CAIRO - Very few people could see logic in naming a follower of a militant Islamist group as governor of the popular tourist haven Luxor. Giving the post to Adel el-Khayat, a member of the one-time terror group Gama'a Islamiyya, which was implicated in a 1997 massacre against foreign tourists in Luxor, understandably raised eyebrows inside and outside Egypt. Faced with massive protests, el-Khayat announced Sunday he has offered his resignation as Luxor governor. Still, his resignation should not mask the imprudence of his pick in the first place. El-Khayat's appointment revived the grim memories related to the slaying of 64 people, including 58 tourists, at Queen Hatshepsut's Temple. Gama'a Islamiyya was also involved in the assassination of late president Anwar el-Sadat in 1981. The appointment was made public as Luxor was struggling to recover from turmoil that has gripped Egypt for more than two years now, taking its toll on the tourism industry. Luxor, which mainly depends on tourism for its earnings, has since been in the doldrums. In reaction to el-Khayat's appointment, tour operators cancelled planned trips to Luxor whose people held a series of protests and even barred the new governor from entering his office. Tourism Minister Hesham Zazzou offered his resignation in protest, warning against what he called "dire consequences" of el-Khayat's appointment for Egypt. The news and its implications, moreover, captured headlines of major media outlets around the world. "I can't trust this man to preserve my heritage when he comes from a group that believes our antiquities are blasphemous," Hesham Desouky, the manager of a travel agency in Luxor, told the Wall Street Journal. "There were 50 tourists signed up to attend tours with our company and when this news came out, everyone slowly started to cancel their trips," he added. El-Khayat has repeatedly denied links to the 1997 slayings and promised to work hard to revive Luxor's stature as a major world tourist destination. Doubts abounded he would succeed. The background of his group, which renounced violence some years ago, would have blocked any effort on his part to do this. Radical Islamists are perceived to have a hostile stance against antiquities, with some militants recently appearing on TV screens demanding "these idols" be destroyed or covered in wax. Leaders in Gama'a Islamiyya, which now has a recognised political party, said last week they were surprised at naming el-Khayat for Luxor. "If we had been asked beforehand, we would have advised against the move to serve the public interest," a leading official in the group was quoted in the local media as saying. "After consultations with brothers at the Building and Development Party, we concluded I have to resign in order to preserve public interest," el-Khayat told reporters on Sunday. The sharp row over his appointment could have been avoided had he been given the governorship of any other city than Luxor. The only explanation for el-Khayat's appointment is that it was meant to woo his Building and Development Party, the political arm of Gama'a Islamiyya, ahead of massive protests on June 30 against Morsi's rule. Whatever the ulterior motive might be, one thing is certain: el-Khayat's pick needlessly created a crisis for Egypt, already burdened with a plethora of problems. It also rankled old wounds for families of those slain in Luxor 16 years ago. At the end of the day, the row raised questions over the decision-making process in Egypt.
