rebuild Gaza and in holding negotiations with all the parties concerned including Israel. Thus "Egypt will always be victorious, regardless of the political campaigns and the terrorist attacks it faces," the edit concluded.
