Origin and Destiny Modern extremism in the Sinai began in its Sinai mosques. The first founder of a strongly religious group was named Salah Shehada, who abused religious fervor amongst tribes in the Sinai. Salah El Din Hussien At the beginning of the 19th century, orientalist Naom Shokier, while recording Sinai's history, wrote that while inhabitants of Sinai declare that Islam is their faith, there are none among them who is aware of its rituals for prayer. This feature of religious unawareness has governed the lives of people in the Sinai for many years. There were none among them who attended to prayer except for only a few. Even those did pray did not do so in the correct orders of prayer, but rather whenever they felt like praying. That contradicts the ritual of five prayers in their proper sequence. Had it not been for the celebration of the Sacrifice Feast (Eid al-Adha), and their constant mention of the prophet, using his name in oath and honoring his name when mentioned, they might easily be mistaken for non-Muslims. It is probable that Shokier exaggerated the description of religion in the Sinai Peninsula during that time, yet views on religion began to change after formation of the state of Israel. Inhabitants of Sinai eventually found themselves invaded by Israel. Even before the invasion, by the mid twentieth century a number of Sinai residents had formed resistance groups in Palestine, however, these groups were not extremist in nature. Sinai society did actively accept any form of resistance except for the Sufi resistance group led Sheikh Eid Abou Gerir. Sheikh Eid Abou Gerir was a descendant of the ancient Swarka tribe. His movement spread quickly and was joined by thousands of Sinai people, it even expanded later to cross to the valley. His relationship with state was highly regarded. The occupation of Sinai did escalated resistance awareness which remained after the complete liberation of Sinai in 1982. Society suddenly began to search for the next contentious issue to replace the traditional liberation case, and the traditional enemy of Israel. The environmental and socioeconomic factors led to directing the energy of resistance to the spiritual and religious. Moreover, the Egyptian state acted as if the entire Sinai Peninsula was a forgotten part on the Egyptian map. Separate religious groups began that adopted ideologically perverted frames of thought fueled by especially economic pressures, though social isolation, and an absence of development projects also played a role. Young people born after liberation had the tendency to remain isolated in the Sinai. Based on their limited knowledge of religion coupled by desperate desire to break free from Egyptian government control, the groups began to elect leaders (emirs) to escape from an unfair reality. Eventually these groups took to becoming local Takfiri groups (groups that declare other Muslims apostates) and cluster cells rejecting society. They managed to fall into the same errors committed by their predecessors who shook the stability of in the ‘90s. For its part, the Egyptian government did not play its role in attempting to reform such extremist religion or attempt to incorporate the disaffected youths into society once more. These astray individuals went as far as refusing to eat with their parents, and tried to divorce their mothers from their fathers, and that was the maximum form of extremism that they practiced. In Al Abbasy mosque, the oldest in Sinai, Sheikh Salah Shehada, later a famous leader in Al Qassam sbrigade, founded Al Jamaa Al Islamya (Islamic Group) which was the first religious clear-cut organization is Sinai during occupation. Its role was limited to attending to religious awareness to resist the Israeli occupation in Sinai. Over time, the Takfiri infection spread, finding fertile land for Sayyid Qutb's doctrines in a community that has been subjected to isolation both geographically and intentionally. The Palestinian Start After the peace treaty, a group of university youngsters started returning to Sinai carrying with them the radical religious ideas which lead to the wide spread of Wahhabism throughout Sinai for the first time. In the year 1984 a teacher named Mahmoud Adam founded a branch for Al Tabligh Wa Al Dawaa (Informing and Invitation) that advocated its followers to start a religious war for God. The group grew immensely. The Followers of Qutb in Sinai The Qutb doctrine was introduced in Sinai in 1979 camouflaged under the name Al Gamaa Al Salafia (the Salfi Group) that was founded by Hamdi Eskandar aka Abou Islam. It later became Ahl Al Sunna Wa Al Gamaa headed by Al Shiekh Assad Al Beik. Although this group did not carry arms, it sewed many seeds for Sayyid Qutb's thoughts in its most radical version. In their view, society has returned to Jaahili- its pre-Islamic barbarity, and that the current rulers of the state are unbelievers. However, it was a group called Al Mahakem Al Shariea (Courts of Sharia), based out of Ariesh, Sheikh Zowaid and Rafah first mutinied against the Egyptian authorities. These have also managed to spread widely in a Bedouin environment that bore few features of a modern state. In 1992 a dispute erupted between the main groups of Al Jamaa, out of which many branches sprouted under different names. Names started to appear such as Al Tawheed Wa Al Jihad, Al Salifa Al Jihadia, Takfeerien, Al Qaida and Salfia Dawiya. Each group claimed to be the only true believers, while all the others were unbelievers. This major dispute revolved around the way the ruler should be perceived. Suicidal Acts, and Explosions The Egyptian state was shaken awake by an explosion in Taba. The surprise was not only due to the type of operation and losses, but that it was committed by an organization of Sinai origin. Security authorities were under the impression that they had eradicated terrorism in its original habitat in upper Egypt, and all its cells that had spread in Cairo. That is why this was rather a huge surprise as it came from Sinai region thought to be placid with no religious violence for years. The state and religious organizations had overlooked the jihadi doctrines that were spreading like cancer all over the Sinai for over 30 years. Due in part to neglect of the Sinai, both the state and religious organizations had helped drive its spread unknowingly. This was realized after the series of successive explosions. It started with Taba, through Dhab reaching Sharm El Sheikh. The state began with the easiest solution- attempting eradication of these groups, leaving the social, economic and ideological aspects of the groups untouched. Religious organizations failed to deliver answers to the the perverted religious speech of Takfiri groups. The Year for Expansion Sinai militants did not believe in the legitimacy of president Morsi through election results. They issued statements declaring that election through voting is sinful. To some of them, Morsi and his group were seen as Al Taghout (the devil). However, they did consider Morsi's rule as an excellent opportunity to be bolstered by money and manpower so as to prepare for the right moment to announce an Islamic Emirate. The field was made ripe for propagating their thoughts and recruitment effort. Morsi, in turn, used these fundamentalists as deterrent against civil opposition on one side, and on the other against state institutions- especially the army. Under Morsi the expansion of jihadi groups in Sinai was revealed through case of the Nasr City Cell. These investigations proved that a whole arsenal of weapons was smuggled from the Libyan border to be stacked in secret places belonging to Takfiri groups in the Sinai peninsula. Investigation by state security into Mohamed Gamal Al Kashef, also known as Abou Ahmed, revealed that they were able to smuggle rockets from Libya via aid from the Islamic Emirate in the north of Mali. This whole process happened during the time of president Morsi. What was much more dramatic though, was the way Morsi handled the soldiers kidnappers in Sinai. He described both the kidnappers and the kidnapped as "our sons." Their release that was done through mediation with jihadists and was considered a political gain on his side. Caravans Advocacy Religious institutes recalled some Salfi advocacy groups after these two incidents in Sinai. This recollection brought to life the fact that Sinai has become a havon for Takfiri doctrines. These institutes decided to announce the organization of advocacy caravans in Sinai. This announcement was widely welcomed by media. The sheikh of Ahl Al Sunna group in Sinai described these caravans as "ones than have gone astray." An article by the Washington Institute researcher Aaron Y. Zelin may have helped to clear some of the mysterious shadows around Morsi's relationship with Jihadists. In his book, "The Jihadist on the Nile," the American researcher wrote that Washington ought to work with the Muslim Brotherhood to encourage a demobilization of jihadi groups. To reintegrate them with society and bring them into the political process. Zelin also wrote that Egypt may yet adopt one aspect Saudi Arabia's approach: using mainstream clerics from al-Azhar to convince jihadists that their interpretations of certain Islamic sources is faulty. He also said that high-ranking members of al-Gamaa al-Islamiyah (GI) who denounced violence in the late 1990s should also be part of such discussions, as should former Islamic Jihadist Organization members who accepted GI's revisions. Sinai Extremism Outcome A year and a half into a war on terrorism in Sinai has gone by without serious indications of victory, although it has been stressed that the extremists number only a few hundred. The majority of the military operations in Sinai take place in civilian inhabited areas. Most of these areas are in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid as well as the nearby Algoura, and Almahdeya. Military operations are obstructed and hindered from using excessive force by the presence of civilians. However, that jihadists dwell amongst civilians indicates that at least some villagers do sympathize and accommodate them. There has been no other path besides the security and military method yet utilized in attempting to eradicate these organizations in Egypt. The past ten years of experience that Egypt had dealing with these groups should have suggested other options, especially that these groups remained despite the heavy security blows. Sinai organizations, besides being a hurdle to the Egyptian army, will create more crises if these organizations plead allegiance the Islamic State group. It may create an additional threat in the east of the country to add to the danger creeping from the western boundaries. There is hardly any visual communiqué from ISIS leaders, that did not include words from jihadist leaders such as Abou Omar Al Baghdadi, former prince for this organization, Abou Mohamed Al Adnany the organization's spokesman, or Abou Mosaab Al Zarqawi the initial founder. The the beheading video of the four that the organization claimed were Mossad agents was broadcasted after the group alleged that the four had leaked information that lead to killing of their leaders. That was an indication too that the Sinai organization is following the footsteps of IS. The organization may wait during the next days just to affirm its status with regards to the struggle that is now between Al Qaida and ISIS. Whatever side they take will evoke internal divisions that are outside the current struggle with the Egyptian state.
